Cleaner Shrimp won't clean

[newsalt]

I have two skunk cleaner shrimp in my 50g. I can't find the second, hope it's ok. Anyway, the one I do see seems to refuse to clean. My hippo goes over and practically begs to be cleaned but the shrimp doesn't even seem to acknowledge it. Anyone have this happen. I'd like to have the hippo cleaned because it has ich.

[hunterd_67]

I think its a hit or miss,it took him a few days to start cleaning, then he molted and vanished, its been about a week and no sign.

[BoomerD]

Cleaner shrimp really do little for ich, but might pick off some of the parasites...they more pick off pieces of loose skin, and such than they do parasites. Not to say that that they can't help with an ich infestation, but certainly not the answer either...They probably won't get any of the parasites in the gills, (those are the ones that do the most harm) , nor the ones that are deeply in the skin tissue...Here's some info on them:

"there are also several kinds of shrimps that make a living by picking off and eating parasites, dead skin, and other materials found on "dirty" fishes. These "cleaner shrimps" have some sort of coloration and/or behavior that lets fishes know that they can get a free cleaning if they’ll be nice enough not to make a meal of the cleaner. So, cooperative fishes will come to a shrimp and sit still, or move around slowly, and will let the shrimp go over their body and pick them clean. Sometimes big fishes will even open up and let a cleaner shrimp crawl inside their mouths and pick their teeth and gills clean as well. Obviously, this is a very beneficial service as it is hard to imagine a fish passing up such an easy meal without a good reason.
Unfortunately, sometimes these same shrimps don’t seem to want to do their job in an aquarium, though. I don’t know why, but many times cleaner shrimps just won’t clean. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the fishes in the aquarium either."

[fidojoe]

Only one on my cleaner shrimps (unfortunately the one who met the fate of my aquaclear powerhead that the prefilter cover fell off of) would clean fish, and he would only clean my potters angel (before he died from my tank temp reaching 88 deg). My potters occasionally had a couple spots of ich, which my cleaner took off, and also cleaned his gills inside and out. My remaining cleaner won't touch anything but prepared food.

[biggie18]

They shrimp won't clean is they are getting pieces of fish food to eat. they are just full. try to keep the food away from them and they should have better "cleaning" habits

[ramoth41]

We had a "cleaner" shrimp that refused to clean fish too. Put your hand in the tank and he was all over it!! Strangest thing I ever saw!! I guess he figured hand=food fish=no food!! Felt really odd but parasite free !!
sarah

[Tarasco]

I had a cleaner, and the only fish it every tried to clean was a small anthias I had. It would also get on my hand when I was working in the tank, but wouldn't bother any other fish.