Cleaner wrasse bully

[jeremyjay692005]

I got a cleaner wrasse over the weekend, added him to my tank and he is bullying the other fish (firefish and 2 clown fish). what I read on him, he wont be aggressive to other fish.
What can i do about him been a bully to other fish? I really like his color and how active he is.

 

[exnisstech]

IMO cleaner wrasses should only be kept in larger tanks with larger fish like tangs, angels etc. They tend to be short lived and stand a better chance of survival in larger tanks with larger fish. I've kept them a couple of times but never with small fish and tanks were 150g and 180g. I don't think they are a fish that should be added just for their appearance as they are a utilitarian fish. One of my lfs will not even stock them as their long term survival is ussualy poor.
Hopefully someone can offer recommendations on curbing the bullying unless they are not really bullying but trying to clean the smaller fish and it looks like bullying

 

[CasperOe]

If you provide enough habitat for your livestock such as hiding places etc. you shouldn't experience any issues How big is your tank? Pictures please, then we might be able to help.

As to what tank size is big enough, there's a difference of opinion in any case. I'd say, as an absolute minimum 50 gallons with 100 gallons being more suitable for a cleaner wrasse all subject to what fish you have.

Chances are he will settle down once a pecking order has been established.

 

[jeremyjay692005]

It might just be that he's trying to clean the other fish and not really bullying them.

 

[CasperOe]

It might just be that he's trying to clean the other fish and not really bullying them.

Possibly! What size of tank are you keeping them in? And how about habitat/hiding space? Any pictures?

 

[Slocke]

Cleaner wrasse get very aggressive if not given enough tank mates. They rely on eating dead skin and parasites off of other fish. If they do not have enough to get easily they will overclean other fish to get fed. They can and will harass other fish to death.

A wild caught cleaner wrasse needs a heavily stocked 200+ gallon tank. Captive bred do fine in smaller tanks but wild caught is playing with fire.

 

[Slocke]

If you provide enough habitat for your livestock such as hiding places etc. you shouldn't experience any issues How big is your tank? Pictures please, then we might be able to help.

As to what tank size is big enough, there's a difference of opinion in any case. I'd say, as an absolute minimum 50 gallons with 100 gallons being more suitable for a cleaner wrasse all subject to what fish you have.

Chances are he will settle down once a pecking order has been established.

With most fish I’d agree but a cleaner wrasse is not a big aggressive tang. It can follow a fish into any cave/hole.

 

[jeremyjay692005]

Possibly! What size of tank are you keeping them in? And how about habitat/hiding space? Any pictures?

It's a 50 gallon. Ive got a good amount of rocks. would a introduction box help?

 

[jeremyjay692005]

Cleaner wrasse get very aggressive if not given enough tank mates. They rely on eating dead skin and parasites off of other fish. If they do not have enough to get easily they will overclean other fish to get fed. They can and will harass other fish to death.

A wild caught cleaner wrasse needs a heavily stocked 200+ gallon tank. Captive bred do fine in smaller tanks but wild caught is playing with fire.

Not sure if hes captive bred or wild. Is there anything i can do to help him from picking on the other fish? would a introduction box for a few days help?

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

It's a 50 gallon. Ive got a good amount of rocks. would a introduction box help?

No. You shouldn't of bought that fish for the reasons stated above. The fellow smaller fish are a poor fit for the cleaner wrasse, it cant do its job properly. Need to catch it and return to the LFS.

 

[Slocke]

Not sure if hes captive bred or wild. Is there anything i can do to help him from picking on the other fish? would a introduction box for a few days help?

No. You shouldn't of bought that fish for the reasons stated above. The fellow smaller fish are a poor fit for the cleaner wrasse, it cant do its job properly. Need to catch it and return to the LFS.

I second this. Unless captive bred or trained onto regular foods they do not do well and could injure your other fish.

You’d know if it was captive bred because they cost a lot more and usually only sold online.

 

[CasperOe]

It's a 50 gallon. Ive got a good amount of rocks. would a introduction box help?

In my opinion, this fish is not a good match for the tank you have. I believe reasons are stated in other posts to this thread Is it a different tank from the 35 gallon cube you set up earlier in the year?

You can try with a box but ideally I'd take this wrasse back to the LFS.

 

[jeremyjay692005]

I second this. Unless captive bred or trained onto regular foods they do not do well and could injure your other fish.

You’d know if it was captive bred because they cost a lot more and usually only sold online.

I got him at LFS, they said we would be fine in my tank, He was only$30.

 

[CasperOe]

I got him at LFS, they said we would be fine in my tank, He was only$30.

It's not about the money mate, it's about giving our pets the best conditions that we can A LFS is a business after all, they do want to sell you things . After all, no one would buy a dog if they didn't have room for it just because some guy in a pet store told them that they'd probably be fine, right?

It is a hobby that require an awful lot of research to be successful. It's about having that mindset to provide the best care for the animals that we buy and care for.

Hope it all settles down for you, and if not, better take it back. Both your his sake- and for the fish you already have in your 35 / 50 gallon tank.

 

[Slocke]

I got him at LFS, they said we would be fine in my tank, He was only$30.

I’m sorry. LFS’s do that a lot. Unfortunately I hear fairly regularly of people getting several cleaner wrasse one after the other and each of them dying sadly.

I do tons of research and I still mess up every now and then. I just failed with a Soapfish because I didn’t read until after I got home that it was one of the most difficult species of Soapfish. This happens to everyone so just use this as a learning experience.

And for reference I believe a captive bred one is $160 right now though I payed a lot more for mine. Consider a neon cleaner goby next time.

 

[Black Clover]

Feeling discouraged reading this… I have a 55 gallon tank with many inverts and 2 clownfish that I had quarantined for 2 months due to ich! They are finally back in the DT. Now, I bought a silver belly wrasse and a cleaner wrasse that have been doing well together in the QT. Not sure what will happen once they are introduced to the DT in 3 weeks… :

 

[Black Clover]

What’s the update Jeremy?

 

[blecki]

If the cleaner wrasse is eating frozen then the wrasse itself should be fine. It may annoy the other fish, but it's not bullying in the same way an aggressive fish is - it's not trying to injure the other fish; it's more like an annoying younger sibling who won't go away. This can stress the other fish to death depending on their temperament - three small fish isn't really enough to keep the cleaner occupied. It will probably spend a lot of time annoying the wrasse because it won't chase the cleaner off as aggressively.

If it isn't eating frozen, it will slowly waste away until it starves to death.

 

[jeremyjay692005]

What’s the update Jeremy?

He's doing a lot better after a few weeks of been in the tank.