Fmxmatt Posted November 18, 2007 Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 Hey All I've had 2 Skunk cleaners in my tank for about a month and a half now, both seem to be doing well, and have seen both molt at least 3 times. My question is to any other Skunk owners, did your cleaners actually clean your fish? If so, did they do it straight away or did it take a while before they started? I ask because I was watching them last night, both were out on a rock which they frequent usually every night about the same time. Both my Blue Tang and Yellow Tang seemed to line up to be cleaned but all the shrimp did were wave their antenna in the direction of the fish, like they were trying to defend themselves. I've read that some of them will never clean, but I thought I'd ask in hope that perhaps someone else has had the same experience, and over time the shrimps became more confident? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidb Posted November 18, 2007 Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 they will get used to it after a while and will be in the same place at roughly the same time each day ready to clean your fish. give them time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 18, 2007 Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 no idea good luck tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 They're only small aswel so I guess that could have something to do with it aswel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 18, 2007 Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 Yes my cleaner shrimp will clean my fish. They will actually swim out off the rock onto the fish and walk around the fishes body cleaning it. They also come running over to me when I approach the tank and will walk up my hand/arm cleaning that when I put it in the tank. Do you shrimps clean your hand when you put it in? You maybe able to teach them the behaviour my putting bit of food (cyclopse) on your finger and letting them clean it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markoshark Posted November 18, 2007 Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 Mine was cleaning my clowns And he cleans hands too. Cool little shrimpie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 18, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 One of them once had a look round when I had my hand in the tank, but wasn't really that keen on coming too close. I might try hand feeding them next time they're out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rossco Posted November 18, 2007 Report Share Posted November 18, 2007 Although fish like to get cleaned, especially if they have ich or similar, shrimps don't always oblige. They are also most active at night so can still clean up your fish when they are 'sleeping'. Shrimps also keep under cover more after a moult as they don't have hard bodies straight away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 and i'm now just this minute watching my blue tang (which i've just noticed tonight has a wee bit of whitespot) follow the cleaners around the tank desperate for them to clean it up. It evens stops swimming and floats on its side so the shrimp get a good view of it. Stupid Shrimp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 Start hand feeding your shrimps. I always do, I will put some shrimp in for the fish then actually hand it to my shrimps who come up onto the rocks and wait for some They then take the time to clean my fingers too. Gotta train some fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 speaking of hand feeding heres one of mine tucking in to dinner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 wow thats a cool pic i want one now more than ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: Why wont mine do that!!!!!!! Hahahaha how long did it take until it would do that? Please dont tell me it did it straight away, just make up some lies or something! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolliolli Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 lol, i can't take all the credit, my tank came with my pair of shrimps when i bought it so they may have already been accustomed to it. however, i have to say the first month or so that i had them they were more timid, however one day i tempted them out with a piece of mussel and ever since they've been very tame. Plus both them started cleaning my fish in the last month or so which i hadn't seen them do before. try some mussel, wave it around close to them and try and tempt them out with that, they'll get the msg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 I've read that some of them will never clean, but I thought I'd ask in hope that perhaps someone else has had the same experience, and over time the shrimps became more confident? They do clean fish if the fish wants to go up to them, some fishes only go up to them if they are sick, It’s a not true that cleaner shrimp will keep white spot under control, getting cleaner shrimps to help with white spot control is a waste of time. white spot is embedded in the skin not on the skins surface so to get the parasite out the shrimp has to break through the skin. Anecdotal evidence seems to support my view that cleaners don’t cure white spot, I have had up to 400 cleaner shrimps in a tank with 1 fish, the fish still got white spot, you would think with so many cleaner shrimps it will help cure it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 Fair enough, but it would still make me happier to see them cleaning the tang, esp since its constantly hanging around them wanting to be cleaned Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 the cleaners will remove some external parasites like like monogean worms, glochidia larvae . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 :evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: Why wont mine do that!!!!!!! Hahahaha how long did it take until it would do that? Please dont tell me it did it straight away, just make up some lies or something! My CBS took a couple of days to get the courage up, but the cleaner shrimps take only a few minutes. Just be patient and dont move too far from a rock so they feel safe and hold some food for them. Funny enough mine runs past the food and up my arm now too =\ weird animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 I'm gunna try hand feeding them tonight. Whats interesting is that I bought both at exactly the same time, they were both the same size, but now 1 is quite alot bigger than the other. Do they have similar mating terms as the clowns? (I.e in a pair, 1 will become dominant and therefore bigger) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 they are hermaphrodites. the larger, older specimen is usually the female but if the female dies the male will increase in size and become a female Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 it would be cool to breed them has anyone in new zealand done that with a good % reach adult hood Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 From what i've read, its easy to get them to breed, but when they hatch, they're so small they get decimated by nearly everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 hmmm you could try to hatch them in a tank with no corals or fish :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 I'm gunna try hand feeding them tonight. Whats interesting is that I bought both at exactly the same time, they were both the same size, but now 1 is quite alot bigger than the other. Do they have similar mating terms as the clowns? (I.e in a pair, 1 will become dominant and therefore bigger) Talking about cleaner shrimp? If so they are hermaphrodites, which means they are both sexes at once. (Not quite like clowns, which can change sex, but are not both sexes at the same time). Any two cleaner shrimp will mate and produce offspring. They do this on the night one moults. At that point it is impregnated by the other/s, and will then grow eggs, which can be seen in the photo of the one on Jolliollis hand, as the green mass under its abdomen. If you happen to shine a torch in the tank the night they are released, the whole tank is teeming with tiny creatures, and any nocturnal feeders are out in force. So if you have 2 shrimps, both will be carrying eggs much of the time, assuming they are moulting regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmxmatt Posted November 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 Haven't noticed mine like that yet. And they both molt regularly. Would be keen to try and save a few if they did have offspring, but sounds very very hard to keep them alive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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