New cleaner wrasse dead in 15 minutes...

[Jova]

So I bought a cleaner wrasse from Petco last night. I knew that they got their shipment of saltwater fish just an hour or so before I bought the fish, so I figured that it probably hadn't spent much time in their tanks and didn't look it over as well as I should have before I bought it. The lighting in their tanks was pretty crappy, and it looked good to me while I was in the store. So I get home and put the fish in my tank, and I immediately notice that one of it's sides was all chewed up. As soon as I put it in my tank, it swam around for about thirty seconds and then retreated into a small cavern in my live rock and didn't come out. I wake up this morning, and the wrasse is still in the cavern, and dead as a doornail. Petco, where I bought the fish, has no guarantee on saltwater fish, but I'm going to bring the dead fish in there tomorrow with hopes of getting my money back, because as far as I'm concerned, they sold me a fish that was almost dead in the first place. It was only 10 bucks, but hey, 10 bucks is 10 bucks right?! I'll have to be more careful in the future and pay more attention.

[iamkellogg]

That sucks. I hate that stores don't have guarantees on SW fish....this hobby is expensive even before the fish. I hope they will give you the money back or give you a new fish. There was a store I used to go to that fish I bought never lasted more than a few days but they were cheaper....in the beginning I thought I was getting a good deal now I know you get what you pay for in this hobby. Now I only get coral or fish from a couple of places and my fish have stopped ending up belly up.

Kelly

[BoomerD]

IIRC, 95 % of the cleaner wrasses don't last more than about a month. They truely are one of the fish that should NEVER be taken from the ocean.
If we hobbyists quit buying them, the stores will quit stocking them, the wholesalers will quit ordering them, the collectors will (hopefully) quit capturing them, and they won't die in all the various tanks along the way...

[prow]

sorry about the lose but at least he did not suffer and die from starvation over the next few weeks.

[Dentoid]

Jova, I'm sorry to hear that, from many perspectives. It's best to avoid buying live specimens unless they have been in the store and doing well for a minimum of a week, perferably longer. Even though we feel like we are "rescuing" a fish from the wretched conditions of PETCO, it's always best to observe the specimen, in the store, for several days. That being said, again sorry for your loss and I hope you can convince they to give you your money back.

I agree with BoomerD, these fish should not be taken from the wild. Not only do they not do well in captivity but their cleansing skills should not be taken away from the oceans. If you really want a parasite, picking helper, consider the Skunk Cleanner shrimp.

[BigAl07]

I hate to be a thorn in your side expecially after a loss like this but I see something that tosses up all kinds of red flags to me..

Originally Posted by Jova

......So I get home and put the fish in my tank, and I immediately notice that one of it's sides was all chewed up. As soon as I put it in my tank, it swam around for about thirty seconds and then retreated into a small cavern in my live rock and didn't come out.....

I have seen this happen many times to "Critters" that are healthy.... you MUST properly acclimate your new guy to your tank. If he was already sickly or wounded the initial shock probably put him over the edge. I know it's a hassle to acclimate new critters but IMHO if you don't have the time or patience to do it you need to get another hobby. If you did indeed do a full acclimation I apologize before hand.

*climbs down from soapbox*

I am truly sorry for your loss.

Sincerely,
Alleln

[Warnberg]

If your looking for a "cleaner" type fish look into a tank raised neon goby.

Not to beat a dead horse, impulse buys in this hobby usually end in disaster. Figure out what you want for your tank, find out all about the specimen you are looking at (compatibility, care, etc) and THEN go shopping for it and don't settle for anything that looks not quite right.

Sorry for the loss.

Nuf said

[DrHank]

Originally Posted by BoomerD

IIRC, 95 % of the cleaner wrasses don't last more than about a month. They truely are one of the fish that should NEVER be taken from the ocean.
If we hobbyists quit buying them, the stores will quit stocking them, the wholesalers will quit ordering them, the collectors will (hopefully) quit capturing them, and they won't die in all the various tanks along the way...

I couldn't agree more with what Boomer has posted about cleaner wrasses! Unfortunately, as long as there's a market LFS will continue to buy them. As long as the LFS buys the fish will be captured and imported.

Education is the key and I'm going to repost Wetwebmedia, Aquarium, Pond, Marine and Freshwater Fish, reef tanks, and Aquatics Information as an excellent source of information. If more hobbiests were aware of the requirements of livestock before they purchase, it would definately make a differance.

Sorry for your loss. It's not the value, it's the unnecessary death of a fish which should never have been availible for purchase.

[BoomerD]

Here's what Bob Fenner at DocHank's WetWebMedia link has to say about the cleaner wrasses:
Labroides

and a few exerpts from HIS rant on the subject:

"This is the genus of obligate Cleaner Wrasses most celebrated for establishing stations in the wild that are frequented by "local" reef fishes and pelagics for removing parasites and necrotic tissue. Perhaps shocking to most aquarists, all the Labroides rate a dismal (3) in survivability, even the ubiquitously offered common or Blue Cleaner Wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus. None of the Labroides should be removed, not only for the fact that almost all perish within a few weeks of wild capture, but for the valuable role they play as cleaners."

"Labroides dimidiatus (Valenciennes 1839), the common or Blue Cleaner Wrasse (3). Thousands will be collected today and thousands will die. One out of thousands lives for a year in captivity. Indo-Pacific, east Africa, Red Sea to the Marquesas. To four and a half inches in length."

"Obligates by definition get all or virtually all their nutrient from their cleaning activity; various species setting up permanent cleaning stations with "customer" hosts coming in for regular grooming. Experimental removal of some of these cleaners has demonstrated their immense importance as parasite controls. Local and even large pelagic fish populations are quickly negatively impacted by their removal. Fish populations drop or migrate and remaining fishes lose fitness as measured by increased external parasite loads, sores and torn fins.

Casual diving with the four multi-colorful Labroides species reveals that they are of limited numbers and closely defined distribution. When they are removed, the whole reef population suffers.

Further, these species have not been kept for any length of time in captivity, most dying within a few days to weeks due to a lack of nutritive interaction with host fishes. I have heard stories and seen the endemic Hawaiian cleaner, Labroides phthirophagus accepting dry prepared, freeze-dried, fresh and live foods, still only to waste away and die."

"Think about this every time you cast your vote by buying livestock at the fish store. The obligate cleaner Labroides wrasses should remain in the ocean, and you should knowingly spend your money on hardier species."

[Jova]

Wow, I had no idea that these fish were that hard to keep. I had planned on getting a cleaner wrasse for a long time, and just hadn't seen one in a store until this one. I did acclimate the fish before putting it in the tank, but I feel that it was already doomed before I even took it out of the store. I brought the remains of what once was the cleaner wrasse to Petco today and explained the situation, and they promptly gave me my money back. I did notice that they had one of those blue neon gobies there. Perhaps I'll watch it for a bit and maybe pick it up instead. Thanx for all the info guys!

[BoomerD]

Glad you got your money back. The blue neon gobies may be tank bred and tank raised...They have a MUCH better survival rate, and will perform the same cleaning duties as the wrasses...

[SubRosa]

Good luck with getting your money back.This should be a valuable lesson to us all.Even if the lighting on the tank was crappy,at one point you were standing in a well lit area with that fish in a bag in your hand.You should have looked at it!It's your money after all,and to expect any retailer,let alone PETCO to have the same concern for your money as you do is unrealistic.As far as guarantees go let me tell you a story.I worked at an LFS in the 80's and overheard a conversation between a customer and the owner regarding the price of some of our fish.The customer was amazed that we sold a fish for 6.99 that PetsMart sold for 12.99.He then asked what our guarantee on fish was,to which the owner replied "none".The customer quickly stated that PetsMart gave a 14 day guarantee.The owner just as quickly responded that if he was willing pay 12.99 that he would also give the same guarantee.Nothing is free.I would rather pay rock bottom prices and depend upon my own judgement to minimize losses.Just my .02.

[iamkellogg]

Glad you got your money back!

Kelly

[burning2nd]

i think in general its just a bad idea to by from petco (wet live stock) but

they use heavy copper. MOST of the stuff i see in there tanks are not so well looking..... thats like takeing your car to sears to get fixed