Skunk Cleaner Shrimp tips?

[rluix]

So im about to go buy a skunk cleaner shrimp, hes going to be my first shrimp, i have searched them and i know that a good thing to do is dose iodine to help them molt.
I was wondering if anyone in this site has any tips to make them live long and happy?

Thanks!

[gregr]

Nice long slow acclimation will help. What kind of fish do you have? Once they're in the tank and doing ok they pretty much take care of themselves- no need to feed them or anything else aside from keeping your water healthy.

[rluix]

Nice long slow acclimation will help. What kind of fish do you have? Once they're in the tank and doing ok they pretty much take care of themselves- no need to feed them or anything else aside from keeping your water healthy.

I have one clown fish.
Right now im setting up a 35 gallon tank wich im going to let cycle for a month , and then it will be the clown's and skunk's new home.

[gregr]

Cool- as long as the water quality is good you will have a happy shrimp

[returnofsid]

I'll strengthen the advice to do a long, slow, drip acclimation. Make sure the water doesn't get cold, during this procedure. They're very sensitive to pH swings, so keeping pH stable will help.

As for iodine, I've had lots of these guys, and never dosed iodine. They all molted on a regular basis, as do my Peppermint Shrimp, Coral Banded Shrimp and Blood Shrimp. I believe that regular water changes will replace iodine, just fine.

[Ninong]

So im about to go buy a skunk cleaner shrimp, hes going to be my first shrimp, i have searched them and i know that a good thing to do is dose iodine to help them molt.

That's a myth. It's not a good thing to do. As long as your water parameters include 0.06 ppm iodine (all forms), then you have more than enough. No marine animals, including crustaceans, require more than what is present in natural seawater.

The only time you should ever dose poisons like iodine or strontium are when you know for a fact that your tankwater is deficient in those elements. Both iodine and strontium are toxic in excess. In the case of iodine, the shrimp deposits the iodine in its exoskeleton and then sheds the exoskeleton in order to rid itself of this poison. Excess iodine in the water results in premature molting because the shrimp is simply getting rid of the excess iodine.

The next time someone tells you you must dose something, ask him why? Why would you need extra iodine if your water already contains more than enough iodine? How do shrimp in the ocean manage to molt without this extra iodine? In one test study done by Dr. Ron Shimek, test results from 23 different reef aquariums showed that all of them contained more iodine than NSW levels, including aquariums that had never been dosed with iodine supplements. The results ranged from double NSW levels to ten times NSW levels.

I never dosed iodine in my reef aquarium yet I always measured at least 0.20 ppm. That's because there is a lot of iodine in the foods we feed and there is not a lot of water in the tank compared to the amount of water in the ocean -- dillution factor.

Get an iodine test kit and test your water before you add iodine, or any other toxin, to your aquarium. Why do you think iodine is used as a disinfectant? Or used in dips for new hard corals? Iodine in excess is poison.

I was wondering if anyone in this site has any tips to make them live long and happy?

Thanks!

I would suggest that you purchase two of them so that you will have a pair. Any two will do as they are hermaphrodites. Also, you should choose smaller rather than larger specimens. The smaller ones are easier to acclimate and more likely to live longer as this species has a natural lifespan of approximately three years. Obviously it's a good idea to purchase captive-bred specimens if they are available in your area. These shrimp are being captive-bred in huge quantities now. One that is 2" long is a better than one that is 3" long because you never know if the larger one is already near the end of its natural lifespan.

It's a good idea to have places in your live rock structure for these shimp to call home. They like caves and rocky overhangs. Those are good spots for them to set up cleaning stations so that fish can get close to them to be cleaned.

Good luck!

P.S. -- I you purchase two of them, they will be able to mate on a regular basis and produce viable eggs that will result in larvae that will feed the other animals in the tank. It's not likely that any of the larvae (baby shrimp) will survive more than a couple of hours at the most because they will either be eaten or be killed by your filtration system.

[gregr]

>> I've had lots of these guys, and never dosed iodine.

Yep, me neither. Or me too

[Ninong]

The "dosing iodine" mythinformation is propagated by LFS employees and "hobby" authors who sell iodine supplements. Both are in the business of selling supplements that you rarely need. The LFS at the retail end and the "hobby" authors as the manufacturers. Yes, there are some "hobby" authors who have turned their recommendations into a business by selling the stuff they recommend as being essential for the good health of your aquarium.

[Ninong]

This is all you need: Composition of Seawater at 35 ppt Salinity. (Scroll down for the chart.)

[Steve McKay]

I have had many different species of shrimp including cleaner shrimp. I have never dosed iodine. If your water parameters are good, just put the bag in the tank for 30 min. and let it reach the right temp. then release him and you will be fine.