New Cleaner Wrasse

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by untamed

I'm not aware of the experience that they are capable of removing ich from a fish. That just sounds a bit too good to be true to me. Cleaner shrimp are also sometimes said to remove crypto parasites, but I don't think that is the case either.

No they cannot, your right. Ich is generally too far under the skin for them to get at. They do remove the dead skin after the ich has left the fish. I have seen cleaner wrasse try to remove ich from my Hippo Tang and it REALLY ****es the tang off. He actually chases the cleaner away. I don't think it feels good to the fish to have ich which is under the skin being picked at.

That same hippo though will often open his mouth or gills for the cleaner to get right in and clean.

[Johnny Reefer]

I added some corals to my FOWLR recently (wait a minute....FOWLR?....Corals?....I guess I might have to start calling that tank Reef #2)...anyway....added corals and while doing so, my Cleaner Wrasse was pecking at my arm (kinda cool, actually). Anyway, they bite hard sometimes. Feels like a needle prick. So I can see why some fish might get PO'ed on occasion. Mine do,...sometimes.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by naesco

A week or two to a couple of months.
The cleaner wrasse will be out and about as normal and the next day its gone. There are rare exceptions and unfortunately most reefers are reluctant to post their failures (often multiple attempts to keep them). Some reefers don't post because they cant take posts like JGs. The very rare successful keeper of cleaner wrasse are very happy to post their success. Human nature, eh.

Every author of books in the marine hobby will confirm the same and will tell you they are best left in the ocean to do their cleaning duties.
Most LFS staff will tell you the same as well. No one will tell you they are easy to keep.

Ya, Cleaner Wrasse are on the list of "creatures that should be left in the ocean" imo. Although I would define "long term" as over a year.

Originally Posted by JDigital

Wouldn't you rather see a CW taken home and given much better conditions/chances of survival than those at a LFS. It's already out of the ocean, and no chance of going back,

Absolutely not. The more people buy a certain fish, the more that store will continue to stock them. If a store keeps losing difficult to care for fish because they aren't selling and the stores can't keep them alive they will quit bringing those fish in.

[phillybean]

Just wanted to update everyone on this fish, still very happy and fat. From looking at the pictures from the 1st page of this thread to now, it is noticeable how much fuller her belly is. She is still eating Mysis and Nori. It's been about 7 months since I've had her now.

I had one scare when I checked on my tank one night, she was laying, motionless on the sand. I thought she died and I went to scoop her out, turned out she was sleeping. I'm not sure who was more scared, the fish or a half sleep reefer realizing he has a zombie fish...

[bowkry]

i have had the same cleaner wrasse for over a year now and he is healthy and great

[TJSlayer]

Yeah Mine is still going strong as well...I have it for close to a year myself and was in a previous tank for at least that as well....

[bleevin]

For those with cleaner wrasses... when first introduced did they take long to acclimate to the tank and swim around?

[TJSlayer]

MIne came from someone elses tank so he acclimated very quickly, not sure how "newer" ones would do...

But from what I have read and such they are a lot like copperbands, many are very difficult to acclimate to a tank. Which is also why a lot of people do not reccomned getting them as the usually do not fare well....

But there is a lot of information in forums to be read and everyones tank & experiences are different....

[bowkry]

I put mine in a tank with ick so he fed off the fish for a bit then he started eating. Nori and mysis