Sick Cleaner Wrasse, Labroides -- 8/18/07 Dear Humble Sirs, <Hello, Brenda here!> I think I have a sick cleaner wrasse. I have had this fish for 1 month and he has been fed mixed food which consists of Cyclops yeast, clams, prawns and seaweed. He has been active all this while when recently I noticed that he has been sleeping for long periods of time. <I am not surprised. This species survives best on parasites from other fish. It needs to be kept with a large community of fish.> When I first got him, he sleeps only at night when the light is switched off. But now, he sleeps even in the day when the light is on and he doesn't come out from his hole when it is feeding time. (He sleeps in one of the holes of the live rock.) He used to be active but now he rarely swims around and seems in a daze when he swims. Could you help me please? <There is more information on this species located here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/labroide.htm and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/labroifdgfaqs.htm > Thank you in advance for your kind help and professional advice. Looking forward to receiving your reply. <You're Welcome! Brenda> Nadia Natasha Ida

Freshwater Dip on Cleaner Wrasse? 9/25/06 As I last reported, a heater gone awry caused the temp in my 75g reef to shoot up to 89F. As I feared, signs of Cryptocaryon appeared within a day or two afterward (probably more from the trip back down than the trip up?). <Either is stressful.> I've now done freshwater dips (which I first read about on WWM a couple of years back) on the 3 tangs and the maroon clown, and all are now in the quarantine tank in Cu solution for the next 2 weeks, to be followed by another 4 weeks in the QT w/o the copper, to allow the main tank to fallow out. <Too many big fish in this tank, part of your problem.> I've had to do this before, (2 of these fish have actually gone through it themselves previously) and know that this course of action generally works. <Yep> Just a pain in the neck. <Yep>(Incidentally, I found over a year ago, after having had a number of fish go into terrible spasms following the dip, that the fish seem to have much less stress from the FW dips (I do 2-5 min, depending on the fish, with 1 drop of Formalin per 10 oz of water added for good measure, with of course the pH and temp of the FW being the same as the SW, and having first aerated the FW for a good while), if upon removal from the FW, I first put them into a low salinity solution (1/2 tank water/ 1/2 FW) for 5 minutes, before returning them to "straight" salt water. They just always seemed to get stressed out more from the return to the salt water than they did from going into the FW. Anyway, since I've been doing it that way, I've never lost a fish, and indeed they usually seem to come out of it fairly calmly afterward, even sometimes begging for food an hour or two after the dip. Sorry. Rambling. My question is, I have a cleaner wrasse, which I've had for over a year. He has something of an identity crisis, in that he's always been much more interested in eating anything and everything rather than parasites. <Fortunate, 90% die within a year from starvation.> He gobbles up whatever I put into the tank, be it flake food, pellets, frozen, or even green algae sheets! (He is, indeed, an actual cleaner wrasse, and has been picking a bit at the ich on 2 of the tangs over the past few days, although he's always refused to service the hippo tang). <Ich is not a natural food for these animals.> At any rate, he's not very effective at his job. <Would be if fish suffered from Isopods, their normal prey.> So now I'm wondering: if I remove him as well, to insure a genuine fallow period, can a cleaner wrasse withstand a freshwater dip?? <Probably, but freshwater dips are not very effective against Ich, so I would probably skip it.>  I've read that some fish, (Mandarins?), can't tolerate the dip. <Most do fine, but there are some exceptions.> Or should I maybe just leave him to remain in the main tank for the 6 week fallow? <Then the tank would not be fallow, self-defeating.> I'm certainly not worrying about him dying of starvation. Once all the fish are out and in quarantine, I plan to follow your  advice and start to work on designing some kind of refugium, as the brown slime AKA snot algae continues to grow (overnight!) like crazy, no matter what I do. <Will help.> Thanks much for your help! RickG <Chris>

Re: cleaner wrasse I have purchased my second cleaner wrasse after my first one died. My PH was low maybe that was the cause? now this was is swimming upside down and jerking itself around. Last night it was swimming up to the top of the tank to get air. Am I doing something wrong? I checked my levels with my salt water test kit last night and all were normal. <Please see here re Labroides Wrasses: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/labroide.htm and the FAQs beyond. These wrasses don't generally live long in captivity. Read on other, more aquarium-hardy cleaner species on WetWebMedia.com like Gobiosoma gobies, Lysmata shrimps... Bob Fenner>

Treating A Cleaner Wrasse Dear Crew members, <Scott F. here today!> I have a common cleaner wrasse, which has lived for more than 6 months in my tank. It adapts well in the environment & I must confess that it seldom does any cleaning on other fish. Taking in dried flakes (small pieces ..), minute chopped shrimp meats & some Nori ..etc, it eats anything & is extremely active. <Glad to hear that...We really discourage keeping cleaner wrasses for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that they generally fail to adapt to captive fare...Sounds like yours has beaten the odds in the short run!> The main tank is going through a "fallow" now because of a marine velvet outbreak. All fish are taken out & housed in various quarantine tanks, including the small cleaner wrasse. It stays with my majestic angel. I am also treating Copper on all quarantine tanks which house fish, except this tank which houses the Cleaner & the Majestic. Its because I am not sure if the cleaner wrasse can tolerate Cu treatment or not? I intend to use 2/3 dosage anyway as I have to consider the angel too. Please advise me if Cleaner Wrasse can tolerate Copper treatment well? <I'd avoid copper with this fish. If the fish is, indeed sick, a Formalin-based remedy is a safer bet, IMO. Even then, I urge you to be careful...If the fish is not displaying signs of the illness, I would not use medication at this point. Just observe carefully.> By the way: what is IMO, which is frequently quoted by you people? <"In My Opinion"...FYI: "For Your Information", HTH: "Hope This Helps"...There are many others, of course- but these are common ones you see here!> I have to confess, too, that I bought this wrasse before reading your article on the poor survival record of this type of fish. More so that I intend to provide good for this small fellow as it is so valuable & I like to see it live for long. Your help is much appreciated. Best regards. <If this fish has to be in captivity, I'm glad that it has a dedicated owner like yourself! Good luck! Regards, Scott F> Re: Sick Red Sea Sailfin Mr. Fenner, I do not have any cleaner organisms & was wondering if it would be smart or stupid to add 2 cleaner wrasses to the main tank without quarantining them- <No to the cleaner wrasses> Are cleaner wrasses immune to crypto? <Definitely not immune> I saw a few @ the LFS & they were actually being "pests" to the fishes in the tank. Would a cleaner shrimp be a better choice? <Ah yes. Some choices there... and: http://wetwebmedia.com/clnrfaqs.htm Bob Fenner> Thanx & thanks again Craig

Cleaner Wrasse/Ick Hi, Can cleaner wrasse get, carry and/or transmit ick ? <My opinion and experience point that all fish carry Cryptocaryon and Oodinium at all times and something triggers the parasites to multiply out of control and endanger the fish.> I decided to let my 180 gallon fish tank go fallow for 1 month to rid it of ick. I removed all the fish except a cleaner wrasse that hid in the live rock or sand. Do I need to remove the wrasse? <At this point probably not a problem if your cleaner wrasse has been symptom free for one month. I do have to mention that cleaner wrasses are a truly difficult fish and I would prefer if no one purchased them. They have a awful record of captive care. Cleaner Shrimp are a far better choice. -Steven Pro> Thanks, Chris
PS great website !!