Puffers & "Cleaners"?

[Pufferpunk]

I got some peppermint shrimp from a local reefer tonight. My sharp-nosed puffer (coronata) went over to the pepp shrimp & I was afraid he was going to eat them. He got real pale (less threatening) & assumed the "cleaning position". He wanted them to clean him!

[ryverrat]

Let me know how it works out- I would like to keep peppermint shrimp with a blue spotted.

[Pufferpunk]

The problem is, I usually never see the pepps again, after I put them in my tank. I hope they eat some of my aptasia though.

[Agnate]

Aww, cuuuute! I definitely want to look into getting a Valentini in the future. I want to have a little marine puffer haven, haha!

[SpockthePuffer]

lol, consider yourself lucky! my valentini ate my peppermint shrimp, cleaner shrimp (was upset about that) and my snails!

[yunachin]

That is funny. I have seen puffers getting cleaned in the wild before, but not in a tank environment.

[t1gerbee]

my wrasse cleaned my porc on a regular basis...

[crazedpuffer]

Shelby tired to eat 2 feeder crabs I put in with her, now she doesn't bother and they eat leftovers and algae.
IME if they can last long enough (A few days) the puffer will no longer see them as a meal and won't bother.

[puffermadnesswv]

I have a decent size cleaner shrimp in my tank with a stars n stripes, porcupine, and two burrfish puffers and they dont bother it. You dont see the cleaner much and he never does his job even on non aggressive fish. Im hoping to get another one from the store that is already a good cleaner here in the future and see how that works. They may see the stripe and know its a cleaner and its more useful than eating it for a snack.

I also have a small pistol shrimp in my tank who made a home under a rock and never comes out.

[Troender]

I was visiting another tank keeper today, and she had SW tanks. She has a some kind of goby I really fell in love with. Wow, what a personality! I just couldn't take my eyes of it. While other people would watch the colorful fishes in the tank, I was hypnotized by the least colorful one, but the one that seemed to have the most personality of them all (I guess that is a puffer owner syndrome ). Now I really wish I could keep one together with my GSP when I go marine, but I guess that's not the best idea. Bolla is a wimp, but she never has shared a tank with anyone (except at the LFS, and there she quickly killed a SAE). But I think that goby would try to stand up against her! It looked like it had the best self confidence in the world! I'm definitely in love.

[DRRT]

I kept my puffers with my coral banded shrimp, which i observed cleaning my tangs, and i had seen them hanging out by the shrimp, but never actually saw the shrimp clean it. but the two puffs never ate the shrimp, which i still have

[Pufferpunk]

Man, that tank must be HUGE!

[Troender]

Salarias was the right name for the fish I fell in love with. What a personality!

[edmlfc1]

Troender, Is this the fish you are talking about? http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... tid=94&N=0
If so I have one with my puffers and they don't bother it. I purchased it so that it would eat the algae off the rocks. So far all is good, they just ignore him.

[Troender]

Yes, that's the one. A big personality, hasn't it? I totally fell in love with it. Does it go together with your GSPs?