Yellow Tail (Wandering) Cleaner Wrasse

[Simon Lipscombe]

Heyo,

So I got a yellow tail (or wandering) Cleaner wrasse from a friend of mine. I made the rookie mistake of plopping it in my display without doing research, and found out that they can be fairly avid SPS eaters, but I've heard they work for some people. So the question is, do I leave it in the display and risk it? Or do I tear my tank apart to catch it? And is there anything I can do to try to prevent it from eating my coral?

It's already eaten a small red montipora capricornis frag, but hasn't touched anything else.

 

[evolved]

The short answer is no, unfortunately.

The species you have here is Diproctacanthus xanthurus. Here's the fundamental problem:

A solitary species occurring in coral rich areas of shallow lagoons and sheltered seaward reefs. Adults feed mainly on coral polyps while juveniles remove ectoparasites from small territorial fishes. Adults swim in small groups. Usually, only small juveniles clean other fishes

They are only cleaners as juvenilles. Adults of the genus are obligate corallivores - their natural diet is only comprised of coral polyps; that is how they survive.

Species in the genera are not really cleaners; it's a misnomer to sell them as such.

 

[Simon Lipscombe]

The short answer is no, unfortunately.

The species you have here is Diproctacanthus xanthurus. Here's the fundamental problem:


They are only cleaners as juvenilles. Adults of the genus are obligate corallivores - their natural diet is only comprised of coral polyps; that is how they survive.

Species in the genera are not really cleaners; it's a misnomer to sell them as such.

Okay. Thanks so much for the info. What do you think is the best method to catch him?

 

[evolved]

Try an actual fish trap. A bottle trap may also work.

 

[Simon Lipscombe]

Try an actual fish trap. A bottle trap may also work.

Will it be interested in frozen food though? Since it's a juvenile I thought it would only want to eat parasites/coral

 

[Simon Lipscombe]

The short answer is no, unfortunately.

The species you have here is Diproctacanthus xanthurus. Here's the fundamental problem:


They are only cleaners as juvenilles. Adults of the genus are obligate corallivores - their natural diet is only comprised of coral polyps; that is how they survive.

Species in the genera are not really cleaners; it's a misnomer to sell them as such.

Also, as a juvenile will it eat coral? Or only after it matures?

 

[evolved]

Will it be interested in frozen food though? Since it's a juvenile I thought it would only want to eat parasites/coral

Also, as a juvenile will it eat coral? Or only after it matures?

It's tough to judge if it's still a juvi or not. If it already ate a montipora, then it seems to me it is no longer a juvi.
If it enjoys montipora that much, consider baiting any trap with such.

 

[Simon Lipscombe]

Thanks everyone for the advice, but since I'm impatient and I didn't want him eating any more coral, I caught him the old fashion way. Only had to half destroy my tank to get him out!