substitute for cleaner shrimp?

[fscmocsaj]

I'm looking to get a long nose hawkfish and I've learned that they love to eat shrimp, what could I substitute for a cleaner shrimp because I know they are vital for a reef tank.

 

[Annie3410]

cleaner shrimp are not vital to a reef. They are just pretty and can sometimes be useful, but certainly not vital.

 

[namxas]

Is your thinking that you want something to groom your fishes or are you more concerned about leftover food, carrion, etc?

With many predators, cleaners sometimes get a "pass", but you'd have to try it out and see. If the cleaner is established first, you stand the best chance of success, however, if your "loss tolerance" is low, it's best not to gamble.

 

[fscmocsaj]

I'm looking into both aspects.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Lots of folks think cleaner fish and shrimp take care of ich and other parasites, not true. I think cleaner shrimp are interesting, but purely ornamental.

 

[Scubes]

I very rarely see my cleaner shrimp cleaning anything except uneaten food off the rocks.
On the other hand, my neon goby gets frequent visits from the tangs.

 

[fscmocsaj]

So there is real reason to have them except for visual effect? What can I get that will benefit my fish and tank?

 

[MrTuskfish]

So there is real reason to have them except for visual effect? What can I get that will benefit my fish and tank?

If your LFS told you that cleaner shrimp were vital, I'd get a new dealer first. Personally, the only cleaner-type critters I keep are snails.

 

[fscmocsaj]

Okay, I have a couple snails and a good amount of hermit crabs and 1 emerald crab.

 

[Dmorty217]

If your LFS told you that cleaner shrimp were vital, I'd get a new dealer first. Personally, the only cleaner-type critters I keep are snails.

+1 the only thing vital to your tank is a proper QT and PROACTIVE treatment of inhabitants. You should read a few books on this hobby to help educate yourself more! :reading:

 

[namxas]

Okay, I have a couple snails and a good amount of hermit crabs and 1 emerald crab.

You're probably bass-ackwards on quantities if you have more hermits than snails. Emeralds tend to get aggressive once they get some size on them, so keep an eye on it.

What size tank do you have?

FWIW, the best fish groomers I've kept have been neon gobies and Janss' pipefishes (Doryhamphus janssi). The neon gobies were the best by far, and the really good thing about them is that they're not "insistent" like cleaner shrimp, which try to groom their tankmates even when it's not wanted, often causing stress.

Both the gobies and the pipes set up cleaning stations and the fishes come to them. However, the pipes are a lot more cryptic.

 

[fscmocsaj]

well i just counted i have 4 snails and 5 tiny hermit crabs. My tank is a 35 gallon hex front