do fish get cleaned all the time by cleaner shrimp?

[badkjb2]

or do they only do it when they have a parasite outbreak? i noticed my yellow tang went by my cleaner for about a week when i first got him, then left him alone for about 2 months. now he goes by him all the time again. just wondering if they only go by them because of a parasite outbreak, or for time to time cleaning.

 

[mr . salty]

Once your shrimp has settled in to his new home,he will set up a "cleaning station". Then he will more less stay in this one spot,and wait till the fish come to him for a cleaning...

 

[ci11337]

I have had my cleaner shrimp for almost a year now, (he's huge!!) and he kinda stalks the fish. If my foxface swims near the shrimp he will jump on him and clean like there is no tomarrow until the fish shakes him off. My shrimp will also clean my arm during matinence.

heres a pic of The Ich Buster.

 

[scsinet]

Cleaners will strip off anything from the fish that "needs it." Parsites, dead or loose scales, bits of food caught in their mouths, junk from their gills, anything. If the fish is big enough, he may open his mouth and let the cleaner shrimp climb in. My big Goby does this regularly.
Make no mistake though, they do NOT eliminate parasites, and in fact the longer cleaner shrimp are in captivity, the more likely they are to stop cleaning and just wait for handouts.

 

[oct22baby]

Should a cleaner shrimp be in the tank from the get-go, or do you add them after it's established? Sounds like they help, not hurt, right? LFS has very friendly cleaner shrimp and I would like to have one in mine when it's up, too.

 

[mombostic]

I love my pair of cleaners. Some fish let them clean and some do not. My coral beauty, tang, sixline and anthias let him, but the two clowns and royal gramma do not, or at least not that I've seen. I think the shrimp do need an established, stable environment, though, but really I haven't had any trouble keeping the pair I have. They've been in there almost two years.

 

[joedaxe]

does anyone have a longnosehawk with a cleaner shrimp

 

[mombostic]

I did for a while before I traded the longnose hawk, but the shrimp were as big as him. I'm sure they'll heat small stuff, right?