Cleaner Wrasse

Hey guys,

I have read alot about cleaner wrasse, mostly that they are quite difficult to keep as they feed on the natural parasites that exist on the surface of fish and thus to keep one successfully a large system with a large number of fish are required. As far as I know very few of these wrasse convert to frozen food.

I was at the LFS the other day when a man I know and I have seen a few times bought his all his fish and coral because apparantly he is taking down his 75g tank because he is moving out. The fish he bought in were a foxface, two clowns, two chromis and a cleaner wrasse.

I enquired about how long he had the cleaner wrasse for and he said 8 months so far and that it regularly eats frozen food and flake. I decided it would be a good samaratin and take the cleaner wrasse before it ended up in a tiny LFS tank. It is about 4inch in size.

Its been three days now since I have had the wrasse and it has eaten frozen food and flake twice a day so far . If all the food I give the fish is soaked in extra nutrients etc and it can eat some parasites off my bristletooth tang, flame angel, two clowns and a court jester joby do you think it has a chance of making it long term?

Let me know your thoughts and any suggestions.

Ryan.

 

Personally, I believe that if it's been eating and staying healthy, it should be fine. I, too, ended up with one as a rescue (LFS had just started in SW and had it in a tank that was not yet cycled). Initially, it would only nibble at the frozen variety that I fed my tank at the time, so I tried Ocean Nutrition Formula One and Prime Reef flakes. Long story short, he nearly doubled in size, and now, two years later, is still very active, plump, and healthy.

BTW, he's in a 29g with only 3 damsels. Also, judging from the way mine eats, if one were to rely strictly on parasites for sustenance, it would need to be in a very large tank with many, many fish that are constantly infested.

 

They are very important to the reefs and shouldn't be allowed in this hobby IMO, although it's probably good you picked him up.

 

Since the wrasse is eating well, I think it has a good chance at surviving long term. I know of a couple of other cleaners that have been in captivity for years that eat frozen/dried foods and are still doing well. Congrats on the good find!

 

Or at least less captured with a higher price tag. They are one of the least expensive fish you can get :-/ I am sure most that get them just think they need them to rid their fish of disease, and not that the fish itself has a low chance of long term survival.

 

yes, I agree with the others, that if it's eating other foods then it should be ok. They are a very cool fish and have that extra cleaner function. Congrats on your rescue!

 

Thats a great story. Hopefully mine turns out the same . I couldn't let it just be chucked in two a 30cm by 30cm little fish tank that most of their fish are in. So far mine eats cyclopeeze flake and chomps the mysis etc

I definately agree. I would have never deliberately went do a LFS to get one. This was just one circumstance I thought it would be more appropriate for it to be in my tank than the LFS.

That was the deciding factor on getting it. Having been from someones tank where it was eating frozen/flake. If it had not been I would never have got it.

It definately is. I got mine for $30. Which is so cheap. They should be a few 100 or so then people might think twice about trying to take them from the reef.

Thanks oldfishkeeper, I will post updates about it regularly and hope it continues to go well .

 

2 weeks now and is going great guns Eating like a pig.

 

Great to hear. Congratulations and good luck!