Cleaner Shrimp... NEEDS?

[mjoener]

So I'm looking into getting a cleaner shrimp.

-What are their basic needs, I understand that they help keep my fishies clean but what do they EAT?

-Are they like any other shrimp, peppermints and things?

-Thanks in advance!

 

[mokeyz]

They eat whatever you feed your tank and continuously pick at rocks all day long. They are beautiful and you can always see them and when the mood strikes them they will clean your fish as well. I have a mated pair and they have babies (each of them) about every 10 days or so within an hour of the lights going off.

 

[EllieSuz]

I target feed with a turkey baster and my Cleaner hangs on to the baster for first dibbs. He'll get plenty living on leftovers.

 

[mjoener]

<b>mokeyz</b> -
Do you collect the offspring?
If not do your other inhabitants feed on the babies?

 

[mokeyz]

I don't collect the eggs, cleaner shrimp young are near impossible to raise to maturity - I believe that the longest anyone has gotten the young is around 54 days - they take 6 months to a year to be viable from what I have read.

Yes, they become coral food and fish food - matter of fact I can tell from across the room that they are giving birth because the fish, who were asleep only moments before are swimming around the tank in the dark eating up a storm.

 

[mjoener]

HAHA thats awesome!
Thanks for the input guys!

 

[Snowboarda42]

You can usually also put your hand infront of them and hold it really still and they will clean it. It feels really weird, especially under your nail beds ha ha

 

[Logzor]

Make sure your params are pretty stable. Wrasses might attack them.

I lost both of mine one morning, not sure why. I think it was due to the new fish I added to the tank. I found one of the new fish and both shrimp dead. Not sure what happened, possibly a parasite. The fish that died had a very bloated stomach.

 

[LobsterMan]

I feed mine frozen shrimp.

 

[mjoener]

thanks everyone!!!