anybody keeping cleaner wrasse?

[mhermie]

Hi,

bought 2 cleaner wrasse for my tank. initially, was ok, cleaning up my other fishes bodies of parasites but then gone missing. saw them hide in those crevices in the liverocks. any way to get them out? or those water conditions play a part?

[FuEl]

They are famous for hiding in your liverock and dying in it....be prepared.

[siglap]

how long are they in there

[tfrancis]

My is still alife and has grown fat. It has been eating brine shrimp.

Has been with me for at least 1 month now.

[Achilles Tang]

We don't usually recommend hobbyists (esp. newbies) buying doctor fishes because they are not a hardy fish and usually die in captivity due to poor acclimatization and lack of food after the parasites have been removed from the tank.

Their removal from the seas also has a negative effect on the reefs.

Alternatives to consider are expensive and rarely imported Carribean neon gobies and inexpensive cleaner/skunk shrimps.

I myself have refrained from purchasing a cleaner wrasse (doctor fish) for more than 2 years and a half... until I hunted down a particular specimen that was kept for a few weeks and confirmed greedily eating prepared meaty foods! This is indeed rare and therefore a very good acquisition IMO.

Most cleaner wrasses die within days from collection stress/poor acclimatization. And those that last for more than a couple of weeks... will die from cyanide poisoning or starvation.

Do NOT listen to LFS advice that every marine tank needs a cleaner wrasse to clear the tank of ich. Ich can be fought and dealt with in many ways... and the doctorfishes are NOT the answer.