Cleaner Wrasse (dimidiatis)

[Ricko]

Once again i have gone against recommendations from magazines stating not to try keeping this fish, and have bought one today.
I know these topics can be controversal and i'm ready for negative responses.

Has ANYONE here kept one of these longer than a year at least??
Longest i have heard personally is two years,,until the poor fellow jumped out.

The one i put in today was feeding on frozen spirulina brine within a few minutes but i don't know if this is a plus or not.
As hard as they are to keep alive, surely one of you here has kept one long term (long term at least a year)????

 

[Myteemouse]

Good luck..I don't know enough about them to give any info

 

[jacky]

I have one for three years now and still in my tank. I thing I got lucky because he not only clean all the fish, but he will eat anything I feed the other fish. He is in my 180.

 

[alcohologist]

I have one for three years now and still in my tank. I thing I got lucky because he not only clean all the fish, but he will eat anything I feed the other fish. He is in my 180.

what are his tankmates? as far as i've seen/heard, [given theyre already taking some prepared food] they will do well in tanks loaded with angels/large clowns/tangs.

 

[mr.reef24]

Once again i have gone against recommendations from magazines stating not to try keeping this fish, and have bought one today.
I know these topics can be controversal and i'm ready for negative responses.

Has ANYONE here kept one of these longer than a year at least??
Longest i have heard personally is two years,,until the poor fellow jumped out.

The one i put in today was feeding on frozen spirulina brine within a few minutes but i don't know if this is a plus or not.
As hard as they are to keep alive, surely one of you here has kept one long term (long term at least a year)????

Well cleaner wrasse only eat parasites and most aquarist don't intentionally introduce fish with parasites however my friend has had a pair for some time now and they actually spawned and he has egg's. But I have no clue what they are eating most cleaner wrasse are a lost cause, even if they eat most likely they'll still starve cause they aren't getting the nutrition from the parasites they eat in the wild. But there may be a rare I mean really RARE case someone keep's one alive by just introducing sick fish like crazy in 1000 gallon aquarium and never treating and all the fish have parasite's and then maybe they'll live. My recommendation would be to return the fish to your LFS and find a better candidate for your tank, and ask them not to carry cleaner wrasse so they can live in the wild and not die in our tank's or the LFS tank.

mr.reef24

 

[ewurm]

I had one eating bloodworms and other small frozen foods but it only lasted two months. I was dissapointed. It's my favorite saltwater fish and it actually died from marine ich. They can't clean themselves. I'm sure on his way out it was thinking that it sure would like to eat the parasites that were killing it.

 

[mr.reef24]

I had one eating bloodworms and other small frozen foods but it only lasted two months. I was dissapointed. It's my favorite saltwater fish and it actually died from marine ich. They can't clean themselves. I'm sure on his way out it was thinking that it sure would like to eat the parasites that were killing it.

thus the point of not keeping them cause you would need 2 to keep each other clean

mr.reef24

P.S. its a shame too there such a beautiful wrasse but there are many other choice's that will live and be better choice's for your tank's

 

[jacky]

what are his tankmates? as far as i've seen/heard, [given theyre already taking some prepared food] they will do well in tanks loaded with angels/large clowns/tangs.

yes he is in there with angels and tangs also an eel.