Peppermint shrimp? cleaning?

[headabovewater]

Ive got a couple of Domino's with ick, and it looks like my peppermint shrimp are eating them clean. Do they clean parasites off like cleaner shrimp?

 

[ebeckels]

i've never heard of that happening.

 

[beecher]

I have two peppermint shrimp in my tank and they wont go near any fish. Are you sure they are peppermint shrimp?

 

[headabovewater]

Yep they look like it I got them here. The fish hover up beside em and I see there leg thingys moving, andd then later no ick on em.

 

[big dave]

Yes. Most of the shrimp in the Lysmata family(including:fire, skunk cleaner, and peppermint shrimps) are cleaners. Some (fire/skunk) are more avid cleaners than others. Most peppermints tend to be cleaners as they get bigger and are less likely to be eaten by the fish being cleaned. As a side note, many juvenile fish are cleaners including: queen angels, spanish hogfish, and barber butterflies. Some fishes are professional cleaners like the neon gobies, sharknose gobies, and cleaner wrasses. If you have a need for other cleaner animals,DO NOT BUY A CLEANER WRASSE!! they are good cleaners but do not do well in captivity and the South Pacific needs them more than your aquarium. Just my 2 cents.-Big Dave