Cleaner and coral banded

[Dave VG]

What are your thoughts on keeping both Cleaner and coral banded shrimp in the same tank? I have a ton of brissel worms. I heard the coral banded is good at keeping there numbers in check. And of course we all know what the cleaner shrip is good for.

 

[POSEIDOMORS]

i have a pair of cleaners, pair of blood, pair of coral bandeds, and about a half dozen peppermint, as well as many other inverts and had no problems

 

[nwrogers]

I had a pair of skunk cleaners and a pair of blood red cleaners and the blood red cleaners killed the skunk cleaners. It took a year for them to do it but they eventually did it. I am 90% sure it was them too. I would imagine the coral banded would do the same thing over time. I personally wouldn't worry about the brissel worms. Many people think they are a good part of your clean up crew and want them. If you have too many worms your sand may be too dirty. I would just get the skunk cleaners, just my opinion...

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

a pair of large Stenopus spp. shrimp will eventually corner and kill Lysmata spp. shrimps so get a small species.

Bristleworms are part of the cleanup crew. Control bristleworm populations by feeding less.

 

[nwrogers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12822873#post12822873 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Gary Majchrzak
a pair of large Stenopus spp. shrimp will eventually corner and kill Lysmata spp. shrimps so get a small species.

Bristleworms are part of the cleanup crew. Control bristleworm populations by feeding less.

w00t! :dance:

 

[Dave VG]

Ok bristleworms stay. But i don't think i could feed less than i do now which is once a day.

 

[nwrogers]

Some wrasses eat them or get something to keep the sand clean and compete with the worms for food.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I really like the idea of having a small pair of Stenopus and a pair of Lysmata. For the coral banded shrimps you could get the golden coral banded or blue coral banded- both species remain too small to harm Lysmata.

 

[Dave VG]

Lots of good info thanks to all for the input. Gary I read somewhere (dam that short term memory) that shrimp in pairs are more aggressive especially towards other shrimp. And by the way I watched a blood red shrimp killing a cleaner that was bigger than it at one of the LFS in our area so Nate is right that is why I was not considering them. When I can afford it and decide to buy I think I’m going with one cleaner.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

I have no experience with the "blood red shrimp" Lysmata debelius

I've never witnessed any shrimps being more aggressive in pairs- in fact, this is the first time I've ever heard it suggested. I always recommend keeping shrimps in pairs. A pair of shrimps can work in unison to corral another shrimp species that would otherwise be able to escape just one aggressor- that's why I suggested going with a pair of a small species of Stenopus and a pair of "regular" skunk cleaners. (This is what I have in my own aquarium.)

 

[oceanparadise1]

i have one coral banded shrimp and one skunk cleaner with no problems

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12828834#post12828834 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by oceanparadise1
i have one coral banded shrimp and one skunk cleaner with no problems

in your case I'd get another skunk cleaner. There's lots of reasons to keep shrimps in pairs- plankton production being one of the big ones.

 

[oceanparadise1]

okay sounds good to me!

 

[lilalove]

I've got a pair of cleaners and one HUGE wild caught coral banded. They all stay out of each other's way. Hopefully, that won't change.