Cleaner shrimp...

[bret61081]

Well when Hurricane Katrina hit here, I lost my skunk cleaner shrimp. I wanted to get another one but not sure if I want to get a skunk cleaner shrimp or a blood red cleaner shrimp. My Skunk cleaner cleaned the fish when I first got it but it only last a month or so. Any differnce in cleaning the fish with the Blood red ones? Thanks guys :happyfish

 

[fallinmor]

the fire shrimp clean even less then the skunk. the fire shrimp are alot prettier though, how big is your tank? if it's like 30 gallons and up with equal or more lr you could get both.

 

[bret61081]

its a 55G...I could do both...not sure yet...skunks are 15$ and teh blood reds are 24$...so not sure what one I want to go with yet!

 

[fallinmor]

wow your fire shrimp are cheap where you are! mine was 35-50 after tax and skunks are like 20-30 (depending on size). if money is the issue go with the skunks you would save alot of money. i got a fire shrimp because my tank needed red in it, but fire's are alot less active then skunks so if u want to see the thing alot you'd have to construct an overhang where you could see it and even then there is a lim chance it will stay in the place you intended.

 

[speg]

I've had both and personally i'll never get a skunk again. Cleaner shrimp are so sensitive to the slightest little change in salinity and i've had horrible success acclimating them. The longest I could keep one was around 2 weeks. Although i've had two fire shrimp for a while now, and they are VERY VERY active. Even without 'chuming' the water with food they'll often come out and check out the tank. I have lots of hiding places in my tank and they have decided they want nothing to do with being hidden
Fire shrimp at a LFS here go around 19-20 dollars. Thats like the best price i've ever seen on them.

 

[jerthunter]

Wow, after seeing Speg's Blood red's I wish I had them instead of skunk cleaner shrimp! They just look so much cooler, although I have also heard that the blood red ones don't clean as much and they tend to be more aggressive but hey they look so cool..

 

[carshark]

Originally Posted by Jerthunter
Wow, after seeing Speg's Blood red's I wish I had them instead of skunk cleaner shrimp! They just look so much cooler, although I have also heard that the blood red ones don't clean as much and they tend to be more aggressive but hey they look so cool..
If you have a healthy system, good clean up crew, and a QT, i wouldnt think a massive cleaner would be neccessary...the fire shrimp look cooler anyway. I dont see the use of a cleaner shrimp unless that is your sole cleaner. which is not recommended.

 

[speg]

I've had several cleaner shrimp like I mentioned before. NEVER once did one get brave enough to come out and clean a fish. I am sure im just unlucky with them though.
However my fire shrimp will hang out near a ledge of a rock and my yellow tang will swim up right next to the shrimp and just sit there.... the shrimp then climbs aboard and picks a bit and then the yellow tang swims away =c)
If you're looking for a shrimp that cleans and is really cheap... peppermint shrimp.

 

[chipmaker]

My peppermint shrimp is a raving maniac when it comes time for feeding. He will literally try and drive the fish away.........He makes a bolt across the tank in a split second, and starts stuffing the food in his mouth and sort of jumping at any fish that comes near the food......He certainly has guts for being a shrimp.

 

[smoney]

Hey man, if you can go for the fire shrimp, personally for me, they are a ton more active and alot cooler to people who view your tank. I paid like 25 bucks for mine, and I am going to get another one for 15 bucks over the weekend.

 

[brycewood]

I've never seen a fire shrimp seem more active than a skunk cleaner. My experience has been that skunks are more active, the fire shrimp seem to move at a more calm pace.
They are however very colorful additions to a tank.

 

[xjayx]

I vote blood red.
I love the way those guys look.
I've had one for almost a year now and he's helped me clear my tank of ick once in the past.
I occasionally see my fish line up to get cleaned up and on occasion, I see the guy jump on my yellow tang and ride him around the tank.

 

[bret61081]

Originally Posted by xjayx
I see the guy jump on my yellow tang and ride him around the tank.

Take a pic of that! I wanna see! how cool!!

 

[smoney]

my fire shrimp cleans everything. He goes up to the yelowwatchman goby and the goby opens his mouth and the shrimp just goes to town on his mouth.