My cleaner shrimp is a little bugger, should I chuck him?

timbo227 · 02/22/2018, 06:12 PM

I love him, but he's learned that my corals sometimes have food in them, and now digs into them all the time looking for food, even when I haven't fed them, and especially when I have fed them. It's to the point that my duncans and turbinaria are closed half the time because they retract was soon as he grazes them with his feelers.... Has anybody had any luck deterring this behaviour? Are there other shrimps that won't do this? I'm about ready to rehome this one.

top shelf · 02/22/2018, 06:37 PM

Unfortunately a lot of the time once they figure that out there's no stopping em. I loved my last cleaner shrimp Jacques but that's exactly why I didn't add another shrimp to this tank. Some people have had success with feeding the shrimp first to keep them occupied then feeding corals. Best bet might be to re-home it.

HBtank · 02/22/2018, 06:56 PM

Essentially why I stopped keeping any shrimp, LPS thieves. All the cleaner and peppermint variety IME.

mcgyvr · 02/22/2018, 07:33 PM

https://www.recipegirl.com/easy-cocktail-sauce-recipe/

ReefkeeperZ · 02/22/2018, 07:43 PM

my GSM solved that problem for me a few years ago, I was debating getting rid of the cleaner when my female laid eggs, the lights came on and the cleaner was on the clutch, she tore him in half with one hit. it was pretty brutal. but yes most likely you'll have to evict him to the sump or another home.

02/22/2018, 06:12 PM	#1
timbo227 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 21	My cleaner shrimp is a little bugger, should I chuck him? I love him, but he's learned that my corals sometimes have food in them, and now digs into them all the time looking for food, even when I haven't fed them, and especially when I have fed them. It's to the point that my duncans and turbinaria are closed half the time because they retract was soon as he grazes them with his feelers.... Has anybody had any luck deterring this behaviour? Are there other shrimps that won't do this? I'm about ready to rehome this one.

02/22/2018, 06:37 PM	#2
top shelf Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,022	Unfortunately a lot of the time once they figure that out there's no stopping em. I loved my last cleaner shrimp Jacques but that's exactly why I didn't add another shrimp to this tank. Some people have had success with feeding the shrimp first to keep them occupied then feeding corals. Best bet might be to re-home it. __________________ Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it into a fruit salad. Philosophy is wondering if that means ketchup is a smoothie. Current tank info: 45g SCA Cube

02/22/2018, 06:56 PM	#3
HBtank Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Huntington Beach, CA Posts: 2,957	Essentially why I stopped keeping any shrimp, LPS thieves. All the cleaner and peppermint variety IME. __________________ 80g Aiptasia dominated reef tank.. with fish and now a bunch of berghia! Current Tank Info: 80g tank, re-starting a reef after a zoanthid nudibranch plauge, followed by months of steady and unstoppable STN/RTN, crashed; stayed FOWLR for a couple years, currently an aiptasia dominated reef tank with fishies and BERGHIA

02/22/2018, 07:33 PM	#4
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	https://www.recipegirl.com/easy-cocktail-sauce-recipe/ __________________ Who me?

02/22/2018, 07:43 PM	#5
ReefkeeperZ Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 392	my GSM solved that problem for me a few years ago, I was debating getting rid of the cleaner when my female laid eggs, the lights came on and the cleaner was on the clutch, she tore him in half with one hit. it was pretty brutal. but yes most likely you'll have to evict him to the sump or another home. __________________ insert witty catchphrase here