400 gallon project - Page 45

Delphinus · #**441** 01-17-2008, 05:30 AM

I was just going to say ... I'm pretty sure that's a false cleaner wrasse (not a real cleaner). The cincher is that you said he's eating prepared foods ...

A real cleaner wrasse won't leave bite marks.

Some more reading.. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/labroiidfaqs.htm
http://www.uog.edu/marinelab/fish/sp...taeniatus.html

Not sure what to suggest. The last page there says most fish will learn to stay away from them but I imagine that's in the context of the wild, not a captive aquarium. I think you may want to get him out of there, for the sake of your other fish.

Sorry and good luck!!! (Or should I say "Happy hunting"?)

untamed · #**442** 01-17-2008, 03:56 PM

It's not a Fang Blennie. It's taken me quite a while to find a decent photo of a Fang Blennie in order to see the underslung mouth. (assuming that is the ONLY distinguishing feature...and that's debatable)

My "Wrasse" does not have the distinct underslung mouth of a Fang Blennie. I'll see if I can get a better photo. Meanwhile, I'll continue to watch him closely.

Delphinus · #**443** 01-17-2008, 03:58 PM

I guess I mistook his nostril for a bite mark.

I didn't know if cleaner wrasses would leave marks at all on other fish.

Well, hopefully you have one of the good guys after all. I'm still sort of shocked to hear of one that eats prepared foods, but maybe you have the 1 in 100, sort of thing.

untamed · #**444** 01-17-2008, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

I guess I mistook his nostril for a bite mark.

I didn't know if cleaner wrasses would leave marks at all on other fish.

Well, hopefully you have one of the good guys after all. I'm still sort of shocked to hear of one that eats prepared foods, but maybe you have the 1 in 100, sort of thing.

Ha..ha..yes, I would be much more concerned if those were bite marks! That made me laugh...thanks. The Naso is the only fish with visible marks. The others get cleaned, but the nibbles just don't show like they do on Moe's perfect grey complexion.

The wrasse attemps to eat anything that seems small enough to get into his mouth. A small pellet is too large for him...but he'll work at them for quite a while. Mostly, I feed a chopped up mess of squid, clam, octopus, and shrimp. There's always lots of really small bits for him to eat.

Delphinus · #**445** 01-17-2008, 05:25 PM

Just a thought .. NLS makes a pellet called "Grow" (or something like that). It's a really small pellet intended for fish fry. I feed it to my FW tank because I have a number of really small fish in there. I wonder if it would be an appropriate sized pellet?

justinl · #**446** 01-18-2008, 04:30 AM

my first thought was a false cleaner wrasse as well, but they actually take big noticeable hunks of meat out of a fish, not the little nips you see on Moe. That's the big distinguishing feature of the lovely false cleaners. If it were me, I would give your wrasse a few weeks just to settle out, and see what happens. While keeping a close eye on him and how the other fish do with his "cleaning" of course. The ones that accept frozen are rarities and not a fish i would relinquish easily myself.

hope the white face gets a break and asserts itself. definitely a good lookin fish.

man. every time i see those gorgs...

untamed · #**447** 01-19-2008, 10:54 PM

My cleaner wrasse "problem" has taken care of itself. The cleaner wrassed died this morning. I'm not having much luck with wrasses. I beginning to think that my sand is not to their liking. It would not surprise me a bit if there is something about my sand that kills wrasses in the night.

I sort of feel bad, because he was eating and I was starting to NOT dislike him so much....but, that's how it goes.

justinl · #**448** 01-19-2008, 11:09 PM

harsh. sorry to hear that. Why were you not minding quite as much? did it's picking at the other fish slow down?

unless Im remembering incorrectly, I believe your sand bed was crushed coral or at least mostly right? and not very deep either? A sand sleeping wrasse really needs a finer substrate like oolitic aragonite and some depth to the bed never hurts either. CC is just too coarse. I think that might be the problem. Is the cleaner wrasse one that dives in the sand when it sleeps or hides?

for example when I had my red coris wrasse, it dive bombed into the sand with some real force. If my sand wasnt oolitic aragonite, Im certain injury would have been inevitable.

It might also just be the kinds of wrasses you get. I know some cleaner wrasses that accept frozen foods (which are rare to begin with) die anyways since they lack the right nutrition that can only be had from parasites. The other wrasse that died was a leopard wrasse right? those guys dont have a very good track record either, so I wouldnt rule these fish out of your system due to luck quite yet.

untamed · #**449** 01-20-2008, 12:10 AM

I don't know if the cleaner wrasse was trying to sleep in the sand bed or not. I assumed that he was because other wrasses do. Yes, my sand bed is fairly coarse. It is possible that they injure themselves trying to bury. Hard to say.

The presence of the cleaner changed the fish behaviour a lot...and not only to my liking. The cleaning was interesting, but in order the get away from the cleaner the fish would dart suddenly away sometimes running into the tank walls.

That, combined with the little peck marks on the Naso....I don't think I'll miss him much.

Puff · #**450** 01-20-2008, 02:05 AM

wow untamed...this stuff is all sooo impressive!!

i just spent my whole afternoon (minus 1 hour) reading from the beginning. i have no clue how i never saw this thread, but i feel like i gained experience just from reading it!!

even my gf sat with me for a solid hour looking at stuff. i told her that you built my dream room, but that she should worry as im not good enough at building things to build it.lol

great stuff!! cant wait to continue reading/spying on the tank's progress.

thanks for the experience!