Fire/cleaner shrimp...What exactly does it clean?

[melypr1985]

OK, so I know that these shrimp will set up cleaning stations and have even seen my fire shrimp cleaning my kole tang (and my fingers). My question is.... exactly what parasites do they clean off the fish?

Live aquaria says they eat dead skin cells and parasites which is super vague

 

[Downbeach]

Hopefully you don't have any of these in your system, but the most commonly found parasites are: Cryptocaryon irritans(Ick), Turbellarian(Black Ick), Amyloodinium ocellatum(Velvet), Brooklyella hostilis(Brook), Monogenetic trematodes(Flukes), Uronema marinum(Uronema).

 

[melypr1985]

So these shrimp will actually eat all of those? Assuming of course the fish lets him. That's pretty neat

 

[Tahoe61]

Cleaner shrimp are not remedy or treatment for those parasites though. The parasite is buried too deep within the tissue for a cleaner shrimp to provide any lasting relief. There have been studies, believe or not, just on the effectiveness of cleaner shrimp. Cleaner shrimp were placed in systems with fish that were symptomatic, showing active infestation. The cleaner shrimp were then removed and dissected and no remnants of the parasites where found within the cleaner shrimp gut. I imagine they are more effective against the larger parasites such as Flukes.


http://reefsanctuary.com/forum/index.php?threads/marine-ich-myths-and-facts.23132/

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Hopefully you don't have any of these in your system, but the most commonly found parasites are: Cryptocaryon irritans(Ick), Turbellarian(Black Ick), Amyloodinium ocellatum(Velvet), Brooklyella hostilis(Brook), Monogenetic trematodes(Flukes), Uronema marinum(Uronema).

I wish these shrimp did those. Then we would have a very simple way and more natural way of getting rid of these pests.

 

[melypr1985]

Great article! I would never rely on a shrimp to actually cure any of these. I was watching my fireshrimp clean one of my fish thinking, I wonder what it actually cleans off the fish?
So they can't get to the ones that bury into the fish, so really they aren't all that helpful to an infected fish at all.

I wonder though, if a fish spends time with a cleaner shrimp very often, maybe you could take that as an indicator that the fish has something to be worried about? Like he's trying to get it taken care of but the shrimp isn't up to the job?

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Great article! I would never rely on a shrimp to actually cure any of these. I was watching my fireshrimp clean one of my fish thinking, I wonder what it actually cleans off the fish?
So they can't get to the ones that bury into the fish, so really they aren't all that helpful to an infected fish at all.

I wonder though, if a fish spends time with a cleaner shrimp very often, maybe you could take that as an indicator that the fish has something to be worried about? Like he's trying to get it taken care of but the shrimp isn't up to the job?

Well I wouldn't say the shrimp do nothing. My fish, copper band, blue hippo, etc., all go "for maintenance" and let the cleaner do his thing. Its pretty cool to watch. I am sure the cleaner shrimp may pull larger parasites off the fish but who really knows.

My Cleaner Wrasse periodically cleans my fish if they like it or not. When I am doing tank maintenance, that guy starts plucking arm hair off me. Hurts.

 

[Tahoe61]

There are a ton of microscopic goodies I am sure. The slime/mucous coating of a fish probably collects bacteria, things we never see.

I would hazard to guess that some fish just like the sensation of being groomed. Cleaner shrimp cleaning stations in the wild are hilarious. These huge fish just hanging around getting cleaned. My tang used to actually look like it enjoyed the process.

If a fish is flashing/scratching and being more insistent to the cleaner then I might take notice and wait and watch.

 

[melypr1985]

Good to know. I didn't see any of that, it was just cool to see it cleaning a fish and got me to wondering. Thanks for the info!