Cleaner Wrasse food?

[TomToro]

I have a new cleaner wrasse and I'm wondering if anybody's had luck feeding this fish with certain foods I can try.

I have him in with a lot of large tangs and he's cleaning them regularly, but I would like to suppliment his parasite/dead skin diet to keep him healthy.

Thanks for any help besides, 'you shouldn't have bought him'.

Tom

 

[SDguy]

Very small meaty foods, like minced shrimp or scallop from the grocery store work well to start. Mine eats everything, including flake and pellet.

 

[snorvich]

Mine eats as Peter's but mine is of African origin which seems to make them much heartier.

 

[TomToro]

Thanks for the help, Folks. Good to know some have had luck. I'll try some very small frozen like cyclopeze and rotifers.

Very small meaty foods, like minced shrimp or scallop from the grocery store work well to start. Mine eats everything, including flake and pellet.

Mine eats as Peter's but mine is of African origin which seems to make them much heartier.

 

[NyReefNoob]

mine ate anything frozen i put into the tank, but also had a taste for my nasserith sp ? snails when they popped up for food he would pick at them

 

[snorvich]

mine ate anything frozen i put into the tank, but also had a taste for my nasserith sp ? snails when they popped up for food he would pick at them

Wow. I have both in two tanks and never noticed that. Was it actually doing damage?

 

[GoingPostal]

Mine took brine shrimp and then to mysis, also liked dried algae sheets oddly.

 

[NyReefNoob]

yeah it was trying to eat the eye's off them, funny part is it ate very well, was a fat little booger, he would race and get as much food as he could then the snails would pop out smelling food and he would attack them, so guess who isnt in the tank anymore. might have a pic of him doing it somewhere

 

[S13<3]

mine eats flake food and live brine no problems, hes nice and fat

 

[RealReef7]

do you guys still think cleaner wrasses are in the "hard to keep" category?

 

[SDguy]

do you guys still think cleaner wrasses are in the "hard to keep" category?

As Steve pointed out, mine too was listed as "African". I have a hard time believing *just* location makes such a big difference, so I'm still on the fence about it.

 

[NyReefNoob]

yes i still believe they are hard, for me not as hard as a copperband butterfly, as i have had those eat good then die a month later. as with these once you can get them to eat they are very hardy, it's getting them to eat though, and food initially needs to be on the smaller size because of their mouth size, once use to it they will nab bigger piece's

 

[prop-frags]

Ours is "African" as well and will eat anything it can fit into it's mouth which includes a variety of Hikari frozen foods, Cyclop-eeze, small pellets, flakes and algae sheets. We watched him pluck snail eggs off the glass this morning.

 

[LargeAngels]

"African" may well have to do with collection and handling. I have two that eat Hikari mysis like crazy and they were transhipped from Philipines from a source the LFS gets very nice and healthy fish. Ate within hours of being placed in the aquarium and have been doing great and always have nice round bellies and eager to eat at feeding time.

 

[ghstrider]

Guys when you get one buy some frozen cyclopeeze. They tend to go crazy with it and develop a taste for other things in the tank (also teaches them to eat from the water column).

I got mine and he didnt eat prepared foods and eventually perished. I tried again and someone told me to use cyclopeeze and worked like a charm!! Now he eats everything from roggers food to algae strips or spirulina flakes.

If you are gonna buy one have the (frozen type) cyclopeeze ready!

 

[snorvich]

As Steve pointed out, mine too was listed as "African". I have a hard time believing *just* location makes such a big difference, so I'm still on the fence about it.

Well, out of three African cleaners, all are still thriving (years). Two are mine, one is a friends. While that is not definitive, it is at least strong anecdotal evidence. :idea:

 

[Shells4]

We got ours from the LFS and have no idea where it is from. Is there anyway to tell?
Ours eats everything, one of the best eaters in the tank. It particularly likes meaty food but even picks at the nori strips occassionally. We have had it about 6 months now, so far, so good.

 

[SDguy]

Well, out of three African cleaners, all are still thriving (years). Two are mine, one is a friends. While that is not definitive, it is at least strong anecdotal evidence. :idea:

My comment was more of a reference to what LargeAngels brought up

 

[snorvich]

My comment was more of a reference to what LargeAngels brought up

I know. Just clarifying my experience.

 

[LargeAngels]

Just clarifying my experience.

That is great that your two are still doing really well. Does yours seem to be a pair? Mine definitely have a size difference and the smallest will come up and flare/chase the larger and when it goes through this process there is definite color changes on the head. Instead of being mostly blue it changes to tan/brown and then when they are done the color goes back. I'm assuming the smaller is now the male and the larger the female.