From all the research that I have done on cleaner wrasses is there are several issues with keeping them, that is why most people suggest they are better left in the ocean. The first problem is that they are notoriously finicky eaters. In the wild they rely on eating parasites and dead skin off of other fish. The problem in the home aquarium is that most of strive to keep our fish extremely healthy, keeping parasites off of our fish is what we strive for. The next in the ocean cleaner wrasses have a unlimited supply of fish to feed off of. In our tanks we are limited by the amount of fish we can keep. So basically you need a large tank with a large number of fish, that makes the smaller tanks a no go. Another issue is getting them on to other foods. If you can get them eating frozen foods the next obstacle is long term success is that the cleaner wrasses in the wild are eating all day long, going from fish to fish picking a morsel here and there. Typically us reefers are ultra worried about phosphates and nitrates so we tend to feed sparingly and once a day. The consensus is that the cleaner wrasse just can't survive under these conditions. So, yes you can get them eating frozen, and you might have a tank with 12-20 fish in it, but at the end of the day most people lose these fish over time because their nutritional needs are just not met. Most of them slowly starve to death. From the reading that I have done the people that tend to have success keeping the cleaner wrasse for its entire life are the ones who can dedicate the time and regimented feeding schedule that these fish need which is a minimum of 3 feedings per day, but ideally 5 times per day. For most of us that just isn't practical. That is why most people recommend that these fish be left in the ocean. Now does that stop people from buying them? No! Most people who buy these fish becasue they find ich in their tanks and think that the cleaner wrasse will eat the ich off the fish. That is a myth and has been scientifically proven that cleaners do not eat the ich on fish. Ich when on a fish is actually under the fish's skin. So at the end of the day people will still be buying the cleaner wrasse becasue they think they are the exception and not the rule. Some people might have success, but most will not. They are amazing fish if you can meet their special requirements. I will add that a good food that they seem to eat right out of the gate is live brine shrimp and fish eggs. There is a product called coral feast Ova, that cleaner wrasses, mandarins seem to love. I'm not here to judge the people who buy these fish, I just want to share what I know. Good luck!
