How Do Cleaner Shrimp Actually Work?

[fnscasey]

I don't really understand how the cleaner shrimp work? Does the skunk shrimp helps to reduce the outbreak of ICK ? They kill or feed on the parasites from the fish ?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Do Cleaner shrimp clean the tank as well as the fish?

Thanks.

[pospeh]

cleaner fish do absolutely nothing for ick or clean your tank.

Their sole function is to eat away dead skin, and small parasites from your fish's body.

[FuEl]

Not sure if they can actually eat the ich parasite itself...imo the parasite would be too small for CS to consume...although they might puncture the cysts of ich causing premature release of the ich parasites which might be unable to attach to a host...

Or they might work by cleaning up infected areas on the skin....leading to faster healing of damaged skin....

Not sure how it works..just my wild conjectures.

[junyong84]

cleaner fish do absolutely nothing for ick or clean your tank.

Their sole function is to eat away dead skin, and small parasites from your fish's body.

its cleaner shrimp...not cleaner fish...

no offence!

[Octopuffy]

they just waited at 1 spot and wait for customers (fishes) to come over and get cleaned. Very cute.

They have low bioload so can pack more of these creatures in your tank.

[Golden Tooth]

They're like car washer waiting at kiosk.