I have ZERO experience with cleaner wrasse, but IMO unless you have a large enough tank to give them enough tangs to clean to stay well fed or can get them eating frozen food, they should be left in the ocean.
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I love cleaner goby! I have a school of them in my tank. Every time I have to put my hand in the tank they swarm and nibble like tiny piranha. They’re hardy and cheap. I can usually pick them up around $15-$20 each.Or get a cleaner goby, which even bears some resemblance to a cleaner wrasse! Also available captive bred
Oh dear I’ve just bought one ... I didn’t realise they where tricky to keep , the chap in the lfs told me they are “doctors of the ocean “ for what that’s worth , my midas blenny wants to hurt him/her badI’ve personally never owned a cleaner wrasse.
They aren't, it's largely a myth spread by the aquatic press in the 90s. Get a fat one that's eating prepared foods in the shop & it will be fine.Oh dear I’ve just bought one ... I didn’t realise they where tricky to keep , the chap in the lfs told me they are “doctors of the ocean “ for what that’s worth , my midas blenny wants to hurt him/her bad
VOTE: Other - get biota capitive bred @Theulli thanks for chasing down that info for those that are consideringI've done a TON of research on this
AFRICAN Cleaner Wrasses (Eastern Africa and the Red Sea to French Polynesia) can be sustained in captivity for years bc they eat prepared food right along side your other fish. They MUST MUST MUST be Marketed as an "African" Cleaner Wrasse. Their only demise is them jumping out of the tank.
You absolutely need to visually see them eat mysis prior to buying it at the LFS. Not eating? Probably not an African Cleaner Wrasse. AVOID & WALK AWAY.
Indo-Pacific Cleaner Wrasses are a total disaster bc they have a special diet. They will NOT eat prepared food, live food, nothing. Complete waste of your time. They will last about 30 days in your tank and eventually hide in a hole and starve to death. One day you just quit seeing them and they die.. Irresponsible to even attempt owning one IMO.
I've kept one African Cleaner Wrasse for 5 years. Most last about 2 years before carpet-surfing
Africans are a great utility fish for multiple Tang owners. Tangs will chase down an African to get cleaned. The Tangs are very happy and mellow after cleaning that it improves the Tangs health a lot IMO. Definitely worth having a African if you own 3 or more Tangs.
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Other: if you must get one, get a captive bred one. Biota offers them, and I asked and they said they should have some coming available this summer.