Do Six-Line Wrasses clean parasites from other fish?

[Nasty Wendy]

I went to pick up a cleaner wrasse to help with ich control on my Powder Blue Tang and I was told by the shop owner that Six-Line Wrasses will also clean parasites like cleaner wrasses do. Has anyone experienced this? It really appeals to me to have long lived fish providing parasite control vs. cleaner wrasses that will die when the ick bloom passes. Thanks in advance for all the helpful info.

 

[theatrus]

In my experience, no, they will not. A cleaner wrasse is also not a good ick control mechanism in an aquarium. QT of all fish + treatment is the recommended method.

 

[Teremei]

I wouldn't get a sixline and expect cleaning, nor would I get a wrasse because they SURVIVE on parasites. You would not beable to feed him.

If you want something for general ick and parasite control, get a couple cleaner shrimp. It's their job, and they actually scavange.

 

[mystic7]

My cleaner wrasse has been thriving in my tank for over 8 months now. He eats brine and mysis shrimp as well as parasites. The only time he has parasites to eat is when I put in a new fish from the LFS. He goes to it immediately and starts cleaning off whatever parasites may be on it.

They don't necessarily die after they clean up the tank. And he's an integral part of my tank. I can throw any new fish in there and not worry about parasite outbreaks.

 

[Steven Pro]

Cleaner wrasses (and cleaner gobies for that matter) have been shown to feed almost exclusively on gnathid isopods. In fact, approximately 3/4 of their diet is these isopods with the other 1/4 being scales and mucus that come off with the parasitic isopods. By the way, gnathid isopods are extremely rare in captive marine fish.

As to your sixline wrasse acting as a cleaner, there are a lot of fish that will perform some cleaning duties from time to time. I don't know about sixline wrasses, but it would not necessarily surprise me either.

 

[mikeandjenn99]

From my experience, no. My other fish (at the time) however, thought he would - so they would present themselves to the 6 line. He would then proceed to ignore them. I would also suggest going with cleaner shrimps or gobies. Just don't get a blood red fire shrimp to be your cleaner, because mine refuses to clean anyone except my hand on occaision.

 

[sea student]

I third the cleaner shrimp http://marinedepotlive.com/cleaner-shrimp---lysmata-amboinensis-inverts--shrimp.html

 

[mystic7]

Well then, I must have a freak of nature because my cleaner wrasse eats everything, even Nori!

 

[Nasty Wendy]

Thanks for the input. I currently have 1 cleaner shrimp. I am planning on adding a Harlequin Tusk so I was trying to avoid adding cleaner shrimp. I had a Harlequin Tusk that didn't bother cleaner shrimp but Hurricane Katrina claimed him. Thanks for the heads up on the cleaner gobies as well. I was looking to add some of them but not if they will perish. I may have to roll the dice and see if I can luck out and get another cleaner shrimp friendly Harlequin Tusk. Thanks again.

 

[tanker]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8560166#post8560166 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mystic7
Well then, I must have a freak of nature because my cleaner wrasse eats everything, even Nori!

WOW!! :eek1:

I have never heard of one that eats anything. That us GREAT if you do.

But back to the original post-- Get a cleaner shrimp or 2. But DO NOT expect it to keep fish free from ick. Prevention is best.

 

[Steven Pro]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8557592#post8557592 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steven Pro
Cleaner wrasses (and cleaner gobies for that matter) have been shown to feed almost exclusively on gnathid isopods. In fact, approximately 3/4 of their diet is these isopods with the other 1/4 being scales and mucus that come off with the parasitic isopods. By the way, gnathid isopods are extremely rare in captive marine fish.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8560475#post8560475 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nasty Wendy
Thanks for the heads up on the cleaner gobies as well. I was looking to add some of them but not if they will perish. I may have to roll the dice and see if I can luck out and get another cleaner shrimp friendly Harlequin Tusk. Thanks again.

I pointed this out to dissuade people from buying cleaners for parasite control. They are unlikely to help control the parasites we commonly see. But, cleaner gobies do adapt and eat a wide variety of prepared foods. Even better, many cleaner goby species are captive raised making them excellent candidates for captivity.

 

[Amphiprion]

I have observed this species to act as a 'cleaner' on at least several occasions. I would hardly consider it as active a behavior as in common cleaner species, though. IME, it is a quick behavior, not repeated terribly often. I feel it is of more benefit to the wrasse, which eats something that piques its interest (commensal organisms, scales, mucus), than to the other fish.

 

[SeaCubed]

Wanted to bring this back to life as I am sitting here watching my 6 line eat ich off my tangs. First time I've had a significant ich outbreak and it's really not bad. The 6 line is new and very young. Never though they cleaned fish but I'm watching it. Tangs go right up to him and sit there as he picks away. Very cool.

 

[e048]

Nothing eats ich... Cleaner wrasses and shrimp are good at getting the external parasites (isopods,flukes,etc) not ich if it got the ich it would need to remove your fishs' skin along with it since ich lives under the fish's skin and scales so no don't get something for ich only cure for ich is clout,copper,hypo, and tank transfer

As far as a 6line cleaning other fish yes they can and will if a visible parasite is on the fish

When I added my kole tang my 6line thought his scalpel was a something worth cleaning and pecked at it for a few days.

My yellow coris and fairy wrasses "clean" my yellow tang from time to time along with my shrimp they love to clean new arrivals even if it's my hand or the fish tongs they climb all over it

Stick to shrimp if you want to watch the cleaning of other fish

 

[e048]

Wanted to bring this back to life as I am sitting here watching my 6 line eat ich off my tangs. First time I've had a significant ich outbreak and it's really not bad. The 6 line is new and very young. Never though they cleaned fish but I'm watching it. Tangs go right up to him and sit there as he picks away. Very cool.

If anything the wrasse is going to bother and irritate the crap out of your tang and possibly infect the fish and spread ich to other fish in your tank

Again nothing eats ich off your fish once it's on your fish it's not on its under your fish's skin

 

[e048]

Here's an article:

https://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/the-marine-ich-epidemic/

Quote:
Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides Dimdiatus) and Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata Amboinensis) eat Ich- WRONG. Wrasses and shrimp eat necrotic tissue, damage scales, and scabs. It has been well documented that the symbiotic “cleaning stations” in the reefs by wrasses and shrimps are there to help heal wounds from carnivore attacks, territorial fights, and other skin/scale injuries. It is possible that these cleaners might knock the parasite off the fish while doing this, but do nothing to control the reproduction and life cycle of Ich in your aquarium.

 

[shifty51008]

Wanted to bring this back to life as I am sitting here watching my 6 line eat ich off my tangs. First time I've had a significant ich outbreak and it's really not bad. The 6 line is new and very young. Never though they cleaned fish but I'm watching it. Tangs go right up to him and sit there as he picks away. Very cool.

I would strongly suggest setting up a hospital tank and treating the ich and leave the main tank fishless fir 72 days. Sence ich cant be seen with the naked eye you cant tell the 6 line is even touching the ich, most likely it is cleaning the scabs that are left behind from the ich, those are the spots you see on the fish not ich.