ATTN all cleaner shrimp owners

cimpow137

cimpow137

Member
I was wondering how long it took your shrimp to start cleaning your fish... I just bought a pair and my dad wants to see them clean.. He gets a little excited when I get new stuff for my tank
I wanted to give him an estimate of how long it will take before they start cleaning even if it is only a rough one..
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If the Shrimp get overly stressed during the move (typical) then they will molt. It will be a few days after they molt before they will be strong enough to clean.
 
cimpow137

cimpow137

Member
Alrighty they haven't molted yet. I'm hoping that they won't be stressed enough to have to but if they do it's okay. I guess I'll wait a day or 2 to see if they do end up molting and then wait until they start cleaning. I have 1 3-4in. bi-color blenny, I wish he would swim more instead of shoving his back end into a rock all day. He is absolutely gorgeous and starting to grow what looks to be tail streamers. I also have a 2in or so 6-line wrasse also a great fish. The last fish I have is a newly bought red firefish and I must say his colors are very impressive. Is there any way to tell between male and female red firefish? I would really like to get a mate for the one I have to finish off the stocking (fish wise) of my 29g tank
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
You don't have any fish that typically enjoy being cleaned.
The Shrimp will gladly clean your fingernails for you though...
 
joker_ca

joker_ca

Active Member
it took awhile after i added my cleaner shrimps to my tank before any of the fish would let them even get close to them, i say around 3 weeks before my rusty angel and henicohus butterfly fish let the cleaner shrimp clean them
very cool to watch them clean your fish and your hand
 
cimpow137

cimpow137

Member
Haha
I wonder if that will work.. Taping the picture to the tank like you would to show a clownfish what he is supposed to do with the anemone (sp?)
 
ross

ross

Active Member
awesome pics offshore!
My shrimp is always wanting to clean my fish, but they rarely let him. I've seen him clean the flame angel a couple times but the angel doesnt seem to like it very much. :confused: :thinking:
 
dattong

dattong

Member
My blood shrimp enjoyed cleaning my fish more than my cleaners. The cleaners actually love meatty treats better
 
wmuwally

wmuwally

Member
It took my cleaner shrimp a day to start but he only cleans my Coral Beauty. He wont touch the clown or the chromis. But when he does it it is pretty awesome.:happy:
 
jacknjill

jacknjill

Active Member
what kind of fish do cleaner shrimp generally like to clean? i have a pair of tomato clowns, yellow tnag, and a kole tang. will he clean any of those fish?
 
D

dorie

Guest
I have never seen my cleaner clean my clown!
Just give it some time, they will clean as long the fish allow them too.
But they will come up to your finger and feed off you, they are realy neat to watch.
Anyone know how big they get! Mine have molted so many times they are big!
 
cimpow137

cimpow137

Member
Well I know they clean. I was cleaning my tank this morning and one jumped on my hand and scared me sooo bad that I almost had a heart attack. He was on the other side of the tank and I stuck my hand in and he shoots over and jumps on it while I was looking away. But after the first time I just let him do his job and got a manicure.
I haven't seen them clean any of my fish though.
 
pontius

pontius

Active Member
my clowns, cardinals, and coral beauty won't go close to my cleaners, despite the shrimps' constant begging. then I got a yellow tang, the minute I put him in, he swam right up to the shrimp and they both jumped on him. I think it depends more on the fish than the shrimp. tangs are pretty personable and are known to carry a lot of parasites (sometimes), that's a pretty good combo when it comes to cleaner shrimp and fish compatability.
 
thesamm

thesamm

Member
in our 280 our 2 cleaner shrimp were added at the same time along with a fire...and the 2 cleaners started cleaning instantly but the other one took about 5 min. at the most...and there still in the cleaning business doing well
 
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