cleaner shrimp question

[AnnaG]

Hey,
Im purchasing my first cleaner shrimp tomorrow. I read about how they're sensitive to salinity changes, so I bought an ATO, which has done a great job at maintaining salinity consistently. However I am worried about when I do water changes. I have a refractometer but im just worried even if I read it a my standard 1.025, it might be slightly off and kill the shrimp. Does anyone have experience with cleaner shrimps? How do you go about water changes? Maybe im just paranoid- they're $160 in Australia

Thanks

 

[ScottyD36]

I find mine to be pretty hardy. I have two tanks that have them in each. I have had salinity changes and temperature changes and it didn’t affect them. As long as it isn’t some sudden drop say from like 1.026 to 1.018 they are fine. Slight drops in salinity one way or another shouldn’t affect it.

 

[ying yang]

I've had 2 about 6 months now and melted each like every 1.5- 2 weeks and my temp in summer went from 78 upto 82 at one point but bring it down a little but I find them very resilient but I make my new water to same sg as tank and it quite hard to change sg imo .
Before I had ato hooked up I used to check sg daily for a week on my 80 gallon tank and water in return pump chamber in sump would gradually fall but after a week the sg still same so guessing it all depends on size of tank and how much water evaporates .I live in England so unusual to have very hot weather and before ato it would evaporate maybe 2- 3 gallons and sg not change at all

 

[olonmv]

I’ve had mine for nearly a year and like ScottyD says, they seem pretty hardy. Only negative thing I can say about owning a cleaner shrimp is they are a-ho’s at feeding time. I usually try to target feed him first to keep him from stealing food from corals mouths and pestering my slow eating mandarin. Past that, they have a ton of personality.

 

[ying yang]

I’ve had mine for nearly a year and like ScottyD says, they seem pretty hardy. Only negative thing I can say about owning a cleaner shrimp is they are a-ho’s at feeding time. I usually try to target feed him first to keep him from stealing food from corals mouths and pestering my slow eating mandarin. Past that, they have a ton of personality.

Yeah exactly same I feed cleaner shrimp first then corals to keep him busy so doesnt steal food from corals as much

 

[FMF0331]

I have 6 of them in my tank, i consider them to be super hardy and super annoying during feeding. I also target feed all the shrimps. l only see them during feeding time, they love to hide in the rock work.

 

[Tim McLellan]

OMG, $160?? That's crazy. I just do manual top offs, no ATO so there may be a little fluctuation in my salinity, but my cleaner shrimp (and all my other critters) never show any signs of being affected by it. I test once a week and it's always within about + or - .005 of 1.025.

 

[AnnaG]

got him today, isn't he cute I named him Jacques

 

[AnnaG]

Yeah exactly same I feed cleaner shrimp first then corals to keep him busy so doesnt steal food from corals as much

I’ve had mine for nearly a year and like ScottyD says, they seem pretty hardy. Only negative thing I can say about owning a cleaner shrimp is they are a-ho’s at feeding time. I usually try to target feed him first to keep him from stealing food from corals mouths and pestering my slow eating mandarin. Past that, they have a ton of personality.

How often do you guys feed them? Do you add any iodine supplements or anything like that for them?

 

[Garf]

got him today, isn't he cute I named him Jacques

They do well, as long as your water is good. My pair had babies last week. When they shed, you’ll be looking around the tank to make sure he ain’t died, lol.

 

[AnnaG]

They do well, as long as your water is good. My pair had babies last week. When they shed, you’ll be looking around the tank to make sure he ain’t died, lol.

haha I was worried about that- telling myself not to panic when I first do see him molting especially bc he is quite young and small, apparently I have to expect it sort of frequently

 

[olonmv]

How often do you guys feed them? Do you add any iodine supplements or anything like that for them?

I feed once a day, I’ve never added an iodine sup but I believe that the all for reef that I dose has the trace element in it already. Mine molts every 1.5-2.5 weeks. Congrats on your new addition. You’ll be babysitting the tank at feeding time from here on out lol. I also have a pistol shrimp whom steals anything that isn’t glued down.

 

[ying yang]

I feed tank 3 times a day and he usually grabs little of that but 2 times a week I target feed lps corals but make sure I give both cleaner shrimp some first then cleaner shrimp drop there's and try steal from torch corals but I blow some water out turkey baster at them ( gently as dont want kill them, as want torch get some )
Never dosed anything to tank

 

[fachatga]

I think I the sensitivity is more to make sure you acclimate slowly and properly. Small changes in the tank aren’t usually sudden and won’t bother them anymore than fish. I’ve had swings in my tank and my cleaner is fine