Cleaner Wrasse??

[Mike-fish]

I have had mine 3+years now eats like a pig i think the trick to them is large system tons of live rock and a tang or two. he eats mysis, brine, cyclopizee even nori ( i think hes is anyway)

[naesco]

The chances of a cleaner wrasse surviving more than a week or two are almost nil.

Reefers who are lucky enough to have one survive for a longer time post though, giving the impression that is it is ok to buy them.

It is not ok to buy them. They should be left in the ocean doing the great job they do cleaning other fish that we buy that do survive.

[jtbadco]

Aren't we holier than tho?!?,.....like you aren't keeping fish in a glass box too.

By your standard they would all be better off left in the wild.

I don't disagree with your point but don't try to come off like you are so much better.

[naesco]

Originally Posted by jtbadco

Aren't we holier than tho?!?,.....like you aren't keeping fish in a glass box too.

By your standard they would all be better off left in the wild.

I don't disagree with your point but don't try to come off like you are so much better.

Yes I keep coral and fish. I strive to ensure through reading stuff written by experts in our hobby and other reefers experience that the fish and coral has a reasonable chance of succcess in my tank.

If that makes my standard of care higher than yours I do not apologise.

If you are interested in reading about cleaner wrasse click below. The article is written by Robert Fenner an expert in our hobbby.
http://wetwebmedia.com/labroide.htm

[jtbadco]

As expected completely missed the point,....

my point is that all the fish you have, regardless of how much research you did, would be better off in the wild. So you are no better than anyone else.

And like I said, I don't disagree with the point you are making so save your expert testimony.

[kole]

Watching one swim around my tank now. Entertaining little fish been in there over a year now. I had a pair in my last tank for several years. Always kept them with larger fish so they can display or attempt there natural cleaning habits.

[windcoast reefs]

Everybody has an opinion on these fish, but the article that you highlighted was published many years ago and are very outdated. Most of the references are from the 70s through early 90's. The shipping methods were slower, cyanide was still used for capturing them and people didn't understand what the needs of the fish are. That said all fish are better off in the ocean. Many fish have special requirement, like leopard wrasses, copperband butterfly's, dragonettes, even a number of tangs, but so many people buy them without complaints. I really don't like to see these fish in the pet shop and hate it when they sell them to new aquarists. But there really isn't anything I can do myself to help.

[Rogue951]

I've had a few in different tanks over the years and they've always done extremely well.
eat like pigs with no effort to train them to eat.
even pick at my arm when im doing stuff in the tank.
I'd say the real issue is taking them away from their cleaning duties in the wild and less so that they're hard to keep.

[mws]

Originally Posted by jtbadco

As expected completely missed the point,....

my point is that all the fish you have, regardless of how much research you did, would be better off in the wild. So you are no better than anyone else.

And like I said, I don't disagree with the point you are making so save your expert testimony.

+1 ON THIS ONE.
Came back from snorkelling in Hawaii and must say, any size tank we have in our homes is still a bath tub.
I do feel very guilty every time I look at my fish, regardless of pristine maintenance of my tank. All the fish except the once we bred in captivity, are better off in a ocean.
Cleaner wrasse is not an exception, like any other fish. I had mine for over a year and he is fat and eats everything, but he doesn't clean fish anymore.

I had seeing thousands of different species of tangs in one spot what graze like cows, non stop.
My tangs don't touch rock anymore, waiting for there nori sheet twice a day.

Think one of those traveling zoos, where animals adapt and survive in 8X8 cages for years.

Suppliers will not stop catching cleaner wrasse if we stop buying them. They still will come to the stores and die there, like any other fish.
Think everyone - we have real survivors, but how many of those beauties never had a chance. Traveling in a bag for 24 hours(dying), sitting in a holding tanks somewhere(dying), our stores, stressed, sick (dying).
When I see very big and old fish in a store, my hart is truly aching, Why?

Forgive my not so perfect writing, you got the point.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by mws

Cleaner wrasse is not an exception, like any other fish. I had mine for over a year and he is fat and eats everything, but he doesn't clean fish anymore.

This is interesting. Have others found that their Cleaner Wrasse stop cleaning other fish after a year or two eating other foods?