BTA and cleaner shrimp

[spieszak]

Anyone had problems with keeping a BTA with a cleaner shrimp?
My cleaner seems to want to "clean" my nem all the time, and my nem isn't happy about it, but isn't closing up on him, so he's not getting scared away.
Anyone dealt with this before? Hints or suggestions on what I can do to make the cleaner stop?

 

[KpopAMD]

no problem here had them both and living quite well

 

[spieszak]

Does the cleaner or the fire pick at your nem? Both my cleaner and fire do, and it only makes sense for a scavenger to pick at the sticky nem tentacles for food.. How long have you had them together? Maybe my nem will get "used to it" He slowly closes up now when they pick at him, and is moving to different spots
(water quality is excellent, and the lighting sure seems to be sufficient.. so I'm blaming it on the shrimp picking at him.. Could be wrong though.)

 

[bertoni]

The shrimp might be nipping at the anemone. If so, you might need to remove one or the other. My BTA got along with fire shrimp (L. debelius), which have similar habits, but maybe I was lucky.

 

[spieszak]

The shrimp might be nipping at the anemone. If so, you might need to remove one or the other. My BTA got along with fire shrimp (L. debelius), which have similar habits, but maybe I was lucky.

It will be about a week before I can move the cleaner to another tank. I would think the nem would be able to 'handle it' until then, but if you have any suggestions as to what I might be able to do between now and the move I'd appreciate it.

 

[bertoni]

I'm sorry, I don't have any idea what you might be able to do.

 

[katarina]

MY peppermint shrimp wanted to pick at my LTA so I used a turkey baster to feed it directly. It now comes out to pull the food from the end of the turkey baster and it leaves my LTA alone.

 

[spieszak]

MY peppermint shrimp wanted to pick at my LTA so I used a turkey baster to feed it directly. It now comes out to pull the food from the end of the turkey baster and it leaves my LTA alone.

Yeah, my cleaner is picky and I've been doing something of the same with a feeding stick for him.
I also only feed him on the side of the tank that is farthest away from the nem, but he still goes back to pick. It's no a lack of food.. my fish don't often let him "clean".. and I wonder if that is part of it too..

 

[spieszak]

I'm sorry, I don't have any idea what you might be able to do.

Thanks anyway. Always nice to see a follow up, even when someone doesn't have an answer..

 

[katarina]

Yeah, my cleaner is picky and I've been doing something of the same with a feeding stick for him.
I also only feed him on the side of the tank that is farthest away from the nem, but he still goes back to pick. It's no a lack of food.. my fish don't often let him "clean".. and I wonder if that is part of it too..

That's my only idea. Sorry. I am pretty new to salt water.

 

[Anemone]

A clown will often "convince" shrimp to stay away from their host anemones.

Kevin

 

[spieszak]

I have two clowns that haven't taken to hosting.. of course with the nem closing up and on the move, I can't blame them. It's one of those catch 22's where the clowns hosting would probably solve the problem, but the problem is preventing the clowns from hosting...
I'll be able to move the shrimp in a couple more days, and I'm just hoping to ride it out until then. And if I get too worried before I can make the move, the LFS will take the shrimp.. but I like him and would want him back, and that wouldn't be part of the deal..

 

[aleonn]

My skunk cleaner kept on bothering my GBTA and long tentacle plate coral, to the point of preventing them from opening up. It was worse when I target fed. After a week, I had to return the shrimp.

 

[spieszak]

Whwen I came home from work last night, my nem had split. (split in three.. split usually means two I geuss, so I suppose split isn't the right word.. whatever) I have to assume it was a "stressed out" split... rather than a "happy split".. Regardless I moved the shrimp last night and all FOUR seem to be doing well.
New question. Can an unhealthy nem split? I mean, do they have to be at some normal range of healthy to be able to split?
Also, anything special I need to do to now that he has split?

 

[bertoni]

I'd just feed a bit extra for a bit, I guess. I don't know much about all the causes for splitting or how healthy they need to be to split.

 

[spieszak]

Lots of questions on one thread, I should probably break it up.. but..

Does anyone know if nem's that have split cohabit well together? I mean, a nem will fight a nem... but does that change if they're family? (if it were my family it'd make it twice as bad.. but that's besides the point)

 

[bertoni]

Clones won't fight. They're fine together.