Bought a Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse...

Engloid · Sep 17, 2011

Got him on Thursday. Put him in the tank, and immediately, the blue/black cleaner wrasse began following him, hanging out with him like long lost buddies. The other fish didn't pay much attention to him at all. My Red Coris wrasse was already buried in the sand for the night. Feeding time, he didn't eat...but they don't tend to eat mysis shrimp anyway.

Night came, and last I saw, he was swimming around without any problems. The next morning, at feeding time...no hawaiian cleaner. Two days have passed now and I see no sign of him.

I'm hoping he just buried himself under the sand or something. Maybe it will take him time to get used to the tank. Perhaps the red coris scared him or something. I see no sign of him, but there's no way I can move all the rock to make sure he's not dead somewhere either.

TriMax · Sep 19, 2011

I too, hope he is hiding Spenser.

cee · Sep 24, 2011

Please don't purchase this fish as they won't do well. They're very cool to watch cleaning the tangs and idols here in HI.

Engloid · Sep 24, 2011

cee said:
Please don't purchase this fish as they won't do well. They're very cool to watch cleaning the tangs and idols here in HI.

I heard the same about the blue\black cleaner wrasse, but mine has done great, and I have had it for about 4 months. I suspect that one of the other fish killed mine because I only saw it the first day, and not once since. I really think the red coris got it. It was the only fish that I didn't see interact with the new addition, because the coris was already under sand for the night. Maybe when he emerged in the morning, he didn't like the hawaiian in there.

Runner · Sep 24, 2011

You have a large tank and a lot of hiding places. Sometimes fish hide well for a long time. I've thought them to be dead only to see them come out a couple months later. If I don't see a body or portion of a skull or something, I don't write them off just yet.

copper · Sep 24, 2011

When I moved my Leopard from a 34g into the 75g I didn't see it for about 3 weeks and thought it was a gonner, but suddenly one day it reappeared and was fine.

cee · Sep 24, 2011

There are lots of coris wrasses here in Hawaii. I doubt your cleaner is gone but the Hawaiian and red sea are not easy to keep.

Engloid · Sep 24, 2011

cee said:
There are lots of coris wrasses here in Hawaii. I doubt your cleaner is gone but the Hawaiian and red sea are not easy to keep.

I really think the red coris is the prettiest of all wrasses, but everybody has their opinions. This Hawaiian was very pretty also, and I knew it would be a bold and outgoing fish....but perhaps it is still alive and being very shy. All I can imagine is that it is just scared of the new tank, and comes out just long enough to feed.

The coris sleeps under the sand. My blue/black cleaner wrasse hides in rocks to sleep. Do you know which the Hawaiian does?

cee · Sep 25, 2011

Hawaiians here are out all day cleaning tangs bflys and idols. Don't know where they spend their nights though.

Engloid said:
I really think the red coris is the prettiest of all wrasses, but everybody has their opinions. This Hawaiian was very pretty also, and I knew it would be a bold and outgoing fish....but perhaps it is still alive and being very shy. All I can imagine is that it is just scared of the new tank, and comes out just long enough to feed.

The coris sleeps under the sand. My blue/black cleaner wrasse hides in rocks to sleep. Do you know which the Hawaiian does?

EvilMel · Sep 28, 2011

The only time I've seen cleaner wrasses do well was in a tank with a bunch of blue tangs. Those guys constantly have ich to some extent (it seems) so there's a constant supply of food for the cleaners.

Steve W · Sep 28, 2011

Was just reading about them today. Very difficult to keep as they derive 90 % of their nutrition only from eating parasites and damaged tissue from other fish. Less than 1% of them are able to make the transition from this to other foods, and then they typically live short lives.

Good luck

Steve W

Engloid · Sep 28, 2011

I've also read information that they don't eat parasites from fish at all. Sometimes, there's as much bad information out there as good information...and you just can't tell which to believe. I know that my blue/black cleaner wrasse has been doing just fine in the tank for probably 5 months now...so I'm sure he's eating something other than parasites because I don't have that many fish.

TriMax · Sep 29, 2011

Spenser

It has been a week, I think. Has the wrasse still not shown up?

Engloid · Sep 30, 2011

Still no sign of him, day or night. I don't really have much hope for him at this point.

Gitsoe · Sep 30, 2011

my flasher wrasse was missing for a little longer then 2 weeks and now he's out and about, give him more time, (that's all you can do hehe)

macclellan · Oct 1, 2011

update?

Engloid · Oct 2, 2011

macclellan said:
update?

No change. Still not seen this guy since the evening I put him in the tank. Thats more than 4 weeks. I think we're safe to do an obituary and funeral now.

macclellan · Oct 2, 2011

Rob.D · Oct 7, 2011

Engloid said:
No change. Still not seen this guy since the evening I put him in the tank. Thats more than 4 weeks. I think we're safe to do an obituary and funeral now.

I wouldn't count him out yet, I added three new fish on August 28th and they caused my two red fire fish to hide. Today, low and behold one of the fire fish made an appearance, it does not appear very healthy, but still alive. As for the still missing fire fish, there may be hope.