Common cleaner wrasse
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They're hard to keep because they have very small mouths designed to precisely pick parasites off other fish. If you have a lot of large fish they can sustain themselves off they are incredibly useful to have. Otherwise, you have to hope that you get one that can be supplemented. Many will pick at plankton, but again they have small mouths and have difficulty eating even whole mysis.
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IMHO, Any LFS that carries these should be avoided and any hobbiest that thinks they can keep these should do some better research. As Jin said, they are very specialized eater so it WILL starve to death, removing them from the natural reefs can wreak havok on the natural environment, and if none of that bothers you, you should go find a puppy to kick instead. Just my honest opinion.
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so should it be treated like a mandarine ....or are they harded to keep then that ...im just asking not planning on getting one...will a fuge be any good for it
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This is the African cleaner wras. It will and DOES eat brine ,mysis and FLAKE food believe it or not. I feel that it is the only reason my new Achilles Tang is still with us.
2 days after coming home the tang had spotted up. the next morning he was clean as a whistle. The wras feeds on everything I put in the tank and still cleans the fish nicely. I know there are many species of wrasses that are sold as cleaners and most will not eat prepared foods but an African cleaner does fine. This is mine and many other locals experience with this fish.
Results not typical. Diet and exercise are required. results may vary......
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thats a pretty little wrasse
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Most neon gobys are sold as cleaner wrasses. They are very small and these are the ones that usually don't make it. The Africans are larger, about as big as your index finger.
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Sorry, I do not think that I am exaggerating here Charles. This is one fish that I believe should be left to the ocean. Take my opinion for what it is worth. Even if you can get it to eat prepared foods, it is still a fish that removing from the reefs could have a very deep impact to the balance of the reef. EVEN IF YOU CAN KEEP IT ALIVE IN YOUR TANK, IT IS BETTER LEFT IN THE REEFS!!! If you remove 10 of these from the reef, you have created an area the size of 100 square yards that is left without a vital part of its natural control against parasites. Those 10 fish that you take could cause the death of 100 other fish. Tell me another fish that this can be said for?!? [/soapbox]
Ok now that that is out of the way... Anyone wanting one of these, I just have one quastion for you, Why?!? Is it because you want a easy way to rid yourself of parasites? Is it because you do not want to take the steps in the future so you do not get parasites?!? Is it because you think they are pretty?!? I will bet you $100 bucks 99% of the people will answer either option #1 or #2 and in that case I just shake my head. Maybe I have been hanging around Panda a bit too much and his kill joy is rubbing off on me... But you asked what I thought about it, and I will be honest. I do not like ANY fishes life wasted but even more so when it has such big impact on the natural reefs!
Ok now that that is out of the way... Anyone wanting one of these, I just have one quastion for you, Why?!? Is it because you want a easy way to rid yourself of parasites? Is it because you do not want to take the steps in the future so you do not get parasites?!? Is it because you think they are pretty?!? I will bet you $100 bucks 99% of the people will answer either option #1 or #2 and in that case I just shake my head. Maybe I have been hanging around Panda a bit too much and his kill joy is rubbing off on me... But you asked what I thought about it, and I will be honest. I do not like ANY fishes life wasted but even more so when it has such big impact on the natural reefs!
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99% OF THE FISH IN OUR TANKS ARE FROM THE REEF!!!!! Give me a break people. I will go a step further...... 50 % ,if not more, of the people buying marine animals have no clue how to keep them. Guess how many of these animals die because of this. Does that mean we need not bring them in from the ocean. Where would our pretty little fish tanks be then? If I come off a little rough around the edges here believe me.....I have edited this several times because I'm sure it would have deleted in it's first draft!
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If I have to spend 15 bucks on a fish to help insure the life of a 110dollar fish then guess what.....15 bucks well spent! Yes, I bought the wras to clean the tangs. You may say, "many keep Achilles, Powder Blue,Browns w/o problems" this is true but many are in fish only tanks loaded with copper. Mine is a reef tank and as such, these pest are kept to a minimum the natural way......witha cleaner wras. Did I just Buy one out of the blue...No . I made sure it was eating several foods at the store before buying it. Do I sound a little "accused" here? You D#%n straight. I don't claim to be an expert on reefs by any stretch of the imagination but I think my results speak for themselves....And I feel that I am "A responsible reef keeper"
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Good question. That would seem to make all happy. It does seem a shame more of these marine fish won't breed in captivity. Sorry to all about my rants earlier today. I think we are removing far more fish from the ocean and selling them to the un-initiated. It all comes back to "They have to learn somehow" All I know is that after a long, hard day, it sure is nice to open a good, cold beer and watch my fish feed on whatever is on the menu today. Many a long work hour is scrubbed off after just a beer or two in front of my reef tank. I do feel fortunate to have that opportunity!!
