is it normal for a coral banded shrimp to clean dead skin off a copper banded butterfly saltwater?

Question

well when the shrimp eats off the butterfly the shrimp would pull off the skin and it looks like it is hurting the butterfly

Answer 1

It's not unheard of for shrimp to act as "cleaners" for fish, but what concerns me is why does your butterfly have dead skin? Was it from an injury?

If the fish is going to the shrimp to be cleaned, I'd say to let it continue (as long as the area of dead skin doesn't increase indicating a problem with the fish). If it bothered the butterfly too much, he won't return to the shrimp or pull away.

If, on the other hand the shrimp is pulling at the fish and it's trying to get away (but the shrimp won't allow it or won't leave it in peace) it may be necessary to separate them.

You might also want to check this site to determine if the butterfly has a skin problem: http://home2.pacific.net.ph/~sweetyummy42/disease.html

Answer 2

I've never heard of a Coral Banded Shrimp acting as a cleaner, but I guess it's possible. The common cleaners found in the hobby are the Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp and the Blood Red Fire Shrimp. They are known to remove dead tissue and parasites from fish that present themselves. If your Copperband is presenting himself to the shrimp, than he may just want to be cleaned, and should be okay. However, the Coral Banded Shrimp has large pinchers, so I would suspect that it may be harming the fish if your Copperband is not initiating the cleaning. You really shouldn't see the dead skin either, as the cleaner shrimp only pick off very small pieces of necrotic tissue. If the fish appears to be ill, you should quarantine and medicate it as appropriate. Copperbands have specialized diets, and are very susceptible to ich. Be sure to feed yours food designed for marine butterflies.

Regards