My Cleaning Shrimp

[G7EG]

Hi All,

I bought a cleaning shrimp for my tank about 2 months ago and I really liked it as it was fascinating to watch especially when the clown wanted a clean!

Anyway about the last 4 weeks he has stayed round the back of my live rock in the corner hanging onto it upside down. Now I guess he has found a bit that he likes but it's really annoying as I don't get to see him anyway and it's slightly pointless having him as he isn't doing his job.

Is this normal? He deffinatley isn't dead but just seems to love that spot!

Should I get another one maybe or is it pointless having 2 even though he isn't going all over the tank anymore.

 

[SkiFletch]

They usually end up upsideown in some strange location so the behavior is relatively normal. Kinda lame that he's chosen a spot where you cant really see him...

 

[G7EG]

Yeah I know

Should I get another one?

 

[Chac]

No reason why the second one wont do the same

I have 4 or 5 in my tank & hardly see them

 

[grover19]

Hi All,

I bought a cleaning shrimp for my tank about 2 months ago and I really liked it as it was fascinating to watch especially when the clown wanted a clean!

Anyway about the last 4 weeks he has stayed round the back of my live rock in the corner hanging onto it upside down. Now I guess he has found a bit that he likes but it's really annoying as I don't get to see him anyway and it's slightly pointless having him as he isn't doing his job.

Is this normal? He deffinatley isn't dead but just seems to love that spot!

Should I get another one maybe or is it pointless having 2 even though he isn't going all over the tank anymore.

Mine does the same thing, upside down on some LR, I feel the same way you do.
Whenever i put food out though he comes crawlign to get some. But, my LFS has told me he is probably doin the cleaning at night, and I have come down in the middle of the night, turned on the light, and seen he is not in his usual position, also, crap that was on the surface is gone so he could be doin his job at night when the lights go out?

 

[xNOTLOCx]

luckily myne chose a spot in the front, and the rock is dead coral or something that i bought, and he helps it for me by bringing over food and bacteria i think hes seeding it from the live rock cuz i seestuff growing on it, but he swims and jumps around when i feed him... he cleaned my finger th other day and hes really cool he takes food from my hands just got him a week ago or 2...

 

[Jeff20147]

If your tank is big enough I think when there is 3 they seem to be more sociable. Mine hide sometimes also but you usually can always see them walking around doing something. Our fire shrimp hide ALL THE TIME! I had a bad ich breachout once and they tried their hardest to clean the tangs they would jump on them as they swam past it was pretty funny.

 

[crazyelece]

Skunk cleaners as well as blood cleaners are communal animals and do better with more of their kind. A group of them is always better than a lone specimen. As far as being out in the open, it i kind of a personal thing and each one will be different, but adding a couple more will usually get them to come out more.

 

[Navarre]

Cleaner shrimps (or skunks as they are known in the USA) are usually bolder than their Bloodshrimp cousins.

They are both however communal and benefit from being in small communities. I have a single cleaner in my system and i hardly ever see it, I have 3 Blood shrimps in my system and they are bodly on sow all day long. People that visit my tank often ask why the bloods are so bold when the ones they have are never seen except on the odd occasion at feeding time. The answer is numbers.. Make them feel safe and they will be bolder. The same can be said for the cleaner also, eventhough they are usually braver than the bloods you will get better results if you added 2 more (providing your tank is large enough).

Oh and i also have 5 peppermint shrimps in my system and i have onlyever seen them twice.. once when they were added and once last week when i was searching for my urchin!

Lastly I will add that cleaning shrimps hardly ever follow their role in home aquariums for very long. They are caught (mainly ) from the wild where they do this job all day long for the fish, they show the same behaviours when they are in our tanks at home. But as soon as they reliase that they can get food every day from the hand in the sky they get very lazy indeed.
Yes they will still clean but the fish usually have to pester them rather than the shrimps pester the fish.