The low down on Cleaner wrasses

[msmith619]

OK, I have been thinking about getting a cleaner wrasse for my 125. I plan on having several tangs and think they will like having a cleaner around but read conflicting data.
Some web pages say they are impossible to keep alive more than a few weeks. Some say they eat great and they have kept them for 3, 5 or more years. I have visited several MAAST menber's homes and seen cleaner wrasses and they have told me theirs are doing well. Then, I think I remember seeing a post on MAAST about mature cleaners wrasses become stony coral eaters and causing havoc in the owner's tanks.
Anyone with some good information or personal experience please chime in and help me out.
Thanks

[hobogato]

the yellow tail cleaner wrasse is the one that is a cleaner as a juvenile and an sps eater as an adult. most people agree that the blue cleaners are hit or miss (more miss than hit). lots of fish and eventually getting them to eat frozen food seem to be the key to success. i had one in my tank for several months that both cleaned my hoard of fish and ate frozen food. one day, he just disappeared.

[msmith619]

i had one in my tank for several months that both cleaned my hoard of fish and ate frozen food. one day, he just disappeared.

Victim of the Marine Betas? How is the match-up doing btw?

[hobogato]

no, it was way too big for them to eat. they dont seem too interested in each other, may be two females

[Pennies2Cents]

Hey Mike,

We have a Cleaner in ours and he does great with our tangs. He is a Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse. He's managed to survive the trip down the overflow more than once. LOL.. He does eat brine, shrimp, mysid pretty much anything we throw into the tank to eat. He does his job well.

[Third Coast Tropical]

I had a blue cleaner in my reef for about 6 months, he cleaned my big rabbitfish with no issues from either and would also eat the other diet placed into tank.....however, I believe in the end, it was probably forced "out" by the rabbitfish at nite, as the rabbit liked to show her muscle at nite......or it just finally decided to be suicidal after 6 months....it was a cool fish, but i dont think i would get another one......also, if you get a blue cleaner, make sure what you are getting is a wrasse and not the look alike fang blenny...good luck

[aquasport24]

Hey Mike,

We have a Cleaner in ours and he does great with our tangs. He is a Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse. He's managed to survive the trip down the overflow more than once. LOL.. He does eat brine, shrimp, mysid pretty much anything we throw into the tank to eat. He does his job well.

+1 ,have mine for 2 years now and finally got it's tail back(tried to clean a lionfish).

[allan]

Yup, have had mine in the tank now two months or so. He does seem to clean the rabbit and the hippo tang and even the velvet damsel, but the cow fish can't abide him picking at him.

He eats everything we throw into the tank. On one occasion he looked as if his mouth had been chewed up by something, but within a week or so he was back to his old antics.

[msmith619]

Thanks for the responses. I think once the tank is established, I might try my hand at one.

[ErikH]

ORA has their own aquacultured breed that you may look at purchasing. It's a mix of the blue and the gold.

[msmith619]

Update:
I added a cleaner wrasse to my tank. I went to a LFS in San Antonio and they had 8 of them and said they all ate well. I had them feed them all and 1 ate frozen food vigorously, I bought him. I took him home to my 125. There are 5 tangs in there: blue hippo, naso, gold rim, powderblue, and yellow. The wrasse was immediately cleaning and the tangs lined up. He then cleaned the clownfish. He eats great and seems fine.
I have noticed this fish is majorly hyper! He swims more than the tangs to, is always trying to clean everything to the point that the tangs try to bite him to get him to stop. I hope he doesn't cause problems by being a pest!

[ErikH]

Yeah until they are clean, he will be a PITA. Next, he will clean your sand. :)

[Kristy]

Next, he will clean your sand. :)

Not to mention, your ARM! Ours starts picking at us as soon as we reach into the tank. I can now sing the song, "They're ain't no bugs on me..."

[msmith619]

Cleaner wrasse update:
He eats frozen vigorously (probably because he is sooooo hyper!), is cleaning every fish to their annoyance (excessive cleaning!) AND eats the sheets of Nori I clip to the tank for my tangs. I did not know they ate algea.
I think the only thing that might kill him are the tangs if he doesn't slow down his cleaning activities.....a cleaner wrasse on speed!
I think it definately helped to find one that was eating in the LFS.

[ballardjr2000]

i used to watch these guys diving they are cool to see dart out pick pick dart in over and over, had a few clean my wet suit also kinda neat to watch.