Banded Cleaner Shrimp - Stealing from LPS

[Bela N]

Do all Cleaner shrimp (L. amboinesis) steal from SPS?

Our last 2 cleaner shrimp have been thieves! After I spot feed our LPS the shrimp come along & pull the food out of the mouths of the LPS! I do not mean food which is showing on top of the LPS. I am talking swallowed food you can not see. The shrimp litterally pulls food out of the digestive pit of the LPS.

Is this behavior specific to L. amboinesis? Is this common?

 

[Calappidae]

Very common, happens to all of us. Just feed them mysis/brine or whatever they're being fed at the same time, before, or after feeding the corals to distract them.

 

[Betta132]

Cleaner shrimp in general just grab any food that's available at all. I had one that would go up to my shrimpgoby, sit on him, and steal food literally out of his mouth.

 

[Bela N]

Very common, happens to all of us. Just feed them mysis/brine or whatever they're being fed at the same time, before, or after feeding the corals to distract them.

Thanks!

It works, I gave the shrimp so much food it could not consume it all. Just sat there holding a large ball of food it could not eat.

 

[snorvich]

If you get an appropriately size tupperware container, drill/cut holes in it for water circulation, and invert over whatever you are target feeding, you will be "shrimp safe"