nuxx
.Registered Member
Ok so this one is a mystery to me...
I've now tried and failed three times to keep a Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides phthirophagus).
Attempt one (~ 2 years ago):
Kevin at Pacific Island Aquatics sent me one when I ordered a Black and Chevron Tang from him. I had mentioned I ordered a Common Cleaner from NYA and it came DOA. Was very nice of Kevin to send it when I hadn't asked for it.
I kept it in a 20 gallon long QT with the Chevron which had a big bite in it, which Kevin was very apologetic about and gave me an indefinite guarantee on. Anyway, out of nowhere after about two weeks I witnessed the Cleaner dart around the tank and hit some rock, and that was that.
Attempt two (~ 2 weeks ago):
Ross at Picturesque Aquatics sent me a small Hawaiian Cleaner. I kept him in a 20 gallon long QT with a large CBB and small Crescent Tail Fairy Wrasse.
He ate from day one, but bothered the CBB a lot. A day after the Crescent Tail Fairy Wrasse started coming out more, I found the Hawaiian Cleaner dead with red marks on his body and most of his tail gone. Guessing it was the Crescent Tail.
Attempt three (~ a week ago):
Jordan at Among The Reef sent me a large Hawaiian Cleaner with my Bandit Angel. Having known how the Cleaner was a pest to the CBB, it went into it's own 10 gallon QT. The fish was around 2".
The tank was kept at 76-77, with a HOB filter filled with seeded Marine Pure Spheres, seeded filter pad, powerhead pointing at the surface and lots of PVC. 0 ammonia and the tank was treated with Stability each day.
From day one this guy also ate everything offered. Mixture of frozen, eggs, nori, etc...
Today I noticed he wasn't out around noon, so I moved some PVC and he popped out. Around 2 hours later when feeding he wasn't out. I found him having a hard time keeping upright on the bottom of the tank, breathing hard. I checked again a few minutes ago and I thought he was dead. I got a net and when the net touched him he moved a bit.
I'm just not getting it with these guys... I always thought they were hard to keep due to not eating. This doesn't seem to be the case. This most recent one was a pig.
Is there something mental or stress related that kills these guys in small spaces?
We've had a Common Cleaner for nearly two years in the display... zero issues.
Does anyone have any idea about what is happening with these guys?
Maybe if they're in a huge QT with a few large fish they'll make it?
Maybe they need to eat many times a day when by themselves?
I know all the "They should stay in the ocean" opinions with this fish, but those are mostly related to their lack of eating. Looking for more of an answer / theory here.
Naturally I'm done trying...
I've now tried and failed three times to keep a Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides phthirophagus).
Attempt one (~ 2 years ago):
Kevin at Pacific Island Aquatics sent me one when I ordered a Black and Chevron Tang from him. I had mentioned I ordered a Common Cleaner from NYA and it came DOA. Was very nice of Kevin to send it when I hadn't asked for it.
I kept it in a 20 gallon long QT with the Chevron which had a big bite in it, which Kevin was very apologetic about and gave me an indefinite guarantee on. Anyway, out of nowhere after about two weeks I witnessed the Cleaner dart around the tank and hit some rock, and that was that.
Attempt two (~ 2 weeks ago):
Ross at Picturesque Aquatics sent me a small Hawaiian Cleaner. I kept him in a 20 gallon long QT with a large CBB and small Crescent Tail Fairy Wrasse.
He ate from day one, but bothered the CBB a lot. A day after the Crescent Tail Fairy Wrasse started coming out more, I found the Hawaiian Cleaner dead with red marks on his body and most of his tail gone. Guessing it was the Crescent Tail.
Attempt three (~ a week ago):
Jordan at Among The Reef sent me a large Hawaiian Cleaner with my Bandit Angel. Having known how the Cleaner was a pest to the CBB, it went into it's own 10 gallon QT. The fish was around 2".
The tank was kept at 76-77, with a HOB filter filled with seeded Marine Pure Spheres, seeded filter pad, powerhead pointing at the surface and lots of PVC. 0 ammonia and the tank was treated with Stability each day.
From day one this guy also ate everything offered. Mixture of frozen, eggs, nori, etc...
Today I noticed he wasn't out around noon, so I moved some PVC and he popped out. Around 2 hours later when feeding he wasn't out. I found him having a hard time keeping upright on the bottom of the tank, breathing hard. I checked again a few minutes ago and I thought he was dead. I got a net and when the net touched him he moved a bit.
I'm just not getting it with these guys... I always thought they were hard to keep due to not eating. This doesn't seem to be the case. This most recent one was a pig.
Is there something mental or stress related that kills these guys in small spaces?
We've had a Common Cleaner for nearly two years in the display... zero issues.
Does anyone have any idea about what is happening with these guys?
Maybe if they're in a huge QT with a few large fish they'll make it?
Maybe they need to eat many times a day when by themselves?
I know all the "They should stay in the ocean" opinions with this fish, but those are mostly related to their lack of eating. Looking for more of an answer / theory here.
Naturally I'm done trying...
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