Safe FOR your reef but not safe FROM your reef?

[Squidward]

Mines was a pig and ate everything. Sadly it jumped out of a small crack at the top. It was one highly energetic fish.

 

[Wannabereefvet]

The Cleaner Wrasse is safe FOR your reef but are they safe FROM your reef? Some say YES and others say NO! Others have had long term success but most have been unsuccessful!

From Live Aquaria: This unique fish forms a symbiotic relationship with other species by setting up a “cleaning station” to remove unwanted parasites that may have attached themselves. The Cleaner Wrasse will invite fish to their “cleaning station” by performing a calming up and down movement of their tails. These fish may even clean the inside of larger fish’s mouths and gills. Procured through a short supply chain in the Western Indian Ocean in very small numbers, the African and Maldivian Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse can thrive in the home aquarium. Requiring advanced care, we recommend this species is only considered by the experienced marine aquarist. The Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse requires plenty of swimming room as they are very active fish, and should be housed with dissimilar shaped and colored fishes in the community marine aquarium. A tight fitting lid or canopy is a must as they can leap from open topped aquariums or into uncovered overflow boxes in reef ready style displays.

The Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse must be fed small quantities of fresh, meaty food multiple times per day as they do not have the ability to eat large meals at one sitting. Ideal offerings include small pieces of vitamin enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other smaller, meaty foods. Once fully adjusted to the home aquarium these fishes can also be offered a high quality marine flake and tiny marine pellet food to complement their staple diet of enriched frozen food.

So let's talk about it!

1. Should the cleaner wrasse be left in the ocean?

2. What is your experience with these wrasse?


The cleaner wrasse not the tang!

I voted for Other.

I believe they should be researched, and we should learn how to breed them in captivity to replace the need for wild caught.

They are a good utilitarian fish, but hopefully no tank has a pest problem big enough to need them. I think good UV and quarantine/hospital tank practices relieves the need for them in a tank with the exception of when you are keeping larger predators who are unable to floss their teeth. But even then, cleaner shrimp are usually a good option as long as they will not end up on the menu

 

[99problemsandatankisone]

I believe that as with all hard to keep fish in the hobby I think it’s important to try and keep these fish for at least some groups (those with the time/experience to meet the fishes needs) that way one day they can be more accessible to everyone. If no one kept any fish that was hard we would know less and the ones that are easy to keep would still be hard to keep. Especially when you see the success of cardinal fish and there avoided extension

 

[Ro Bow]

The Cleaner Wrasse is safe FOR your reef but are they safe FROM your reef? Some say YES and others say NO! Others have had long term success but most have been unsuccessful!

From Live Aquaria: This unique fish forms a symbiotic relationship with other species by setting up a “cleaning station” to remove unwanted parasites that may have attached themselves. The Cleaner Wrasse will invite fish to their “cleaning station” by performing a calming up and down movement of their tails. These fish may even clean the inside of larger fish’s mouths and gills. Procured through a short supply chain in the Western Indian Ocean in very small numbers, the African and Maldivian Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse can thrive in the home aquarium. Requiring advanced care, we recommend this species is only considered by the experienced marine aquarist. The Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse requires plenty of swimming room as they are very active fish, and should be housed with dissimilar shaped and colored fishes in the community marine aquarium. A tight fitting lid or canopy is a must as they can leap from open topped aquariums or into uncovered overflow boxes in reef ready style displays.

The Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse must be fed small quantities of fresh, meaty food multiple times per day as they do not have the ability to eat large meals at one sitting. Ideal offerings include small pieces of vitamin enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other smaller, meaty foods. Once fully adjusted to the home aquarium these fishes can also be offered a high quality marine flake and tiny marine pellet food to complement their staple diet of enriched frozen food.

So let's talk about it!

1. Should the cleaner wrasse be left in the ocean?

2. What is your experience with these wrasse?


The cleaner wrasse not the tang!

i think they should be kept in tanks with over 10 tangs or triggers. Or with a few eels