[Juvv]

do they actually clean fish free of dead skin and parasites etc?

i want one or a pair if they actually do this as a few of my fish seem to scratch themselves on the rocks sometimes. This must mean there is some sort of parasite on them? is there any otehr attribues besides parasites why they may be itching themselves? there all eating fine , but seem to be itchy.

any help would be great!

ph ammonia nitrite salinity and temp are fine.

[Ninong]

All of the Lysmata shrimps are cleaners in their natural environment. Most will also perform cleaning duties in captivity, too, but certain species are more predictable than others. The most popular cleaners for reef tanks are Lysmata amboinensis from the Indo-Pacific and its closely related cousin, L. grabhami from the Caribbean. Also, the more expensive blood red L. debelius is popular.

L. wurdemanni, the Caribbean cleaner shrimp, commonly called the peppermint shrimp, is usually thought of as a natural control for Aiptasia by most hobbyists rather than as a cleaner. It is a cleaner but I think L. amboinensis is a better choice if you are looking for a cleaner shrimp. I have a pair of L. amboinensis in my tank and they are certainly eager to clean any fish willing to hold still for them but most of the time my fish don't seem very interested in getting cleaned. I have witnessed them cleaning on a few occasions but my fish don't seem to be all that interested.

If you have a problem with Aiptasia, then I think L. wurdemanni is a good choice (be sure it's L. wurdemanni and not the almost identical L. rathbunae). One problem with L. wurdemanni is that it can sometimes cause problems for some corals in some tanks some of the time. In other words, it is unpredictable. Even the coral banded shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) will often act as a cleaner in reef tanks but it is a facultative cleaner, not an obligate like Lysmata shrimps. But even Lysmata genus shrimps are only obligate in their natural environment; in captivity they have to adapt to whatever is available to eat.

[Juvv]

Ahh ok , well thats good i found out all that now, because shrimps inaustralia are ridiculously expencive..

i probly wont get anything now , as things like blood reds are $150 just for one!! (thats about $100 american)

[Juvv]

sorry i meant Lysmata amboinensis are $150 here

its ridiculous

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Juvv

sorry i meant Lysmata amboinensis are $150 here

its ridiculous

That's really wild!

We can get Lysmata wurdemanni for free down here whenever we go shrimping, assuming we keep them alive until we get home. They're common in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. I don't go shrimping but my brother-in-law sometimes does. Only problem is the peppermint shrimp are dead when I find them. He just picks them out and throws them away complaining about them being mixed up with the "good" shrimp.

[Juvv]

rofl ninong! thats so frustrating for me !!!
hey how well do u think they would last in a plastic bag in a box from your place to sydney australia? LOL