Common names for the cleaner wrasse include: bluestreak cleaner wrasse, common cleaner wrasse & striped cleaner wrasse.
The bluestreak cleaner wrasse makes a great addition to an established tank that has plenty of other fish in it. The cleaner wrasse should be one of the last fish to be put in your aquarium due to their specialist feeding habits.
Cleaner wrasse feed off of dead scales, slimes and parasites found on the fish in your aquarium. They will set up a cleaning station and try to attract other fish to it in order to pick off the parasites & scales. They provide a valuable service to you other tank inhabitants, some have even been known to clean the inside of the mouths of predatory fish & inside gills.
They are known to be difficult to keep as many of them will not adjust to a diet of frozen, flaked or pelleted food. That’s not to say they won’t adjust, I have one that eats like a pig, but not everyone is fortunate enough to have one that will adjust. The consequence of this is the fish slowly starving to death.
Cleaner wrasse are very active & social fish. Once established they will spend their days swimming out in the open, covering your entire tank. My cleaner wrasse enjoys playing up and down the glass, following your fingers around. At night, they will hide in the rocks or bury themselves in the substrate, a soft substrate is required for this reason.
Tank Requirements & Facts
- Minimum tank size: 55 Gallon (208 Litres)
- Prone to disease: No, these are hardy little fish
- Beginner Compatible: No, they need an established tank with lots of tankmates.
- Adult Size: 5 inches (13cm)
- Reef Compatible: Yes
- Predator Tank Compatible: No
- Care Level: Difficult due to their feeding requirements.
- pH: 8.1 to 8.4
- Temperature: 24°C to 27°C
- Preferred Tank Level: Any.
- Lots of hiding places required
- Number to a tank: To be kept singularly.
Feeding
The cleaner wrasse lives off of parasites & scales from other fish. You need to ensure your tank has enough fish in it to support the dietary needs of this fish.
Some people are lucky & will get a fish to adapt to it’s new environment and take prepared foods, but other fish will not adapt & will likely perish over a period of a few months.
- These are carnivores
- A varied diet will help with health
- They are fast eaters
- Live foods, frozen foods, pellets and flake can sometimes be accepted.
Acclimatisation
Place your fish in the bucket and then drip acclimate for about 60 minutes at a rate of 3 drips per second. This should bring the fishes water parameters in line with your tanks parameters.
Once your fish has been drip acclimated, catch the fish with a net and place it gently into your tank. Do not put any of the water the fish originally came in, into your tank.
Care should be taken after adding the fish to ensure there is a tightly fitting lid on the aquarium at all times. These fish are known to be jumpers and they are more likely to jump when first introduced to an aquarium.
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