Skunk Cleaner Shrimp?

Nicci · 08-28-2006, 02:16 PM

Hello everyone! Question for you all~ We recently purchased 2 clownfish and after about 1 week, one of them died. We found him being cleaned by our cleaner shrimp. We purchased another one and again 2 days later he was dead and was being cleaned by the shrimp. Has a cleaner shrimp ever killed a smaller fish? The cleaner has plenty of food, and one of the original clowns is alive and well....or could this clown have killed both clowns?
Thanks in advance for your replies!
Nicole

Charlie97L · 08-28-2006, 03:29 PM

i think it would be unheard of for a cleaner to kill a clownfish. i don't think they even have the means to.

if the shrimp was cleaning them like crazy, chances are the fish were infected with some sort of parasite, and that's what killed them. where did you get the fish? LFS, or PetCo/Large Chain store?

jdk504 · 08-28-2006, 03:44 PM

Purchased fish from a lfs, then the other clown from another lfs, didnt think the cleaner shrimp was involved, just noticed that when I saw the fish were dead the shrimp was cleaning them.

Cougra · 08-28-2006, 04:57 PM

All shrimp are oppertunistic feeders. They will feed on ANY dead animals and food that falls to the bottom of the tank. It's a natural reaction since food is generally scarce in the wild and they aren't going to change simply because we keep them in a tank and feed them at regular times.

I would be concerned about why you clowns are dieing though and would recommend thatyou put any new fish in quarentine before adding to the main tank to ensure that they are healthy. I would also echo other sentiments aobut possibly purchasing them from a different source or acclimatize them a little differently.

08-28-2006, 02:16 PM	#1 (permalink)
Nicci Tunicate Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 8 View Gallery Karma Komment	Skunk Cleaner Shrimp? Hello everyone! Question for you all~ We recently purchased 2 clownfish and after about 1 week, one of them died. We found him being cleaned by our cleaner shrimp. We purchased another one and again 2 days later he was dead and was being cleaned by the shrimp. Has a cleaner shrimp ever killed a smaller fish? The cleaner has plenty of food, and one of the original clowns is alive and well....or could this clown have killed both clowns? Thanks in advance for your replies! Nicole

08-28-2006, 03:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
Charlie97L Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: North Bethesda, MD Posts: 1,288 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Skunk Cleaner Shrimp? i think it would be unheard of for a cleaner to kill a clownfish. i don't think they even have the means to. if the shrimp was cleaning them like crazy, chances are the fish were infected with some sort of parasite, and that's what killed them. where did you get the fish? LFS, or PetCo/Large Chain store? __________________ 40 Breeder, 20H Frag Aquactinics T5s, CPR Fuge, Deltec AP600, AC Jr, WavySea

08-28-2006, 03:44 PM	#3 (permalink)
jdk504 Midas Blenny Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 92 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Skunk Cleaner Shrimp? Purchased fish from a lfs, then the other clown from another lfs, didnt think the cleaner shrimp was involved, just noticed that when I saw the fish were dead the shrimp was cleaning them.

08-28-2006, 04:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
Cougra Dragon Moderator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 2,216 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Skunk Cleaner Shrimp? All shrimp are oppertunistic feeders. They will feed on ANY dead animals and food that falls to the bottom of the tank. It's a natural reaction since food is generally scarce in the wild and they aren't going to change simply because we keep them in a tank and feed them at regular times. I would be concerned about why you clowns are dieing though and would recommend thatyou put any new fish in quarentine before adding to the main tank to ensure that they are healthy. I would also echo other sentiments aobut possibly purchasing them from a different source or acclimatize them a little differently. __________________ Michelle Just because something CAN be done, it doesn't mean that it SHOULD be done!

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