Cleaner shrimp not cleaning??

[wallysworld]

Bought a cleaner shring 2 days ago. When fish come close to him he wacks them with his antenna? Also my small flame hawk went after him twice. I thought the cleaner shrimp would not be bothered by hawk??

Thanks,
Walter

 

[Pinkheine]

Hawkfishes eat shrimps. Sometimes people can get away with them and larger cleaner shrimps and such but they are considered reef compatible with caution. Caution being that they will snack on shrimps and such.

We only have one cleaner shrimp out of three that will clean the fish in the tank and a fire shrimp that cleans them more than all the others.

 

[Deanos]

Hawkfish eat shrimp.

 

[wallysworld]

Yes I understand but I have been diving ans seen planty of fish that eat shring not bother the cleaner. I This is my first cleaner shrimp. I didn't know they don't always clean?? Learn something new... I guess I should have gone for the cleaner wrasse.

Also wasa thinking this is not an actual cleaner shrimp I rememebr reading somthing about another shrinp that looks almost identical but has a differnt stripe patern on his tail.


Thanks

 

[NYPDFrogman]

Yes I understand but I have been diving ans seen planty of fish that eat shring not bother the cleaner. I This is my first cleaner shrimp. I didn't know they don't always clean?? Learn something new... I guess I should have gone for the cleaner wrasse.

Also wasa thinking this is not an actual cleaner shrimp I rememebr reading somthing about another shrinp that looks almost identical but has a differnt stripe patern on his tail.


Thanks

I have 2 skunk cleaners, coral banded and a blood shrimp with 3 hawks in my tank a large arc eye(3-4") long nose and a flame hawk and they dont bother with them at all.
peppermints are fair game

can u post a pic of your cleaner ?

sometimes if they are going to molt they want nothing to do with other fish

 

[Mr. Softy]

+1 molting. That hawk might be getting ready for a soft shell shrimp dinner.

 

[wallysworld]

I agree I have seen pepperments taken into the rocks by a hawk, snack time...

I will try to get a picture tomorrow.

 

[TOTAL AQUARIUMS]

Skunk cleaners, blood/fire shrimp, coral banded shrimp are all considered "cleaner shrimp. There are many shrimp that fall under that "classification". Often in captivity, cleaner species end up ceaseing their cleaning activities. There is a constant source of food introduced which they no longer need to pull off the other fish. The fish in the tank are constantly in front of them and hopefully devoid of any serious parasitic infestations. If you are doing it right, they get lazy and take the easy road lol. Would you clean everyone if you didn't have to? I have seen them go after fish with issues sometimes after being in a tank for a long time but more often than not 9 out of ten 10 cleaners prefer mysis to parasites :tub:

 

[KathyC]

Also wasa thinking this is not an actual cleaner shrimp I rememebr reading somthing about another shrinp that looks almost identical but has a differnt stripe patern on his tail.

The two that are frequently misidentified are Peppermint shrimp vs Camelback shrimp.