Mesonauta in the wild observed behaving like cleaner fish...
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I have seen this in one of my tanks (not with Mesonauta) but Etroplus.
I was offered half dozen Etroplus suratensus infected with ick, for almost no cost, that a LFS was having trouble curing years ago.
They were put in a Q-tank, salinity 3.5 - 4 ppt, and in @ week they were ick free, although plenty of tell tale marks were left, where the parasites had lodged in the skin.
After I was sure the ick had been vanquished, I added about a dozen 1 o 2" juvie Fossochromis rostratus to the tank to grow out.
Almost immediately the Etroplus did tail stands, and the Fosso's began picking off the scar tissue and other bits.
It was quite fascinating to watch, although once the Etroplus were cleaned after those first days, it never happened again.
I've seen it many times while SCUBA diving the ocean, by cleaner wrasse (close relatives of cichlids),
in fact there is a cleaning station on a rock that is emerged at low tide, about 100 yards off shore from where I live.
Its still always fascinating to see, whenever.
I didn't catch cleaning in the video below, but it is a permanent station where plenty of cleaner wrasselive, frequented by large parrotfish regularly
(the real ones, not the aquarium deformed mutants).
Taboga just off shore
I recommend muting the volume.
I was offered half dozen Etroplus suratensus infected with ick, for almost no cost, that a LFS was having trouble curing years ago.
They were put in a Q-tank, salinity 3.5 - 4 ppt, and in @ week they were ick free, although plenty of tell tale marks were left, where the parasites had lodged in the skin.
After I was sure the ick had been vanquished, I added about a dozen 1 o 2" juvie Fossochromis rostratus to the tank to grow out.
Almost immediately the Etroplus did tail stands, and the Fosso's began picking off the scar tissue and other bits.
It was quite fascinating to watch, although once the Etroplus were cleaned after those first days, it never happened again.
I've seen it many times while SCUBA diving the ocean, by cleaner wrasse (close relatives of cichlids),
in fact there is a cleaning station on a rock that is emerged at low tide, about 100 yards off shore from where I live.
Its still always fascinating to see, whenever.
I didn't catch cleaning in the video below, but it is a permanent station where plenty of cleaner wrasselive, frequented by large parrotfish regularly
(the real ones, not the aquarium deformed mutants).
Taboga just off shore
I recommend muting the volume.
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In the wild, orange chromides (Etroplus/Pseudetroplus maculatus) have been documented cleaning the larger Etroplus suratensis. This is a behavior the suratensis are accustomed to.