Annoyng scarlet cleaner shrimp.

[Beckmola24]

I have a cleaner shrimp who is annoying at feeding time. He always snatches to the food I try and feed to my single sun polyp and snatches it up rediculously fast before my Mandarin can get some mysis. He grabs 5 or 6 pieces of shrimp at once and gobbles them so quickly. He looks like such a glutton when he does this. He's pretty large too (With those eating habits) I know he's not the only annoying cleaner shrimp out there. What do you guys do to combat these annoying guys and keep them from stealing food??? I've had him a year now and he's super hardy. I think he's full grown now though, because he doesn't molt every week like he used to. He was SOOO tiny when I got him.

 

[steve-s]

It's actually fairly common. I have a CBS that does exactly the same thing. Best suggestion is feed it first. I usually target feed mine with a sinking pellet or two. Once it's busy with that, it will usually leave the other food alone.

Cheers
Steve

 

[bc_slc]

good idea, i usually just swish mine away with the turkey baster and feed him on one side and the other fish on the other side. But mine does the same to my cup coral.

 

[rudeanduncouth]

Had the same problem with a skunk, I would just feed him first then feed everythng else. Though he did learn a quick lesson when tried to steal food from my flower anemone. He got hit antenna stuck in the tentacles. Took him a bit to get it out.

 

[Beckmola24]

hmm... I try and feed my guy first. It's funny because when I use the turkey baster to blow the rocks off, he freaks and starts picking at the tip The pellets do seem to take him longer... I'll try that in the future. He gets on my nerves sometimes. I usually just swish him away with my baster.

 

[CarlaW]

Try cutting the top off correct sized pepsi bottle and set it over your coral when you feed it.

 

[macronut]

i had two cleaner shrimp that had ravenous appetites. I fed them cut pieces of popcorn shrimp prior to feeding the rest of the tank. This kept them busy enough so other tankmates could eat in piece. I also fed my very large green brittle pieces of popcorn shrimp by hand and he/she never attacked any of my smaller fish. Thought I would just throw that one in.