cleaner wrasse

[albanyaquarium]

k so i know everywhere i look all the info say never buy a cleaner wrasse caus ethey with starve to death but..., i brought 2 in last week on a whim and took one home. he's doing great 2 hours after intro to tank and he was eating flake, brine, and cyclopeeze!!! anyone else ever had luck with them or did i just get lucky?

[Ryan Mackey]

Keep us posted as to the "long-term success" of the fish. I know lots of folks that have kept orange spotted filefish and moorish idols alive for "weeks", claiming success just in time for the fish to disappear. R2

[gwen_o_lyn]

Originally Posted by Ryan Mackey

Keep us posted as to the "long-term success" of the fish. I know lots of folks that have kept orange spotted filefish and moorish idols alive for "weeks", claiming success just in time for the fish to disappear. R2

Agree completely with that. Cleaner wrasses have a very low survival rate in aquariums and therefore collection and sale of cleaner wrasses should not be encouraged. I think people should be screened before buying these certain type of critters, only experienced aquarists should be allowed.

It's a good sign if its eating. Which kind of cleaner is it? Labroides dimidiatus?

[gwen_o_lyn]

http://www.aquahobby.com/marine/e_cleaner.php

Someone on that page wrote: "the wrasse will die slowly, and probably painfully, from malnutrition." This is a fish that needs to stay in the ocean reefs.

[albanyaquarium]

i also agree wholeheartedly with r2 this is one of those fish that is by no means a beginner fish, while i don't consider myself an "expert" i feel a can safely claim the title of Advanced keeper. as far as (sp) pretty sure it's the blue streak variant of labroides dimidiatus. will post a pic when the boss get back from LA with the cam.

[drock59]

it will die slowly just like 95 percent of all other cleaner wrasses that I have seen in captivity.

[Lowman]

I had one that did the same thing. It was eating everything I threw at it and slowly starved to death.

[albanyaquarium]

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=29424
found tis at the bottom sound interesting if mine stops eating i'll have to try this

[gwen_o_lyn]

It might be eating, but is it getting the nutrition that it needs to survive? You might wanna try that beef heart now so it has better chances.

Let us know how it does.

[Loverotties]

They also can be carpet surfer so watch out.