Cleaner Wrasse.... that eats flake?

[QUASIMOTO]

My LFS has a cleaner that ate flakes and he was trying to sell him for 20 bucks.

Now im no scientist but what I have read is that cleaners will still have a hard time with proper nutrition even if they accept prepared foods.

However, he/she sure was neat-o very colorfull and very active, picking at all the other fish.

My question is should I not support the capture of these animals, or could I get away with this rare fish that eats prepared foods?

 

[iamwrasseman]

they are very tough to keep fat and healthy but i do have two different cleaners that i have had for over a year and they are fat and very happy . some are just impossible as you very well know ,and they should be left on the reef IMO .

 

[LemonLemon]

What species is it?

If it's L. dimidiatus it's the easiest of all the cleaner wrasse to adapt to captive life. By easiest i still mean extremely difficult and most will die and is best left to the ocean, but comparatively speaking to the other members of it's genus, it is the "easiest"

if it's feeding very well and if you really want i guess you could get it... Liveaquaria also occasionally sells specimens that are eating prepared food.

i have one which is eating very well but you know... i still feel that they are best left in the ocean.

 

[ssavader]

Not having had one, I can't give you my experience. But this forum has gone the rounds on this fish and the consensus is that survival, even with those that are feeding, is limited. And, in a typical home reef aquarium, Cleaner wrasses that survive run a good chance of driving the other fish nuts with their perpetual attempts at cleaning and their nipping. Some members have had better luck/skill in keeping this species than most.

 

[snorvich]

Liveaquaria also occasionally sells specimens that are eating prepared food.

Yes, but those are African Cleaner wrasses and those, for whatever reason, seem to do well. I have one.

 

[LemonLemon]

Yes, but those are African Cleaner wrasses and those, for whatever reason, seem to do well. I have one.

really? i never took notice that they were african ones.

perhaps african ones do indeed do well.. for some reason?

 

[mgraf]

always makes me chuckle, people on here always say, "those are best left on the reef, trust me I have two of them!" I don't see how people can be expected to follow advise of others who don't follow the advice of others! Not meaning to dig at anyone, just reading through and had that thought.

 

[GoingPostal]

Mine ate prepared food and died within six months. Seemed great up until then. Although I didn't buy him, he was a near death freebie.

 

[LemonLemon]

mine was not bought.

it was given to me some time ago.

 

[sneeyatch]

Remember though, whatever fish you buy and place in quarantine, it may go through a hunger strike. I've seen fish eat perfectly fine at the LFS for whatever reason, then watch them die in QT due to not eating. I'm the guy that paints the bleak picture and tries to have people explore all options before purchasing fish.

It does sound like a good specimen - golden goose / grail type fish. A buddy of mine has one that eats prepared foods and picks at the other fish throughout the day. It's a fat and happy fish.

 

[snorvich]

really? i never took notice that they were african ones.

perhaps african ones do indeed do well.. for some reason?

I don't understand why. They also look slightly different.

 

[QUASIMOTO]

Thank you all very much.... After you thoughts and continued reading, I think im going to give this guy a shot. Also, after seeing some of the cliental my LFS guy sells to, I think I might just be doing this fish a favor-

Wish me and really the wrasse good luck-
QUASI

 

[LemonLemon]

I don't understand why. They also look slightly different.

that's interesting.

the only variation to L. dimidiatus i've seen is the one from Fiji, where it spots a bright yellow colouration midway down it's black stripe.

sounds interesting that the african ones do well. i've yet to see any come in via african shipments. i'll keep my eyes peeled next time.

QUASIMOTO good luck!

 

[snorvich]

that's interesting.

the only variation to L. dimidiatus i've seen is the one from Fiji, where it spots a bright yellow colouration midway down it's black stripe.

sounds interesting that the african ones do well. i've yet to see any come in via african shipments. i'll keep my eyes peeled next time.

QUASIMOTO good luck!

Worth a shot. Also, you may see Viviens Leopard wrasse occasionally from there; worth a shot as well.

 

[auem]

mine is from indian ocean(definitely) and somehow it survived...currently it's been one year two month and still going strong in my reef tank(or whatever..meh.)...i had two losses previously in my bigger FOWLER...both were eating like pig and then died suddenly after couple of months..
but cleaner was the first fish to go in my reef tank when i started(for 2 month it had the tank by himself..sorry to say that i put that simply for test purpose..i feel guilty now thinking about it:sad2...maybe that made the difference..

 

[LemonLemon]

vivien's leopard!? M. vivienae? i've never seen one alive before.

our africa shipments here are terrible and we hardly get anything good except for the occasional 50 pieces of juvenile 1 inch blue africanus angels.

 

[snorvich]

Shipments from Africa here are sporadic as well. But I keep hoping.

 

[andycrash77]

I saw one picking at the rocks at the LFS and did my homework. One person in Canada has done well using beef heart (mine was uninterested) another in California uses fresh shrimp eggs (sushi) to get them eating. Mine ate mysis and enriched brine from the getgo. He is not interested in flakes or pellets and does not pick at my rocks. I only have moderate stocking in my 150 and he is very fat and colored up with a nice purple hue on his back. I have had him 8 months.

The LFS has always had a fat one in their display 250 (heavy stocking). They said that the ones from their one supplier do well while other suppliers' do not (Sorry, I can't remember where, maybe it was Indian Ocean). One day they had a shipment of absolute GIANT Cleaners, but they told me that the small ones do much better. Mine was only about 1 1/2 inches when I bought him and is now over 2 inches. I also read on an Australian forum that the locals do really well with theirs.

Does any one else suspect that proper handling may be critical with this fish? I get sick when a fish of mine dies, but I am willing to try a difficult fish if someone will do a little groundwork.

Wait till you see what is being done in ten years (Sorry, positive thinker)

Good Luck,
andy

 

[Elysia]

I have successfully fed cleaner wrasses in a LFS with fish eggs, which sort of makes sense as wrasses are egg eaters. That would be the first place I would start if I had one that went off its "normal" prepared food.