Cleaner Shrimp

Care

Cleaner Shrimp make fascinating additions to the mature reef aquarium, where they will frequently be observed cleaning the parasites off of small fishes. Although Cleaner Shrimp are known to be quite safe cleaning parasites off of large predatory fish in the wild, in the confines of the aquarium, large belligerent tankmates are best avoided as it is not unheard of for such fish to eat them. Occasional specimens may take food from corals and slower creatures, so observe carefully to ensure that everything is receiving its fair share of food. This industrious species can be kept in groups in spacious aquaria with plenty of live rock. Acclimatise slowly and carefully, preferably using the drip method. As with other invertebrates, do not use copper-based medications if you have Cleaner Shrimp in the tank. As these shrimp grow, they will moult every now and again, and you may find their exoskeletons in the tank. They are quite vulnerable for a few days once they have shed their exoskeleton, and may hide away until the new shell hardens. Will not tolerate a high nitrate level.

Feeding

Will eat most aquarium foods.

Breeding

As they spawn each time they moult, Cleaner shrimp regularly fill with eggs in the home aquarium, but raising the larvae is extremely challenging - mainly due to predation by tankmates, strong currents sucking them into the filtration system, and difficulty in feeding them with appropriately sized foodstuffs such as phytoplankton.