Is this not a cleaner wrasse

[cpalminteri]

put what I thought was a cleaner wrasse in QT with my Blue tang and today I found out about false cleaner blenny….. he hangs out and isn’t always swimming. Is he a false cleaner that’s probably just stressing my tang???

 

[JGT]

Doesn’t look like a cleaner.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Not the cleaner wrasse I’m used to seeing.

 

[cpalminteri]

It’s a juvenile. But now I’m also thinking it’s not. And it’s sticks to my tang like one now I’m wondering if he’s been nipping at it

 

[Soren]

put what I thought was a cleaner wrasse in QT with my Blue tang and today I found out about false cleaner blenny….. he hangs out and isn’t always swimming. Is he a false cleaner that’s probably just stressing my tang???

That looks to me like a neon cleaner goby (Elcatinus oceanops), which acts as a cleaner but may still stress a tang if it does not want cleaned. They don't cause direct harm, but some fish like the cleaning and others do not.

I have seen my butterflyfish want the cleaning and get annoyed by the cleaning at different times.

 

[cpalminteri]

That looks to me like a neon cleaner goby (Elcatinus oceanops), which acts as a cleaner but may still stress a tang if it does not want cleaned. They don't cause direct harm, but some fish like the cleaning and others do not.

I have seen my butterflyfish want the cleaning and get annoyed by the cleaning at different times.

Yep this is him! Got him from Petco. So normally cleans? I just want to make sure he’s not mimic cleaning and actually trying to nip at my tang

 

[Soren]

Yep this is him! Got him from Petco. So normally cleans? I just want to make sure he’s not mimic cleaning and actually trying to nip at my tang

I don't think the cleaner gobies are big enough to actually cause harm.
They eat small parasites, which is a benefit to the cleaned fish, but they also eat mucus/scales/shed skin, just not enough to cause actual harm to the living tissue of the fish.

Though they don't cause physical harm that I am aware of, they can be a nuisance to a fish that does not want to be cleaned which can stress the fish.

 

[bnord]

kinda sorta looks like a shark nosed goby - hard to tell - check it against pictures

 

[Sharkbait19]

As mentioned, that’s a neon goby. It does the same job and will eat parasites off of fish. I have heard that they may irritate fish, not sure how common this is.

 

[cpalminteri]

Thank you all a bunch! Lol

 

[blaxsun]

Definitely not a cleaner wrasse (they're out and about harassing the fish like the squigee guys standing on the corner).

On the plus side, cleaner wrasses can be real ****'s. Mine killed the valentini puffer I introduced and even took a swipe at the new mandarin before he figures out what it was (and why they're generally avoided by fish).

I still have the cleaner wrasse, but I do have to watch him closely for the first day whenever I introduce a new fish.

 

[cpalminteri]

Definitely not a cleaner wrasse (they're out and about harassing the fish like the squigee guys standing on the corner).

LOL

 

[Spare time]

That looks to me like a neon cleaner goby (Elcatinus oceanops), which acts as a cleaner but may still stress a tang if it does not want cleaned. They don't cause direct harm, but some fish like the cleaning and others do not.

I have seen my butterflyfish want the cleaning and get annoyed by the cleaning at different times.

+1 on definitely cleaner goby

 

[cpalminteri]

Def

 

[SlugSnorter]

put what I thought was a cleaner wrasse in QT with my Blue tang and today I found out about false cleaner blenny….. he hangs out and isn’t always swimming. Is he a false cleaner that’s probably just stressing my tang???

looks like a neon blue cleaner or maybe sharknose goby

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Definitely not a cleaner wrasse (they're out and about harassing the fish like the squigee guys standing on the corner).

On the plus side, cleaner wrasses can be real ****'s. Mine killed the valentini puffer I introduced and even took a swipe at the new mandarin before he figures out what it was (and why they're generally avoided by fish).

I still have the cleaner wrasse, but I do have to watch him closely for the first day whenever I introduce a new fish.

This. Mine would harass the hell out of a new fish. Upside it lasted some years, prolly wont replace it now that it passed.