Cleaner Shrimps

[MightyMike1]

My cleaner shrimp doesnt seem to be doing his JOB! My tang has some parasites on him and you can tell he wants the shrimp to jump on him. The shrimp just get scared when the tang goes around him. Should I try and get another cleaner shrimp?? Is there any other shrimp that will eat parasites off of fish??

 

[Baianotang]

DO buy another cleaner as there are the weired ones (like the one you have). But as cleaning power goes this is the best species. Coral Banded only sometimes will do cleaning duties as some other but they are fussyer.

 

[DaGoldenChild]

How long have you had the cleaner shrimp in your tank it took mine a while to adjust to the fish when i first introduced it to the tank and then after a couple of weeks it was cleaning away.

 

[Anonymous]

I would not rely on a cleaner shrimp to rid your fish of parasites of it has gotten so bad that the parasites are visible.

You should post a detailed description of what your fish has and maybe we can help you treat it!

 

[Dinoflorist]

Coral Banded Shrimp will clean? I didn't think that they had any inclination to clean whatsoever. Also, I have heard that Coral Banded shrimp do not like cleaners or fire shrimp or even other coral banded's in their territory.
I do know that Fire Shrimp will clean, but its supposed to be rare. I have only had my one fire shrimp and he cleans. He would get on my boxfish and clean it.

 

[Anonymous]

No CB's wont really clean..my CB seems to be ok with my scarlet and peppermint but yeah they are territorial...Are you sure you have a cleaner shrimp. there are a few shrimp in the "cleaner" class ie Coral Banded that do really clean..you need the L amboinensis aka scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp HTH

 

[Salty_NC]

GOOD PIC!!

 

[Kevin1000]

I agree with Laura -- if your fish are showing signs of parasites treat them.

Cleaning shrimp are unreliable as parasite cleaners and the fact that they may consume some parasites does not mean they will consume parasites such as ich.