Very pleased with my new Cleaner Wrasse!

[KyleO]

I have a show Refugium connected to my (210) display through the Sump with filter socks, protein skimmer and Ozone reactor so I thought I could use this as a QT tank also........Wrong!

I bought a yellow-eyed Kole tang that was just beautiful, but it was a brand new arrival at my LFS. Saw him eating and acting pretty good so I chanced it. Took him home and put him in the show fuge (30ga cube). Within a day I saw parasites breaking out on him but figured it was from the stress of capture and transport.

A few days later he was worse and I started seeing signs on the Tangs in my display. Two days later the Kole kicked it and all my display Tangs are covered! Sweet! (Not!)

Within a day after that, my new PH probe on my new AC Jr. malfunctions and my display is overdosed with ALK and I wake up to a "White Christmas" in my display. Can't imagine how high the PH went but it dropped down to around 7.9 after the snow storm.

Two days later the "storm" has passed and things are returning to normal but my Powder Brown and my Blue Tang are getting much worse. I thought the Blue was a goner for sure and my beloved Powder Brown was on the ropes.

Took a chance and picked up a cleaner wrasse to see what he would do. Within a day he had the Sohal and Blue Tang worked over and I see no signs of parasites, and the Powder Brown is looking much better although he has a hard time with the cleaner "nipping" at him.

Moral of the story: "QT" tank means "separated" , and a cleaner wrasse is a wonder with a parasite outbreak. Couldn't be more pleased with that little guy's performance!!!

Just had to share........

[wickedfood]

Just don't tell Bob Fenner about your latest addition. Hehe.

[KyleO]

I hate to ask........but who is Bob Fenner?

[killagoby]

Nice job with the Wrasse. Once the parasites are all gone it might go too...

[KyleO]

Originally posted by killagoby
Nice job with the Wrasse. Once the parasites are all gone it might go too...

Yeah, I hope he makes it. I have got a decent population of fish along with a decent population of pods so I am pulling for him!

[USC-fan]

Originally posted by KyleO
I hate to ask........but who is Bob Fenner?

He write for wetwebmedia and as a couple books.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminS...ex/bobfbio.htm

Hate to say it but buying this fish was a really bad move....

Here some reading on this fish:
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/mari...heAquarium.htm

[Macimage]

Neon cleaner gobies or cleaner shrimp would be better choices for next time.

Joyce

[KyleO]

Originally posted by Macimage
Neon cleaner gobies or cleaner shrimp would be better choices for next time.

Joyce

I have 2 cleaner shrimp in my tank that don't clean..............was not aware that there was such a thing as a neon cleaner goby.

Bad move or no, it worked!

[USC-fan]

Originally posted by KyleO
I have 2 cleaner shrimp in my tank that don't clean..............was not aware that there was such a thing as a neon cleaner goby.

Bad move or no, it worked!

here a guy that has luck with keeping them.
http://www.angelfire.com/ab/rayjay/cleaner.html

[KyleO]

I thaw out a bunch of different frozen foods (mysis, brine shrimp, clams, squid, cyclopeeze, seaweed, etc.) and then mix it up with some formula flakes, reef chili and a few other things and feed my tank the concoction to try to avoid target feeding.

I just got through feeding my tank and my new little cleaner wrasse is eating frozen food.........no mistake.

Since they mostly die of starvation........maybe I got a good one (or possibly feeding my tank the right way) and he will be around for a long time to come.

[killagoby]

The guy at my LFS calls them "disposible fish". Hey, if it did the trick to clean up your other fish, it was worth it.

[KyleO]

Originally posted by killagoby
The guy at my LFS calls them "disposible fish". Hey, if it did the trick to clean up your other fish, it was worth it.

Especially since I got him for free............the LFS was having a buy 2, get 1 free. I actually went in the store looking for the cleaner wrasse, but then found a firefish and a cardinal for my Nano that made this little guy free.

Even though he was free I am going to do my best to keep him around since they are very beneficial to your fish population.

We will see.............

[McTeague]

Originally posted by killagoby
The guy at my LFS calls them "disposible fish". Hey, if it did the trick to clean up your other fish, it was worth it.

Are you serious?

[snorvich]

I am not sure the cleaner wrasse would appreciate that concept.

[Aquabucket]

I have found the "glass method" to work well with cleaner wrasses. They will go into the glass to feed on mysis, cyclopes and other foods.

[KyleO]

That is kind of like the "Mandarin Motel". Fortunately I don't have to do anything like that because both my Cleaner Wrasse and my Mandarin Goby like to eat!!!

[mfp1016]

The anti-cleaner wrasse camp is founded not on the survivability of the fish, but rather the effect that collection of this fish has. Unfortunately, there has not yet been a ban on the collection of these fish, but it has been proven a number of times that taking these fish causes adverse effects on the ecosystems that the fish are taken from.

[KyleO]

Makes sense...........

[jennmac415]

A friend of mine got one and she says it eats blood worms like there is no tomorrow...