scarlet cleaner shrimp

[DetectiveTofu]

Will I have to worry about a scarlet cleaner shrimp killing any of my red legged hermits? Or my astreas or Nassarius snails?
What do you feed and how often do you feed your scarlet?

 

[MrMikeB]

Scarlets are rather docile creatures, mostly hide throughout the day. I have only seen them get aggressive to their own kind when one is introduced later than the other. They will not kill the hermits (you could not be so lucky , and will leave your snails alone. They are scavengers and will come out to grab a bit when you feed your fish and will scavenge the rocks for tasty treats (mostly meat products). They are pretty shy, unlike their close relatives the skunk cleaner shrimp, who just are into everything.

 

[DetectiveTofu]

wow, okay, thanks for the information. Will it get along with a peppermint shrimp you think?

 

[MrMikeB]

I have many peppermints in the same tank... get along fabulously. Both are rather shy and you rarely see them unless you train them like I do.

 

[DetectiveTofu]

how do you train them?

 

[650-IS350]

I actually just place a jumbo krill on a feeding stick.. and he just reaches for it... ( once they smell the food ) they will even eat from your hand.... my previous skunks and blood shrimps did that... I feed him prior to feeding the nems to prevent him from stealling from the nems

 

[MrMikeB]

They have simple minds really, but can 'learn' rudimentary lessons via association. At night when the fish are settled down I will persuade the peppermints out with a bit of food. They now associate my hand with food and will hop in. Funny sight to see a handful of peppermints doing that Ray Charles sway, waiting for a treat.

I have trained skunks to walk on the water by waving my hand over the top of the tank. Did this by using bits of floating flake and no current while 'training' them at night. Now they do it when the lights are still on.

I have managed, with limited success, to have my emerald crabs come out to be rubbed on top of their heads. Its hit or miss with these guys as they can be temperamental and really only tolerate it if you have a bribe.

The invert circus is always a crowd pleaser.

 

[DetectiveTofu]

wow, thank you for the plentiful information!

Sometime in the next month I will be adding a peppermint shrimp and a scarlet cleaner to my 35 fowlr

 

[650-IS350]

They'll be cool together, as long as you don't add them to or with a Coral Bandid Shrimp

 

[DetectiveTofu]

I heard those coral banded shrimp are trouble often times with other inverts, heh