Cleaner Shrimp or Cleaner Wrasse

[just_got_tanked]

Which one is better for cleaning fish?

 

[clownman]

When you ask which ones are better for cleaning, I would say both. However, cleaner wrasse usually do not survice in the aquarium. Your best bet would be to buy cleaner shrimp.
Aquarium diet just aint enough for cleaner wrasse

 

[fred the fish guy]

well my choice would be the cleaner shrimp. Even if they dont do it as offten as cleaner wrasses at least they will still live when the parasites are gone. Cleaner wrasses unlike cleaner shrimp usually die early in a tank because they dont get the nutrition they need no matter how hard you try. some people get lucky with them but most die. cleaner shrimp on the other hand eat almost anything givin and clean the fish as well. They are an excellent additive to a reef or a fish only tank and i think they are a must with or without a cleaner wrasse as well. I personally have 2 cleaner shrimp and a cleaner wrasse that has been doing good. I couldnt really tell you which does the better job but I do think you will get your money out of a shrimp when you may have one of them for at least a few years. When on the other hand you may only have a cleaner wrasse for up to(6 months) and that is if you are lucky because most I would say that i have had or probably others has died at least within a month. Another good choice is a neon goby. Neon gobys can serve the same perpose as cleaner wrasse and ususally does well. It also does it differently than a wrasse or a shrimp because instead of biting the parasite off and making the fish mad because of it hurting it uses more of a sucking method. They will perch on the side of a fish and will slowly suck on the parasite rather than ripping/biting it off and making a fish mad in the process. Neon gobys also help with stubborn fish that just dont want to go to the cleaner shrimp or let a cleaner wrasse bother them.I would highly recamend a shrimp or a neon goby but would skip the wrasse. Just my opinion.

 

[here fishy]

I have both in my tank and the wrasse seems to be the better of the two...However what previous postings have said are true about the wrasses....They are very sensitve to water conditions and some will not take any other food but the parasites off of fish as I have been so unlucky to find out. The wrasse I have now eats chopped clams and squid as well as his usual fare of little icky critteers off of his tankmates...