Cleaner Wrasse

[swimfest]

I have been considering purchasing a cleaner wrasse for my tangs. I heard that when they take these wrasses out of the wild it kills a lot of fish in the wild, so I was wondering if there was a sufficient replacement. They are all big tangs exept for my blue which is about 2 inches the rest are 7+

 

[Mcvivor]

They are fine. I have one in my 220 with my tangs. I have had him for about a year. He eats off the fish all the time, along with eats anything else I put in the water! He is a little piggie! Hehe. Just be cautious they like to munch on your arms when you do tank cleanings

 

[swimfest]

Apart from looking cooler is there a difference between the normal ones and hawaiian ones?

 

[BigAl07]

They have a very dismal survival rate in captivity. Some people have long-term success but unfortunately they are the exception and not the norm.

What are you hoping they will do for your tangs? A cleaner Shrimp will serve same function.

 

[Clownfish518]

+1 Al. get a Cleaner Shrimp or Goby

 

[swimfest]

Well one has a white parasite looking thing on its side. its not ich though. so i am hoping it will get rid of that. wont the tangs eat the cleaner shrimp? and what is a cleaner goby? i have never heard of one of those

 

[Clownfish518]

Pretty much any of the gobies in the genus Elecatinus will clean, though the neon types seem to be better at it in my experience.neon goby, sharknose goby, etc. I do like the sharknose, elecationus evelynae, personally as a fish

 

[Mcvivor]

My cleaner wrasse is fine. I have had him for some time now. Maybe I am just lucky but he eats anything I put in there. He even eats the seaweed. He follows the tangs around all day. (I think, he thinks he is one lol) As for the HI ones...I am not sure if they are the same in terms of keeping them. I have the blue one.

 

[molsen187]

when you take a cleaner wrasse from the ocean though that is what kills fish. they set up cleaning stations in the wild where fish go to get cleaned. when the wrasse is removed those fish don't know where else to go and they will die from parasites and such the wrasse would of normally cleaned off. i don't know a ton about tangs but i don't think they would eat a cleaner shrimp. i've seen videos of cleaner shrimp getting rides around tanks on tangs while they are cleaning them.

 

[BigAl07]

Most fish "Recognize" cleaner animals and provide safe access for them to come "on-board" and clean them. Yet another MIRACLE of nature