cleaner shrimp

[pokmingsheng]

does any of your cleaner shrimps step all over ur corals???

espcially during feeding time, my pair of cleaner shrimps will go crazy and step over everything to get to their food...

they would step on all my zoas and my zoas will all close..

interestingly its only zoas and they seldom disturb my mushrooms, bubble or any other corals for that matter...

kinda irritating when i see them doing it actually...

and it ALWAYS happen.. haha...

sometimes even when i'm not feeding...

just wanna know if thats normal for yours as well???

[bugattilambo]

does any of your cleaner shrimps step all over ur corals???

espcially during feeding time, my pair of cleaner shrimps will go crazy and step over everything to get to their food...

they would step on all my zoas and my zoas will all close..

interestingly its only zoas and they seldom disturb my mushrooms, bubble or any other corals for that matter...

kinda irritating when i see them doing it actually...

and it ALWAYS happen.. haha...

sometimes even when i'm not feeding...

just wanna know if thats normal for yours as well???

yep I was thinking the other day if my cleaner was a blind one

always snatch food from my corals also

yep zoas will close when that bugger steps on them

[Rex88]

same as mine.. it step over anything that get into it's way except for Anemone ..

[iskay]

Zoa stings not strong enough to repel it. Same goes to blasto, acans, plates. Torch, hammer, bubble, it will seldom touch.

[HellBliss]

mine too. i have troubles feeding my blasto and cynarina small pieces of prawns cause the shrimp always snatch it. sometimes my longnose hawk will snatch them also. in then end i just target feed them with reef roids

[comycus]

mine too. i have troubles feeding my blasto and cynarina small pieces of prawns cause the shrimp always snatch it. sometimes my longnose hawk will snatch them also. in then end i just target feed them with reef roids

Same same... heard the cut 1.25L Coke bottle also works.

[limsc]

Same same... heard the cut 1.25L Coke bottle also works.

Another way is to feed the cleaner a reasonable size of prawn meat (about 1.5 green bean size) then feed your corals.

The prawn meat will keep them occupied for a while while the corals consume the food.

[fishiee]

Ya. I usually feed my fish till they are full before i feed my corals. I also have to keep my feeding tube next to my brain coral to 'protect' it. Otherwise my tomato clown will take the food i feed it.

[nichjon]

yup mine too, my cleaner shrimp will also go to the middle of my anemone to steal the prawn meat! i wonder if one day the cleaner itself will be a meal for my anemone. I usually distract my cleaner with a piece of prawn before feeding my anemones too, but sometimes the bugger will get greedy, drop the prawn n grab from the anemone, maybe i'd bought a cannibalistic cleaner! loves to consume it's own kind!

[Eniram]

I guess all of us has this problem with cleaner shrimps. Any one encounter cleaner shrimps not doing their jobs? Mine doesn't clean my fishes partly i think its because there are plenty of food and cleaning fishes is not a top priority!

[jackywongto]

I guess all of us has this problem with cleaner shrimps. Any one encounter cleaner shrimps not doing their jobs? Mine doesn't clean my fishes partly i think its because there are plenty of food and cleaning fishes is not a top priority!

Yup. The cleaners that i have in the past all retired early and stopped cleaning fishes. They are always very hardworking when I first introduce them into the tanks... however over time, they lose interest and focus only on fish food. It is exasperating to see them non-responsive to my angels request. And I hate it when they scramble all over my corals rushing for food. Defintely not going to keep any in my nano.

[MOssrope]

Yup. The cleaners that i have in the past all retired early and stopped cleaning fishes. They are always very hardworking when I first introduce them into the tanks... however over time, they lose interest and focus only on fish food. It is exasperating to see them non-responsive to my angels request. And I hate it when they scramble all over my corals rushing for food. Defintely not going to keep any in my nano.

its like feeding stray cats... the cats will realise there will be food everyday and will not hunt for food themselves just waiting for food.

Due to this domestic cycle, the eco-system changed and soon the rats will be chasing and eating cats. :<

i find it pretty hard to restrict the cleaners from such food when u have to do coral feeding. Somehow some bits of food will leak and once they taste it, they will go slack on the real job.

[comycus]

its like feeding stray cats... the cats will realise there will be food everyday and will not hunt for food themselves just waiting for food.

Due to this domestic cycle, the eco-system changed and soon the rats will be chasing and eating cats. :<

i find it pretty hard to restrict the cleaners from such food when u have to do coral feeding. Somehow some bits of food will leak and once they taste it, they will go slack on the real job.

Do your cleaners eat pellets? I have been trying to feed 100% NLS pellets for the past month and I realise my cleaners used to scamper ard trying to eat them, but nowadays they don't even bother when the pellet is next to them. I only feed mysis/Henry's to my corals like maybe once a fortnight? Prefer to use cyclopeeze, reefroids and 5 in 1 where the cleaners have no chance of snatching food from my corals.

My fishes are so used to pellets now that they don't really appear to take frozen as readily. lol

[jackywongto]

spolit brats!

[pokmingsheng]

Do your cleaners eat pellets? I have been trying to feed 100% NLS pellets for the past month and I realise my cleaners used to scamper ard trying to eat them, but nowadays they don't even bother when the pellet is next to them. I only feed mysis/Henry's to my corals like maybe once a fortnight? Prefer to use cyclopeeze, reefroids and 5 in 1 where the cleaners have no chance of snatching food from my corals.

My fishes are so used to pellets now that they don't really appear to take frozen as readily. lol

my cleaners eat pellets..

i seldom see them clean any of my fishes anymore...

they're just there to snatch all the food during feeding time...

can even swim upside down on the water surface just trying to grab ONE pellet.. haha...

so despo..

[comycus]

my cleaners eat pellets..

i seldom see them clean any of my fishes anymore...

they're just there to snatch all the food during feeding time...

can even swim upside down on the water surface just trying to grab ONE pellet.. haha...

so despo..

I hope my cleaners never become so lazy! hmmm Actually I've never seen my cleaners swimming in the water column. They are always either in their cave, skirting ard the rockworks, or sandbed. So weird!

[Digiman]

I hope my cleaners never become so lazy! hmmm Actually I've never seen my cleaners swimming in the water column. They are always either in their cave, skirting ard the rockworks, or sandbed. So weird!

Your cleaner will become lazy overtime, esp when it gets bigger. I use to have this misconception tat cleaner shrimps are a muz in every reef tank because our fishes benefits from them and they are scavengers which helps clean the tank. But now i hate them and i'll never add them to any tank because all they do after a while is steal food and do nothing. Hermit crabs and peppermints are better scavengers. But still cant any substitute which can clean parasites off fishes?

[comycus]

Your cleaner will become lazy overtime, esp when it gets bigger. I use to have this misconception tat cleaner shrimps are a muz in every reef tank because our fishes benefits from them and they are scavengers which helps clean the tank. But now i hate them and i'll never add them to any tank because all they do after a while is steal food and do nothing. Hermit crabs and peppermints are better scavengers. But still cant any substitute which can clean parasites off fishes?

lol neon goby?

Anyone knows how to trap cleaner shrimps out? lol mine will never ever come close to my hand/betta box/net. Just asking in case one day they piss me off. lol I'm thinking of keeping Sun coral soon also, bet they will become a pita.

[MOssrope]

lol neon goby?

Anyone knows how to trap cleaner shrimps out? lol mine will never ever come close to my hand/betta box/net. Just asking in case one day they piss me off. lol I'm thinking of keeping Sun coral soon also, bet they will become a pita.

for shrimp traps, use a whole bottle and place the food in it... make sure the hole is big enough for it and face it near its cave. It should be easier with lights off, once its in, cover the hole and take it out.. and theres your little menace.

Sun corals = high bioload, unless u take them out to separate tank for feeding. Which i do sometimes and sometimes just feed in tank.

They are so beautiful but i might want to give them up to reduce bioload. At least until my next tank is properly set up.

[comycus]

for shrimp traps, use a whole bottle and place the food in it... make sure the hole is big enough for it and face it near its cave. It should be easier with lights off, once its in, cover the hole and take it out.. and theres your little menace.

Sun corals = high bioload, unless u take them out to separate tank for feeding. Which i do sometimes and sometimes just feed in tank.

They are so beautiful but i might want to give them up to reduce bioload. At least until my next tank is properly set up.

I think my tank should be able to handle the high nutrient flooding... god knows how much frozen food I dumped into my tank for the last couple of months (for those who know why ) , nitrates are still below 5ppm and phosphate zero. I attribute them to frequent water changes and dosing bacteria.