Cleaner Wrasse

Mariette · Mar 24, 2019

55 g. I was looking for a neon goby or another cleaning fish and LFS tried to sell me a blue streak cleaner wrasse. I said I thought they need more swimming room? Guy: no no. You could even put 2 in a 55 gallon. I know it would survive in a 55 but it’s not ideal. Am I right?

mattzang · Mar 24, 2019

i think the issue is more that they generally won't have the larger bodied fish to clean in a smaller tank. i mistakenly was talked into one by an lfs just like yours tried, it was eating mysis so i thought all was good. they also discounted the fact i had a sixline wrasse already in my tank. one day the sixline went after the cleaner, cleaner disappeared for several days, and then one day i saw my cleaner shrimp carrying the corpse of the cleaner wrasse across the tank for eating. not once did i ever observe my smallerish fish allowing the cleaner wrasse to clean them. other lfs i've talked to about it have said they just don't bother with cleaner wrasses because they are so hit or miss even in large tanks.

i'd go with the neon goby if you really want a cleaner fish, although i'm not sure they serve much purpose. i have a cleaner shrimp for aesthetics, not because my fish let him clean them. they aren't going to cure ich in your tank, which was the main reason for the lfs telling me to get one.

Mariette · Mar 24, 2019

Oohhhh I get it. Okay, that makes sense.

Sorry to hear about your cleaner wrasse. I’ve had 2 sixlines (not at the same time obciously) and they were both so timid. I was shocked to learn they can be pretty aggressive. I think it was because my resident boss fish (a purple dottyback my LFS assured me was docile despite my research indicting the opposite) at the time was keeping everyone on edge.

Not looking to cure ich w a fish (though that would be nice lol. Figure it may add some enrichment for the fish to interact w another fish that way. I do have a cleaner shrimp and I’ve caught him cleaning my coral beauty a bunch of times. I know they’re hit or miss. He became a lot more comfortable once I gave him his own little cave to disappear into

Musovski · Mar 24, 2019

they dont do well in captivity. even when feeding on mysis.

bhuyett · Mar 24, 2019

A cleaner wrasse will clean anything that will let them. Mine will clean anything from my Blonde Naso Tang, Super Male Flame Wrasse to my 2 1/4" Diamond Flasher wrasse which is the smallest fish in my tank. Either he doesn't like my Evansi Anthias or they don't send him signals they want to be cleaned.

The other thing is that the LFS should never say it is okay to put two of them into a 55 gallon tank. If they are both male they will fight to the end, or die due to not enough fish to keep them busy. It is like they have ADHD, with their erratic swimming behavior..

Jesterrace · Mar 25, 2019

Either way though a Cleaner Wrasse is generally not the best fish for captivity since they require lots of fish to keep them well fed and unless you have a big tank with lots of fish they will often starve to death. That and cleaner wrasses can make absolute pests of themselves with other fish trying to clean them all the time because they are hungry.