Should I get a Cleaner Shrimp?

[yoshii]

It wouldn't like eat my tiny clown goby would it?
I've heard they have a great personality and are fun to watch
I've planned to get one, but I want a second opinion from you guys.
I could put more than one in my 55gal right?

 

[meowzer]

NO, It won't eat your clown goby (unless it's dead).....I think if you get 2 you may want to get them at the same time....for some reason I have only been able to keep one in my tank (a 225G) it seems whenever I try to add one...it disappears...

 

[cajonez]

I would get 1 or 2 just for thier personality. They add a lot of life to your tank and won't really harm anything except for stealing food. I have 2 in my 55 and got them about 3 weeks apart, the second one was 1/2 the size as the first when I got him.

 

[bang guy]

I don't advise getting one, they do a lot better with two or more. Have you picked a species you like best? The Skunk Cleaners have the most personality in my opinion.

 

[yoshii]

Thanks for the replies everyone
I think I'll get 2-3 skunk cleaners then, I can't wait!

 

[flower]

I bought two skunk cleaners, one died when I moved, so I bought another. They get along great and hang out together under a ledge. They go for rides on the fish, and get on my hand when I put it in the tank near them.
I thought of them as bugs and didn't want one for the longest time. Now I can't imagine my tank without them.

 

[mastertech]

i have one skunk and one fireshrimp. i got them at differant times but now they hang out together under the same rock. the fireshrimp doesn't like to come out into the light much but sure looks cool when he does. the skunk is the star of the show im my tank at feeding time.

 

[browniebuck]

I just added 4 to my 125...I was planning on 3 fire shrimp as well, but the place that I ordered from was out of them, so they will come later. The 4 that I got are TINY (1 of them is the tiniest that I have ever seen) and have wandered all over the tank and found their little ledges and started cleaning my fish whenever they stop by...I decided against aggressive fish because of my love for watching shrimp in my first 2 tanks (55 and 29).

 

[fretfreak13]

I have a skunk in my 29, he was fun for awhile but now he's just a big pig. =( He's neat in the sense that he's always on the front glass and swimming around (like having another fish), but not so much when I spot feed my corals he relentlessly stands on them and rips the food out of them. My peppermint shrimp is no where near as problematic like that. Now before I spot feed, I have to catch the shrimp, toss him in the sump, and then put him back in the Dt the next day.
Just something to think about, every critter is different but mine is a pain in the butt.

 

[mony97]

Definitly get one or two I have one and it is my one of my favorites, over cool little guys. I plan on getting a second one soon.

 

[cam78]

My cleaner shrimp was a thief. If you have coral that you spot feed then I would say no. No matter how much I fed the shrimp he would always rob my coral that I spot fed. It was so annoying I just killed the shrimp. JUST KIDDING!!! He actually went missing so I assume he died. Now its not so bad feeding the coral though.

 

[cajonez]

i feed each of my skunks a pellet of food before I spot feed. That keeps them busy while the coral eat.

 

[ttl]

ABSOLUTELY

MINE CLIMBS ON MY ARM AND ITS REALLY FRIENDLY IT ALSO KEEPS NITRITES DOWN.

 

[dingus890]

Go for it! They are really awesome shrimps.Great personality.Would make a great addition to your tank. I have kept skunks with neon gobies and clown gobies with no issues.
I have seen my yellow clown goby act aggressive towards my cleaner tho..lol He thinks he's bigger than he really is I guess..haha

I feed mine sinking pellets. The only issue is he fights with my peppermint shrimp sometimes. But that's only when the peppermint gets to close to his territory.

 

[ramblinwreck]

When I had just one, he was very shy and stayed at the back of the tank hidden behind live rocks. I added another one about a month later and the pair now hang out together in plain view. I'd get at least two. They make a great addition: they have bright colors and are clearly visible; and though they haven't yet cleaned my fish (the clowns don't seem to know why the shrimps are trying to climb on top of them!), they're pretty good at cleaning and tickling my hand and arm. Yes, mine also attack my peppermints whenever they wander into their territory. They (peppermints too) also steal food from my BTA. I have to ward them off with a feeding stick while the anemone eats.