CLEANER WRASSE

[jreef1]

Quote from Saltwaterfish.com:

"CLEANER WRASSE... makes a fine addition to either the fish-only or the reef tank. It is a happy fish that likes to constantly swim around the tank looking for things to eat...It loves to eat and if it can't find parasites on other fish to feed on, it will accept most other foods...This fish is so inexpensive and its work is priceless from a hobbyist's perspective, it should definitely be acquired."

How about "it will starve and die in three days and it's loss on the reef will kill countless others who go without its cleaning servises because the population has dwindled"?

 

[danmhippo]

Sound more like a typical LFS to me!

 

[chris s1]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

How about "it will starve and die in three days and it's loss on the reef will kill countless others who go without its cleaning servises because the population has dwindled"?

what about cleaner shrimp then? why limit it just to the cleaning wrasses? what makes one ok to take and another not ok? is there any documented proof that the cleaner wrasse population has suffered directly from ornamental collecting? i would like to see the proof, not just opinions.

 

[jwtrojan44]

I believe the statement made was that other reef species suffer without the parasite control offered by the cleaner wrasse. I can't quote the source but I recall reading where studies either have been done or are being done to measure the impact on reef fishes as a result of the depletion of the cleaner wrasse. With regards to the use of cleaner shrimp or other cleaner species like gobies, the mortality rates of these species in captivity is so much lower in comparison to the wrasse. Neon gobies, which in my opinion do just as good a job as wrasses, are being captive bred. Like any hard to keep species, there are exceptions to the rule, but I believe that something like 9 out of 10 cleaner wrasses don't even make it to the lfs. This is a species that mirrors the mandarin dragonette with regards to it's appeal to hobbiests but it's dubious survival record. I just read the SWF.com description of the wrasse on their store fish list and it did'nt say any of what jreef quoted, so I'm not sure about the source. I'd be curious to see the results of a poll of 100 or more people who have actually had these fish in their tanks and what their experiences were. I had one for 6 mos that ate everything and thrived. I traded it in when I got into some aggressive fish. I wouldn't buy another knowing what I know now, however. My .02

 

[NasotheHutt]

FWIW, my 1st and only cleaner wrasse has been in my tank for just over a year. It naws on birne, mysis, flakes, and even nori. I know that's the exception, but it's not an impossible fish to keep. IMO

Scott

 

[aldo]

I think the key is to make sure that the fish is eating prepared food before purchasing. I made sure my wrasse was taking frozen brine at the LFS before purchasing.

 

[monkeyboy]

I definitely second MickAv8r.

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by MickAv8r:
<strong>A pair of wrasses set up a cleaning station and they service all the fish in IIRC 1 square kilometer. Removing them causes massive parasite outbreaks in the fish populations</strong><hr></blockquote>

After knowing how much damage removing these fish does, how could you ever think of purchasing one??? Come on guys,NEON GOBIES will do the exact same thing, are really cheap, and you can easily get them farm bred, heck you can even cycle your tank with them!

 

[NasotheHutt]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

After knowing how much damage removing these fish does, how could you ever think of purchasing one??? Come on guys,NEON GOBIES will do the exact same thing, are really cheap, and you can easily get them farm bred, heck you can even cycle your tank with them!

Same thing??? Wouldn't the importation do the same thing too???

Scott

 

[Anonymous]

Most neons are captive bred and thus wouldn't cause the same problem. Also Neons aren't obligate cleaners. Obligate cleaners that get 100% of their nutrition from parasites obviously have a greater impact than non-obligate cleaners who don't set up massive cleaning concerns.

 

[monkeyboy]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by NasotheHutt:
<strong>

Same thing??? Wouldn't the importation do the same thing too???

Scott</strong><hr></blockquote>

Exactly what MickAv8r said, and a positive husbandry note. Neon gobies will eat anything the overwhelming majority of the time, most cleaner wrasses do not take prepared foods in captivity with some exceptions. You can even breed neon gobies in captivity!

I'd like to see the density of neon gobies per sq. km, I bet that they'd be much higher than that pair of cleaner wrasses, but that's purely speculation.

[ January 11, 2002: Message edited by: monkeyboy ]</p>

 

[Anonymous]

Whether or not it eats isn't the question folks. Thats only a small MINOR part of the problem!

Removing these fish from the reef causes extensive harm to the reef. A pair of wrasses set up a cleaning station and they service all the fish in IIRC 1 square kilometer. Removing them causes massive parasite outbreaks in the fish populations.

Unless these animals are captive bred they MUST be left in the ocean, removing them does too much harm to the wild populations regardless whether or not they are eating in the damn store.