Are coral banded shrimp cleaners?

[jackie dh]

I saw some one advertising them as cleaners, and I was wondering if its true?
I 've seen my blue tang trying to get my shrimp to clean him, but I don't know if it's cleaning him or not.
Also, the tang is very pale. He even looks scratched, as if the coral head that he lives in is scratching him.
He's fat as a pig, rushes out to eat any time I walk by. I feed tertra marine pellets, frozen food thats shrimp and greens (can't remember the proper names right now, it's been a looong day!) and brine shrimp. I have also started giving sheets of dry algea, which my chocolate star seems to enjoy a lot more than my tang.
I had a really bad outbreak of ick a few months ago, and used coppersafe to treat the tank, so there shouldn't be any parasites, unless they came in with the star that I got a month ago. I did a 60% water change after the coppersafe, so maybe it's to weak to kill the parasites?

 

[sinner's girl]

Our CBS never cleaned the fish, he didn't like the fish anywhere near him.
ich doesn't come on inverts.
I have also started giving sheets of dry algea, which my chocolate star seems to enjoy a lot more than my tang.
is the tang getting any? when did you start? Tangs need green food. I don't know what the shrimp and green frozen is. The tang should be given some sort of green algea. Forget the name. you can clip it or tie it to a rock. make sure the cc star isn't eating it all.
what are your water levels? what other fish do you have? is someone picking on the tang and stressing him?

 

[jackie dh]

Actually the Shrimp was in there when I treated the tank, and it didn't affect him. He even molted while the copper was in the tank. The starfish has been in there for 3 or 4 weeks and is cruising all over the glass. The frozen food is Emerald Entree, made for herbavores. I just put a bag of Cupidsorb in the filter, so hopefully it will be in invert safe in a few weeks.

 

[karajay]

Originally posted by Jackie DH
He even molted while the copper was in the tank.
He molted BECAUSE of the copper in the tank. That is their way of ridding the body of toxins.

 

[jackie dh]

I didn't know that. He molts about every month or so any way. I've had him for about six months and it still startles me every time he does that, because the first think that I think is he's dead!

 

[marineman]

don't put copper in your display tanks, it is much safer to use a basic 10-15g tank to quarintine sick fish for treatment.

 

[jackie dh]

I only had one tank at the time. I just recently set up another tank for quarintine and it's still not cycled yet.

 

[saltfin]

My coral banded won't clean my hippo or yellow tangs. He will let them close but with pincher out ready for action but not cleaning. Gotta love his attitude. Onry cuss. Get a Scarlett Cleaner:yes: