Looking for fish that will USE my cleaner shrimp. .

[Teremei]

I have a pretty large cleaner shrimp. He is about 3" long. Of my 4 fish, the coral beauty from time to time can be spotted presenting herself to the cleaner shrimp for a quick grooming. .

But I would like to sort of plan my next fish around the fact that I want them to be fish that tend to use a cleaner shrimps services. I would think it's usually bigger sized fish.

I have a 55 gallon, what fish could I get that would use a cleaner shrimp? Any of them that use it as a "dentist"?

[Nuhtty]

My foxface loved the shrimp.

How long have they all been in the tank together?

Give it time

[Teremei]

5 months, 3 months, and 3 weeks. That's the time for each fish I have. You suppose the clown fish might use him when they get bigger right?

Any other small fish that will use a cleaner shrimp?

[dugg]

Quote-
"Looking for fish that will USE my cleaner shrimp"

If your fish don't go to the shrimp, maybe they don't have any parasites. I would think that is a good thing???

[Teremei]

I thought someone would say that. LOL. But I also thought maybe some fish use the shrimp to clean off dead scales and inside their mouths (other non life threatening things)

[Emster]

My clarki clown and shrimp were together all the time, cleaning the inside of his mouth and taking a cleaning ride, until I got the rba anemone. Now he chases them away.

[anabolic_1]

In my experience with cleaners it seems to be the larger fish that use its services, tangs, butterflys, angel. Just watch your tank size with some of those fish.
GL.
Mike.

[Teremei]

Well I won't be getting any larger size fish for my tank so I'll just be happy with what I've got. I just like seeing that the cleaner shrimp cleans the coral beauty. It makes him feel like he's got a purpose. Heh heh.

[dcoufal]

I've seen my green chromis use the cleaner shrimp... even for "dental" work. ;)

Dwain

[Teremei]

Hmm, maybe my chromis just weren't old enough. They were only about 10 mo. old and I just traded them. .

Thanks! Gives me hope, maybe my percula will feel the need for a dentist when they get bigger. Heh.

[Asuran]

my cleaner shrimp jump and grab onto my tang to clean it... funny to watch cus the shrimp climbs up onto the rockwork waits for the tang to swim by then jumps it... but that was when the tang was first introduced... every now and then i see the tang swim over for a little grooming

[LTJGAlex]

I've had some bad ick over the past few months in my 5g and 12g, and initially it was my chromis that seemed to have introduced it. My cleaner would clean them up at night while they hid in their rock cave.

Now my royal gramma has had it bad, and unfortunately he won't let the cleaner get near. You can see how badly the cleaner wants to get at him too, he constantly tries to swim up and grab him...I really, really wish gramma-boy would swallow his pride and let him!

My yellow watchman goby is perhaps the biggest patron. The cleaner tends to stay near his burrow, and usually every hour or so the goby comes out, opens his mouth and gills, rolls on his side and the cleaner goes to work on him.

I think the new cleaner in my 5g has started cleaning my tomato clown of his ick too...that or Kick-Ich is finally working.

Oh, and both cleaners also like to tidy up the corals and anemones too. Unfortunately, one has gotten so adept at stealing target-fed morsels from the mouth of my recuperating LFS-bleached Atlantic carpet that I have to keep my hand in the tank while the nem slowly takes the pellets in. At least then the cleaner cleans my arm instead of stealing food.

[Teremei]

Cleaners sure aren't shy that's for sure. But that's in their nature. They have to do their services to the fish and are not affraid to just go to town.

[tperkins]

I see my yellow watchman getting groomed all the time by my cleaner.

[spe934]

My cleaner usually does a good job of cleaning my hand when I am working in my tank... He actually swims to the front of my tank when I approach now...

[MyMonkey]

I have a huge Cleaner shrimp. Over 3 inches. My Kole tang seems to be the only one that uses him. I would love to see some let him do some cleaning on them. The shrimp actually tried to jump on my arm while my hand was in the tank. Scared the toot outa me. Even though he just wanted to clean me. It was the first time. Woooo!

[merk1_99]

My Yellow Tang are cleaned by the shrimp...Tho some cleaner shrimp never clean....

[anglecoral]

never had a fish use either of mine