Janitorial Shrimp

[JRPhd]

Hey all,
I'm always looking to add new inhabitants to my tank provided they add something functional. I have been giving consideration to a shrimp, but want one that will help combat my heavy-handed feeding. So, is there one shrimp recommended over others for consuming detritus? Peppermint, cleaner, fire, banded?
Thanks
Jon

 

[bjonesjr1]

i have 3 peppermint shrimp in my 55 gallon tank and they do a good job of scavenging and eating un eaten food or picking at my liverock. I like peppermint shrimp allthough would be nice to get a banded shrimp soon for the colors

 

[Sk8r]

Peppermint shrimp are hardy (but drip-acclimate them!) and good cleanup crew for extra food: they kill aiptasia (and yellow polyps) and only rarely harass anything else, by error generally, and have never harmed anything.

 

[bertoni]

The fire shrimp can be shy enough in the light that they don't get leftover food as quickly as the others, but all of them will eat leftover food. The skunk cleaner shrimp are probably the most reef-safe of the bunch, but they're all predatory and might nibble on some corals, especially the peppermint and fire shrimps.

You could consider some Nassarius vibex snails to eat leftover food. They do a good job and are quite reef-safe. For that size tank, 3-4 should do the job.

 

[Joshthenosh]

my clean up crew which consots atm of 2 cleaners shrimp 1 fire shrimp, 4 turbo snails 3 hermits n one other unkown crab.

Aint every good at there job ok the snails eat alge but aint enough of them my shrimps dont clean up anything they just wait to be fed when the fish get food!

i might hget a peppermint to see if he does a better job, ive also got 20 blue leg hermits and 10 more snaisl commign tommorow

 

[JRPhd]

I have several nassarius (the smaller ones) and they do a bang up job. Also have 4-6 micro hermits. Was just thinking about adding more diversity while serving a janitorial purpose as well. So, peppermints and skunks might take a liking to shrooms and Zoa's?

 

[HBtank]

I think my peppermints and skunk cleaners do a great job cleaning up food after feeding.

Almost to good, sad to watch one of my nassarius fiannly track down a pellet only to be robbed by a peppermint. I swear they will scamper over, flip the snail over and reach down its throat with their claws to get a pellet.

Neither of my peppermints or skunks have gone after anything I have bought, but I have seen the peppermints feverishly attack some unkowns on my LR and kill all my aptasia. All good IMO.