Something my Cleaner Shrimp won't eat???

[jessecnc]

I love my cleaner shrimp...pretty, lots of personality, healthy, but he keeps eating all of my scarlet hermits. Over the last few weeks he has devoured 6 of 10 I had in there. So...he's working on a $30 meal! Not good.
My question is, are there other crabs that will do the same great job, but will NOT be a snack for my cleaner??? Please help as I can't afford to keep replacing hermits!!!

 

[nm reef]

Hmmmmmmmmm...I have never had any reason to suspect a cleaner shrimp of munching live and healthy hermits. Maybe dead and decaying hermits....but not live and healthy ones. I keep numerous hermits with a pair of cleaners and never have had a problem.

 

[jessecnc]

NM...I've seen him grab one off the rock while the hermit is eating, carry him over to HIS part of the tank, and rip that little sucker right out. Now I can't say how live and healthy the crab was, was being the key word. And as time goes on I see more and more red legs laying about the tank. The hermits he's grabbing are small...I'd say about the size of a pencil eraser without the shell. Maybe I just have a weird cleaner. Either way he's still well worth the entertainment. Maybe I'll try another emerald or two...

 

[f1shman]

Are you sure he's a cleaner?

 

[benter]

WOW..I've never heard of such either...I agree, are you sure it is a cleaner shrimp..

 

[nluchau]

Get Bigger Hermits

 

[inkman2004]

I had a sally lightfoot that was molting a few nights ago and when I woke up my cleaner shrimp was eating the thing while it was soft. It hadn't even come completely out of his shell.

 

[jessecnc]

Yep, I'm positive its a cleaner. I'll post a pic if I get the chance.

 

[jedininja]

Hard to believe that its a cleaner. Does sounds like coral banded shrimp behavior though.