Blackcap basslet acting very strange when goby cleans him

alyssia

Active Member
A couple of days ago my blackcap started letting my neon goby clean him. The strange thing is when the goby cleans him the blackcap goes vertical, head down, with his mouth hanging WAY open (as if he were yawning with his mouth open as far as possible). What's up with that? I don't see any ich on the blackcap and my water is fine.
ammonia and trites 0
trates 10
ph 8.2
calcium 440
 

rustyj

Member
I wouldnt be suprised if that is how he shows the goby that he is ok to be cleaned. I had a cleaner goby for a while and he was cleaning a copperband and it would point his head down and look like he was swimming funny.
 

yeldarbj

New Member
I've seen a much larger fish, grouper open it's mouth and flare out it's gills so that a cleaner wrasse could freely swim in and out cleaning as it went.
I think it is the basslet's signal that it is okay to clean him.
 
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