cleaner wrasse apetite

[subliminalfish]

I was wondering if anyone has had good experiences with a cleaner wrasse? Mine finally died, I think from starvation. He was a real finicky eater. Water conditions perfect, very established tank. Anyone have any insight?

 

[tjswanson]

All cleaner wrasse are picky eaters, but every once in a while you get lucky. I had one that eat everything I put in the tank, but it died when I had a huge disease outbreak. Some people don't like to keep them because most of them just end up dying, but there's always that one that will live. Every rare though, I would stick with cleaner shrimp. TJ

 

[subliminalfish]

I used to have BIG cleaner shrimp and they did well until their demise. All the lfs have are small baby cleaner shrimp and my flame hawk ambushes them. It's amazing how hard it is to find big shrimp.

 

[pufferlover]

As I have said before I have 5 cleaner wrasses at the moment 3 in 3 different tanks and a pair that are now almost 6 years old in a 46 gal bowfront. I agree they are hard to get one that will live but I have found that the ones from the maldives will eat and live where most of the other ones do not do well. The ones I have all eat blackworms, live and frozen brine and frozen mysis plus what they get off their tankmates. Do not buy one that you do not see eat at the store and do not buy the Hawaii cleaner wrasse because it will never live no matter what you do for it. They are a active beneficial fish and if you are careful in choice they are great to have.

 

[ironreef]

neon gobies act as cleaners. they are easy to keep and take prepared foods

 

[jimi]

I second what Pufferlover said. I will have mine two years in Sept. I had one before that for along time until he jumped out. If you are going to keep one large ones do best and make sure you see them eat well at your lfs before you buy them. Mine will eat anything.

 

[cveach]

I have never had a problem keeping a cleaner alive, all that is required is finding a specimen that will take food. My cleaner actually cleans the copepods from the glass walls. Looks like a vacume sucking little white dots off the walls.

 

[tonka]

Hey Trey...Reefhugger! lol

 

[tonka]

I was just kidding. I agree with you, I just wanted to use a word that I heard from you...

 

[pufferlover]

I do not disagree with anything trey says about cleaners my only thought is that as long as they allow them to be collected I would prefer to give some a better chance to live in my tanks then someone who does not understand them or try to care for them. I must say that after losing a few I learned from a great lfs how to choose good ones and I have had great luck with them loosing only a couple one to disease and one to my Puffers big mouths.

 

[the new guy]

Trey, I did not know that. I recently bought a Guamainen (sp.) Cleaner Wrasse that will eat anything I put in the tank; he even checks my arm for parasites when I am cleaning the tank. He has a ton of personality and he is one of my favorite fish.