Skunk Cleaner Shrimp Help?

[fishy4thomas]

Hey there so i just purchased a scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp from my LFS. His name is Jacques. Anything I need to know? #reefsquad #shrimpsquad

 

[nereefpat]

Pretty simple to keep. Don't just consider it as part of your cleanup crew, make sure it gets fed. Different types of frozen shrimp (mysis, brine, cocktail, krill) are great food.

 

[saltyhog]

Tell us about your tank...what kind of reef tank, fish, inverts?

They are actually very easy to care for with few demands. I don't feed mine directly...they are pros at stealing food from other inhabitants. They do need good water quality and some iodine for proper molting.

 

[fishy4thomas]

Pretty simple to keep. Don't just consider it as part of your cleanup crew, make sure it gets fed. Different types of frozen shrimp (mysis, brine, cocktail, krill) are great food.

Its alright if i feed it at the same time i feed my fish, right? Every second day.

 

[fishy4thomas]

Tell us about your tank...what kind of reef tank, fish, inverts?

They are actually very easy to care for with few demands. I don't feed mine directly...they are pros at stealing food from other inhabitants. They do need good water quality and some iodine for proper molting.

No corals, 20 gallon, 2 ocellaris, 1 emerald crab, 4 blue legged hermits, 4 margarita snails.

 

[Reef.]

No corals, 20 gallon, 2 ocellaris, 1 emerald crab, 4 blue legged hermits, 4 margarita snails.

I would be careful feeding so little, you have a small tank which will not have a lot of natural food sources, cleaners are quite big, they moult often, I’ve had mine for 5 weeks and it has moulted 3 times, it stops eating the day before and doesn’t eat the day after, I would feed more than you are suggesting, even your fish will benefit.

 

[Fishy212]

Hopefully your cleaner shrimp will do its job and clean your clownfish. They will steal foods from your corals and other fish like saltyhog said above. I feed my shrimps when I feed my fish, they know the food is coming and are not overly aggressive towards the others in my opinion. Make sure you add iodine for proper molting.

 

[fishy4thomas]

Hopefully your cleaner shrimp will do its job and clean your clownfish. They will steal foods from your corals and other fish like saltyhog said above. I feed my shrimps when I feed my fish, they know the food is coming and are not overly aggressive towards the others in my opinion. Make sure you add iodine for proper molting.

I dont have any corals so that should be good

 

[nereefpat]

Its alright if i feed it at the same time i feed my fish, right? Every second day.

Yes, you can simply feed the shrimp when you feed the clowns. I would, however, feed your clowns every day, even if the feeding is small.

 

[Idoc]

I advocate feeding daily as well... you can just keep the portions smaller. My shrimp grab food when the fish are fed. When i spot feed my LPS corals a couple times per week, i also feed the shrimp with a turkey baster... they jump on the tip of the baster and grab everything coming out... they are enjoyable to watch feed and have in a tank. I have a cleaner shrimp and a Fire/Blood shrimp.

 

[fishy4thomas]

I advocate feeding daily as well... you can just keep the portions smaller. My shrimp grab food when the fish are fed. When i spot feed my LPS corals a couple times per week, i also feed the shrimp with a turkey baster... they jump on the tip of the baster and grab everything coming out... they are enjoyable to watch feed and have in a tank. I have a cleaner shrimp and a Fire/Blood shrimp.

I alternate what i feed my clowns: one day brine, the other flakes. Will the cleaner shrimp eat flakes?

 

[Phil D.]

They will eat anything!! +1 on the food thievery!! I have to put a cut off 20 oz. pepsi bottle over my scolys and trachys to keep him from taking the food out of their mouths, He learned his lesson by almost getting eaten when he tried to steal food from my BTA.

 

[Red_Beard]

I alternate what i feed my clowns: one day brine, the other flakes. Will the cleaner shrimp eat flakes?

If it’s edible they will eat it Lol. Mine took to flake better than my clowns!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Theyre scavengers. Assure it eats and watch emerald around it, for which is a crab I do Not trust.

 

[Qasimja]

ive had 2 cleaner shrimp for 8 months and ive never fed them directly they catch food when im feeding the fish or eat what falls to the bottom

 

[fishy4thomas]

Theyre scavengers. Assure it eats and watch emerald around it, for which is a crab I do Not trust.

My emerald crab hasnt seemed to care for it much yet. Well see ig ...

 

[Reef.]

ive had 2 cleaner shrimp for 8 months and ive never fed them directly they catch food when im feeding the fish or eat what falls to the bottom

that can work when you have a big tank, the OP has a 20g, 2 fish and doesn’t feed a lot.

 

[Idoc]

I alternate what i feed my clowns: one day brine, the other flakes. Will the cleaner shrimp eat flakes?

I agree with the other responses...the shrimp will eat anything they can get their little claws on! You usually don't need to directly feed them, but I enjoy watching them eat...plus, it keeps them off my corals and stealing food.

Brine shrimp isn't a great thing to feed regularly to fish. The nutritional content isn't that great...but fish do love brine shrimp! I focus my feeding around mysis shrimp and other frozen mixtures. I do use brine when getting a new fish that may be a bit of a finicky eater and use it mixed with mysis to train them over to mysis.

 

[fishy4thomas]

I agree with the other responses...the shrimp will eat anything they can get their little claws on! You usually don't need to directly feed them, but I enjoy watching them eat...plus, it keeps them off my corals and stealing food.

Brine shrimp isn't a great thing to feed regularly to fish. The nutritional content isn't that great...but fish do love brine shrimp! I focus my feeding around mysis shrimp and other frozen mixtures. I do use brine when getting a new fish that may be a bit of a finicky eater and use it mixed with mysis to train them over to mysis.

Maybe i should start converting to mysis then.

 

[fishy4thomas]

Yes, you can simply feed the shrimp when you feed the clowns. I would, however, feed your clowns every day, even if the feeding is small.

I used a turkey baster to feed my shrimp some brine, but my fish noticed it and THEY stole his food. So after they were fed I took some flakes in my hand and he just cleaned them off. He seems to prefer algae as of now tbh.