Cleaner Shrimp

[NicksMarine200]

Hey all,

I'm currently running a 16 Gal. My two clowns sadly died, however, it has been roughly a month since any fish have been in the tank. Only a single Strom Snail is housed in the tank along with three LPS (hammer, acans, fungia). I would like to know if peppermint shrimp are good scavengers. Cleaner shrimp are what I would prefer, however, in Australia they are far too expensive.

Will two peppermints, most probably, be a good alternative instead of spending a fortune on standard cleaner shrimp? Are they good cleaners and what can they achieve in a nano tank like this?

 

[snorvich]

Hey all,

I'm currently running a 16 Gal. My two clowns sadly died, however, it has been roughly a month since any fish have been in the tank. Only a single Strom Snail is housed in the tank along with three LPS (hammer, acans, fungia). I would like to know if peppermint shrimp are good scavengers. Cleaner shrimp are what I would prefer, however, in Australia they are far too expensive.

Will two peppermints, most probably, be a good alternative instead of spending a fortune on standard cleaner shrimp? Are they good cleaners and what can they achieve in a nano tank like this?

They are good scavengers for extra food. They do not clean fish.

 

[Betta132]

Peppermints are good scavengers, yes. Not fish-cleaners, but fish don't need cleaner shrimp anyway.
In a tank that small, I'd suggest gobies and maybe tiny blennies as your only fish.

 

[Calappidae]

I've witnessed multiple Lysmata sp. cleaning various tangs and even once my own fingers. I remember donating a peppermint to a local library once, and making a cool little cleaning station in the back, which the kids loved to watch the tangs get cleaned. A quick youtube search will bring up several results of peps cleaning hands and a selected few fish videos.

However, the symbiotic relationship is rather insignificant to the animal's health. Even though the shrimp is technically cleaning the fish, it's doesn't accomplish much in the home aquaria. The cleaning aspect is more for entertainment rather than benefiting the livestock themselves. Instead, if you're buying animals based on pro and cons, the cleaner type of shrimps would be more benefitical in the scavenger, CuC aspect as the cleaning aspect is pretty meaningless.. all problematic parasites aren't removed or rebreed back into the system anyway.

Although it may boost a fish's security/reduce stress knowing there's a doctor in the house.

 

[snorvich]

Cleaner shrimp (and cleaner wrasses) do not remove the type of parasites that we encounter in the hobby such as ich, velvet, brook, etc. Some fish will not allow cleaning, others crave it (for example, my Vlamingi tang loves to be cleaned). When diving, I often let them clean my teeth.

 

[Boom]

skunk cleaner shrimp might grow too big for your 16 gallon. Their antennae alone can span almost 10 in. I recommend you look into the Bruuns shrimp. They're beautifully colored and smaller than a peppermint shrimp. They're super entertaining and diligent cleaners. They're not at all shy like a peppermint shrimp.

 

[donut0079]

The only thing with a peppermint is that there are a few species sold under that name so they seem to have a pretty wide range of behaviors in the tank. I would not say they are not reef safe or are even likely to go after corals but I have heard of cases. Especially polyps. So if you go that route just observe for a while until you understand your particular shrimp.

 

[rssjsb]

When diving, I often let them clean my teeth.

I would pay to see this.

 

[donut0079]

Who needs a tooth brush when you can just put your head in the tank.

 

[snorvich]

I would pay to see this.

There are a fair number of videos available on the web (this for example). People have videoed me doing this but I did not retain them. You have to learn the skill of keeping your throat closed (easy) and also the skill of pushing the shrimp out with your tongue when you need to breath. It feels strange and a bit ticklish.

 

[Alyross]

Peppermints are good substrate cleaners IME. Shy.

Might I suggest....since it has been a month that your tank has been fallow, and you didn't say why your clowns died, perhaps if you are the patient kind, you can wait a total of nine weeks before adding a fish or two.

That way you can be sure that your tank is free of ich. I say this because you are almost halfway there, time wise. Maybe get a peppermint or two, after proper quarantine, enjoy their acclimation, get to know them, and before you know it....your fallow period will be over.

May just eliminate months of future fish misery.
Sorry to veer off topic into unsolicited advice territory. ��

 

[oh207]

There are a fair number of videos available on the web (this for example). People have videoed me doing this but I did not retain them. You have to learn the skill of keeping your throat closed (easy) and also the skill of pushing the shrimp out with your tongue when you need to breath. It feels strange and a bit ticklish.

This is crazy! When I first read your post I thought you were joking.:blown:

 

[Saltliquid]

Do you mean the auzy peppermint shrimp lysmata vittata, the thing is lysmata means broken back shrimp of the hippolytidae family and there are many of them!
But the vittata is a small animal eater, that’s what they do, so they can not be trusted with lps and actual small animals like little cleaner shrimp and much more.
They will have a go at acans and scolis, depending on the corals health, but for cleaning fish, as has been said, nothing can consume the toxic velvet and ich in particular, only other protists can reduce them quickly!
Plus with the skunk or red line, they can not exist in the wild with out an eel tucked away somewhere protecting them and in tank, most every one wants to eat them when they shed and send out all those “I am tasty hormones”.
My fav pic
http://www.reefland.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/2.jpg