cleaner wrasse

[dse]

what do you lot feed your cleaner wrasse's? as mine has gone off frozen mysis and is starting to look a little under weight (maybe just me panicing but i would rather do somthing before it becomes a problem)
i was thinkning of getting live foods see if it will eat some of that..
but before i do just wanted to see what you lot feed and what works best.

 

[geridoc]

Actually, nothing works best. Most cleaner wrasses starve to death in captivity since they are obligate parasitovores, meaning that they must eat parasites as their main food source.

 

[jbird0420]

I got my 2 Cleaner Wrasse's eating my homemade frozen delight! I've had them for 2 months now and counting! They look fat and act phat!

Originally Posted by dse
http:///forum/post/2773653
what do you lot feed your cleaner wrasse's? as mine has gone off frozen mysis and is starting to look a little under weight (maybe just me panicing but i would rather do somthing before it becomes a problem)
i was thinkning of getting live foods see if it will eat some of that..
but before i do just wanted to see what you lot feed and what works best.

 

[rcreations]

Unless you have an ich problem, you shouldn't keep cleaner wrasses. Like someone mentioned, they eat parasites off fish and if there are no parasites, they usually starve to death. There are rare cases where they'll eat regular food but usually they don't.

 

[ilovemytank]

Maybe I've been lucky but I've had mine for a year. I feed three times a day a mixture of brine and mysis shrimp along with small plankton in the last feeding ( to allow my night feeders food ). he eats well. He is always annoying other fish with his desire to clean but he feeds well.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by Jbird0420
http:///forum/post/2773971
I got my 2 Cleaner Wrasse's eating my homemade frozen delight! I've had them for 2 months now and counting! They look fat and act phat!

2 months is nowhere near enough time to judge the outcome of anything in this hobby.
As for the actual question at hand, nothing will work long term. I had 2 cleaner wrasses that have both eaten frozen foods for a time but eventually starved. It's just their nature to eat only parasites and whether or not they seem to enjoy other foods at times, it's never long term.

 

[jbird0420]

We shall C! I will post results when that does happen m0nk!
Originally Posted by m0nk
http:///forum/post/2773979
2 months is nowhere near enough time to judge the outcome of anything in this hobby.
As for the actual question at hand, nothing will work long term. I had 2 cleaner wrasses that have both eaten frozen foods for a time but eventually starved. It's just their nature to eat only parasites and whether or not they seem to enjoy other foods at times, it's never long term.

 

[dse]

Originally Posted by Jbird0420
http:///forum/post/2773971
I got my 2 Cleaner Wrasse's eating my homemade frozen delight! I've had them for 2 months now and counting! They look fat and act phat!

ooo what you feed? how you make? teach me!

 

[jbird0420]

It's the easiest and most inexpensive way to feed your fish. Get some frozen/fresh shrimp, scallops, mussels, squid. Make sure all is uncooked..Raw! Get a bag of spinach and brocolli as well and basically you use a food processor to grind it all up together. Once mixed and processed. Get a baking sheet, put some parchment paper (cookie paper) on the sheet. Put into freezer overnite, next day cut into small cubes. That stuff lasts me for about a month and I'm feeding all my fish from both my tanks and my corals love it too! Check out Beth's threads on making your own food. I also add Marine C, Selcon, Garlic x, Zoe, Cyclopeeze, Mysis Shrimp, and Freeze dried krill to my mixture as well. Those are just added benes!!!

Originally Posted by dse
http:///forum/post/2775030
ooo what you feed? how you make? teach me!

 

[dse]

cheers for that i'll try making some tonight after work.
see if he/others like it but b the sounds of things most fish will enjoy it. also do you feed your inverts this too?

 

[jbird0420]

Your fish will like and you'll notice there colors come out more. Yes, all inverts and corals like too! Look into as well to adding some Vitamins. The food normally comes well supplemented with vitamins. But I like to add xtra Vitamin C and Garlic, helps ward off those pesky pests!

Originally Posted by dse
http:///forum/post/2775082
cheers for that i'll try making some tonight after work.
see if he/others like it but b the sounds of things most fish will enjoy it. also do you feed your inverts this too?

 

[dse]

cheers for that i'll try it out. just an update i put in some seaweed i recived from the lfs a few days ago and i took a fragment of a sheet and tore it in to very tiny pieces just to let the dotty and clowns to try it. they liked it so i put it in my angel tank and my angel likes it then i saw my cleaner wrasse going mental on it... wich is a bonus so i might put some seaweed in that recipe of yours cheers jbird

 

[jbird0420]

Yup! That's Marine Algae or Nori as they call it. Find a local asian market and you can buy packs of that stuff for a fraction of the cost compared to what the LFS sells it for. And yes Angels, Tangs, even my puffer enjoys marinealgae, just mix into the mix as well.

Originally Posted by dse
http:///forum/post/2775128

cheers for that i'll try it out. just an update i put in some seaweed i recived from the lfs a few days ago and i took a fragment of a sheet and tore it in to very tiny pieces just to let the dotty and clowns to try it. they liked it so i put it in my angel tank and my angel likes it then i saw my cleaner wrasse going mental on it... wich is a bonus so i might put some seaweed in that recipe of yours cheers jbird

 

[pastor b.]

Dear hobbyists', I've had my Cleaner wrasse for just about 2 years now. Not only does it clean off my 11 fish ,but will eat marine cuisine in a heart beat

. It will also consume formula one and small krill with no problem at all.It eats until its belly becomes full,then swims around my queen angel,clown tang, yellow tang,and harlequin tusk,who likes to chases it away. Its simply fun to watch , and then it retires into the lr until the next day

.

 

[jbird0420]

Yup! Same here! Of course, the fish do get annoyed at times!
Originally Posted by Pastor B.
http:///forum/post/2775210
Dear hobbyists', I've had my Cleaner wrasse for just about 2 years now. Not only does it clean off my 11 fish ,but will eat marine cuisine in a heart beat

. It will also consume formula one and small krill with no problem at all.It eats until its belly becomes full,then swims around my queen angel,clown tang, yellow tang,and harlequin tusk,who likes to chases it away. Its simply fun to watch , and then it retires into the lr until the next day

.

 

[srfisher17]

Congrats to the folks that are doing well with this fish; but according to everything I've learned & read, these fish have one of the worst survival rates of any fish commonly imported. As to helping ich infestations; I really don't think they help at all. The white spot is not the ich parasite, just dead tissue, which the cleaner eats. The parasite is deeper in the fish and adding a cleaner when ich is suspected will just give a false sense of security and often delay real treatment---with deadly consequences. I'm with Bob Fenner; they are best left in the ocean,but I'll admit to owing another fish or two that he says the same thing about.

 

[rcreations]

Bob Fenner also says hypo is useless. So take that as you may...

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by RCreations
http:///forum/post/2778053
Bob Fenner also says hypo is useless. So take that as you may...
This Fenner comment sounds familiar; do you know where its from? In "The Conscience Marine Aquarist"; he lists hypo as a (effective, I assume ) treatment for many parasites, including ich. But his definition of hypo is about 1.015; much higher than my definition. This is from the 2000 edition, maybe the new edition has new thinking.

 

[aquaknight]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/2775718
The white spot is not the ich parasite, just dead tissue, which the cleaner eats.
Just for clariication, that white spot, is a node, a sack full of premature Ich hatchlings (cysts). The node drops off the inrfected fish and then releases the cysts.
Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/2775718
I'm with Bob Fenner; they are best left in the ocean,but I'll admit to owing another fish or two that he says the same thing about.
Well, there's also the fact to what extent of a role this fish may or may not have into the wild. For instance, Moorish Idols, if group of them was removed from an area, whatever sponges or algae that they would have normally ate, could easily be consumed by some angels and tangs in the area. But if a cleaner wrasses were removed, who's left to service all of the fish in the area? Cleaner wrasses have a vital role in the grand scheme of things which can't be replaced.

 

[srfisher17]

I believe white, dead tissue may remain even after the node falls off. Anytime a parasite enters a body, I assume it would result in a wound of dead tissue; but I'm no expert. But your point makes sense, the "white spots' seem to disappear very quickly. That's when many folks think they're in the clear, but the trouble is just starting.
Fenner also agrees with your second point, the value of cleaners in the wild. Almost every source I looked at considers them 'expert only" fish. (SWF.C says "difficult".) Many sites don't even carry them or have restrictions on the guarantee.