Cleaner Wrasse

[NeilFox]

OK, so I know that cleaner wrasse aren't good fish additions. My wife bought one before the tank was cycled and he dissapeared for about a 2 weeks. I just thought he died and I couldn't find him. His name is Methussela BTW. At any rate I was doing the night time flashlight thing and I saw a silver blue and black thing sticking out of a hole in a rock. At first I wasn't sure what it was but it turns out it was the cleaners tail. It had also formed a cocoon around itself similar to a parrot fish. He stayed there for two days. I though about removing him but left him alone. For the second time I thought he was dead. Now he has just made his arrival and looks even fatter than before?

What is this behaviour all about. I have a pic of him hibernating I will post a bit later. Thanks in advance.

Regards

Neil

 

[jvdub20]

Some species of wrasses make a mucus cocoon when they are sleeping/hiding. You usually want to just leave it alone, so you don't cause unnecessary stress to him.

 

[NeilFox]

Thanks! I just left him alone and he came out looking brighter and healthier than ever. I had seen an old cocoon before but wasn't sure what it was. Most likely him...

 

[triggreef]

they can do great if you find a good one that will take different foods. I have one that eats everything and I had him about 7 months now maybe longer. One of my favorite fish. Mine survive a bout of ich, followed by tank transfer and a quarantine with all my others (prazi, then cupramine) and then got attacked by a puffer that got annoyed with him. Had a big gash from that and healed right up. Now he's back in my reef with only a couple tangs and a melanuris wrasse. He's the first one up and last one down everyday and probably the most social fish I have cleaning my hands everytime I'm in the tank.

I think the key is that they need to eat at least 3-4 times a day. I pretty much feed everytime I walk by the tank.

On a side note... I find it interesting how many people bash guys and are so against keeping these fish. But everyone wants a leopard wrasse. Where your generally killing an average of 4 of them to get one that survives. So far I've tried 4 leopards with no luck (Mostly DOA or shortly after), and have a group of 5 coming today.

Sorry to thread jack