skunk cleaner shrimp not eating

[JoJosReef]

New skunk cleaner hasn't eaten anything I've thrown at it since introduced to tank on Thursday (3 days ago). It has been very active and not at all shy, but I haven't seen it eat anything. Tried NLS pellets, a broken piece of algae tab, and just tried chopped Trader Joe's raw shrimp. Nada. I shot some Reef Nutrition pod/phyto/oyster/roti feast slurry at it, which got it super excited and swimming to my pipette, but didn't see it catching much of anything.

Only other observation has been that it sits on corals as much as it does rocks. I've seen it on various zoas and hanging out on a branch of pink nepthea. Polyps always retracted when on a coral, but I haven't caught it in the act of eating any of them.

Had a blood cleaner and a different skunk in the past and they ate anything I threw at it.

Any ideas? Don't want it to turn to eating corals out of hunger.

 

[1epauletteshark]

New skunk cleaner hasn't eaten anything I've thrown at it since introduced to tank on Thursday (3 days ago). It has been very active and not at all shy, but I haven't seen it eat anything. Tried NLS pellets, a broken piece of algae tab, and just tried chopped Trader Joe's raw shrimp. Nada. I shot some Reef Nutrition pod/phyto/oyster/roti feast slurry at it, which got it super excited and swimming to my pipette, but didn't see it catching much of anything.

Only other observation has been that it sits on corals as much as it does rocks. I've seen it on various zoas and hanging out on a branch of pink nepthea. Polyps always retracted when on a coral, but I haven't caught it in the act of eating any of them.

Had a blood cleaner and a different skunk in the past and they ate anything I threw at it.

Any ideas? Don't want it to turn to eating corals out of hunger.

That’s very strange, I have never seen a skunk that didn’t devour any food that came at it. I really hope it isn’t nibbling on your corals.

 

[JoJosReef]

That’s very strange, I have never seen a skunk that didn’t devour any food that came at it. I really hope it isn’t nibbling on your corals.

I'm a bit worried that is what's happening. My blasto merletti wasn't looking great last night, and the pink nepthea branch it was sitting on during the day hasn't puffed out again (but it's a big nepthea, so less worried).

I will probably try some mysis or clams next, but will be a few days before I can get some. Bit weird. These guys are usually pigs.

 

[JoJosReef]

Good news is I found something the shrimp likes! The old tub of flake food that the clowns don't eat! Hopefully that will hold off the coral picking--my red acan does not look good. Could be the cleaner shrimp, but I also think the torch turned on it after living peacefully together for a long time...

 

[JoJosReef]

Well, now I've become a slave to a shrimp. Feeding it a flake 2-3 times a day. Pitiful. That said, I give the pitho crab a cut of nori every night, too, which seems counterproductive. But every time I turn off the pumps he comes halfway out of the sand waving his little arms about. Can't resist.