Pepperment Shrimp

[steve40]

I have two pepperment shrimp and they are great. I also have a Half-black angel and the angel will swim up to my pepperment shrimp and stick out its belly to the shrimp. The shrimp does not do anything at all but seem to say "uhh, what the heck to do want." My assumption is that the angel wants to be cleaned by the pepperment shrimp, but the shrimp doesnt look like he knows what to do.
I drop 3 shrimp pellets in that tank once a day for the critters to munch down on. Do you think the shrimp are full and dont want to clean the angel? Also how important is it that the fish gets cleaned? Would it be wise to invest in a cleaner shrimp?

 

[jumpfrog]

I can't recall reading anyplace that peppermints will clean. I guess any shrimp may munch on a parasite it comes across but maybe just not a natural inclination.
I personally like have a cleaner shrimp in a tank, just in case.

 

[steve40]

Yeah i know pepperment shrimp clean cause at the LFS you can put your hand in the tank and you get about 5-6 crawling all over your hand, but they arent known to do it as much as cleaner shrimp.

 

[robchuck]

Peppermint shrimp and Cleaner shrimp are both in the same family (Lysmata). I have 5 Peps in my tank, and most of them will clean a fish if it comes near them. I also have a pair of Cleaners in the tank that follow the Peps around, and it seems as though the Peps learned their trade from the Cleaners.

 

[steve40]

If you feed cleaners or pepperment shrimp will it make them less likely to feed on the parasites from other animals? And is it necessary for fish to be cleaned in this way or is it mainly done for the entertainment of the viewer?

 

[marco333]

Well I feed my neon goby all the time, and it still cleans my maroon clown. (its not a invert, but still an example)

 

[bang guy]

FYI - All of the Lysmata Shrimp are considered "Cleaner Shrimp".
This includes the 4 species of Peppermints, the Blood Shrimp, and Scarlet Cleaners.
Peppermints are nocturnal by nature. If you have fish that are active at night the Peppermints will gladly clean them.