Cleaner goby or cleaner wrasse?
- Thread starter CJD18
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i prefer wrasse as they readily accept other food in the event that there's no parasite to pick off.
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I also like the wrasses. Make sure its the bluestreak wrasses... there are a few cleaner types out there and some just won't eat anything but parasites. I've tried Hawaiian cleaner wrasses a few times. Even one that was shipped to me directly from a diver who caught my flame wrasse and golden moray years ago when they weren't as common... They are seriously one of the prettiest wrasses in the ocean but its so difficult to find one that will accept any types of planktonic food.
Anyways, I remember watching a great documentary on how smart these fish are. It seems that although they pick parasites they also take bits of tissue from the fish as well. It seems to be a fairly large part of their diet... this "cheating" is something they primarily only do with resident reef fish as they have no other cleaner station options. With fish that travel about they are less likely to take a meaty bite as they know these fish have options on which stations to go to. So freaking smart that they can remember who is local and who is not. Anyways, the point of all that is... get a cleaner that will eat regular foods or it'll starve to death as there aren't enough fish and parasites in our tanks to support them otherwise.
Anyways, I remember watching a great documentary on how smart these fish are. It seems that although they pick parasites they also take bits of tissue from the fish as well. It seems to be a fairly large part of their diet... this "cheating" is something they primarily only do with resident reef fish as they have no other cleaner station options. With fish that travel about they are less likely to take a meaty bite as they know these fish have options on which stations to go to. So freaking smart that they can remember who is local and who is not. Anyways, the point of all that is... get a cleaner that will eat regular foods or it'll starve to death as there aren't enough fish and parasites in our tanks to support them otherwise.
