Fast5oranger Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I want to know if anyone has had experience keeping a Hawaiian cleaner wrasse? I've heard that they are extremely difficult to get to eat fish food. What are the best foods to try out when trying to get a finicky fish to eat. Live black worms? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acuraguy55 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Good luck my friend... I have seen many come and go and never saw them eat. but you never know maybe you got lucky!! garlic soaked helped me to get fish to eat. I dont mean to be a downer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I Just got one myself. I'm hoping lots of tangs will do the job.. DOH! Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danik Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I had one in a 300g tank. It didn't make it, just wasted away. So far I never seen or heard anyone keep this fish alive for longer that 30days. The blue cleaner wrasse you can keep but the Hawaii cleaner wrasse should be left in Hawaii. I would of never got one but it was a impulse buy and I didn't know much about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danik Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I Just got one myself. I'm hoping lots of tangs will do the job.. DOH! Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk I had 6 tangs at that time and it didnt help. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Wishful thinking. Mine was an impulse buy as well. I should have researched it out a bit more. Just sucks knowing that it probably won't make it. I had 6 tangs at that time and it didnt help. Good luck. Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fpd4308 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Are you referring to the blue strip cleaner wrasse. I have one that eats cyclops like a maniac. It seems happy and healthy in my tank. In fact it was one of only two fish that survived the sudden death of all my other fish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Heres a picture of mine. Not great but I think they are called hawaiian cleaner wrasse. Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trautman Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 not to be a negative nancy. but think about this. if this fish's NATURAL diet consists of eating external parasites off of fish, it will have a high dietary requirement. why? think about a parasite, what does it eat? it eats the vitamin rich, fatty tissue of a fish A LOT. every bite that cleaner wrasse would take in the wild would be calorie packed! now think of a brine shrimp, it eats much less nutrients, less often. on top of that, it can also burn the food that it took in, meaning not all brine shrimp are created equal! think of it this way, if you have Michael phelps over as a house guest, is he going to do very well if you feed him only three meals a day? his metabolism is used to seven. and ich is a sub dermal disease, meaning there isnt a huge deal of nutrients for a CW even when he is constantly picking on a ich infested tang. in the wild a cleaner wrasse has access to the JUICY parasites. as i have heard from quite a few retailers who refuse to sell them because they are an almost guaranteed death, even of it isnt immediate. that and the fish is an essential part of a reef ecosystem, they are very beneficial and it doesnt help to take out of the breeding pool, even of it survives.... go cleaner shrimp! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoobtoSalt Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Agreed. But you make it seem like youve never done an impulse buy? So we screwed up. All he was asking for was some help not to point out the obvious. not to be a negative nancy. but think about this. if this fish's NATURAL diet consists of eating external parasites off of fish, it will have a high dietary requirement. why? think about a parasite, what does it eat? it eats the vitamin rich, fatty tissue of a fish A LOT. every bite that cleaner wrasse would take in the wild would be calorie packed! now think of a brine shrimp, it eats much less nutrients, less often. on top of that, it can also burn the food that it took in, meaning not all brine shrimp are created equal! think of it this way, if you have Michael phelps over as a house guest, is he going to do very well if you feed him only three meals a day? his metabolism is used to seven. and ich is a sub dermal disease, meaning there isnt a huge deal of nutrients for a CW even when he is constantly picking on a ich infested tang. in the wild a cleaner wrasse has access to the JUICY parasites. as i have heard from quite a few retailers who refuse to sell them because they are an almost guaranteed death, even of it isnt immediate. that and the fish is an essential part of a reef ecosystem, they are very beneficial and it doesnt help to take out of the breeding pool, even of it survives.... go cleaner shrimp! Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fpd4308 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 That one is a bit different than mine. Mine is black with blue stripes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trautman Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 now that i think about it...didnt kevin say something about a ban on hawaiian cleaner wrasse collection? now i am confused Please don't take my comments the wrong way. The marine conservation areas in my eyes are a good thing...Banning fish like Hawaiian Cleaner wrasse and morish idol collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVPaquatics Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 they shouldnt need to ban it...the hobby should do that...stop buying them and they wont have a reason to collect them...I agree, seen alot come and go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trautman Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Agreed. But you make it seem like youve never done an impulse buy? So we screwed up. All he was asking for was some help not to point out the obvious. Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk and no insult meant. it more out of me being annoyed that a fish that has a very low survival rate is promoted by some fish stores. (no fingers are being pointed) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I would have to wager that the survival rate of most wild caught fish is typically not in their favor, if you only knew the half of what these fish go through to get to your tanks, its amazing that most survive the trip at all. The idea behind putting fish into a aquarium is to husbandry the fish(es), there are many levels of varying degrees in difficulty and to each hobbiest this is the challenge at hand. I can say off first hand experience that there are 100's of types of fish regularly caught such as various tangs, angels and wrasses that just don't make the acclimation, so to ban the hobby from collecting a specific type of fish is absurd, it is really the hobbiest's responsibility to educate themselves of their purchase prior to make sure it is the right fit for their tank / system and skill level. I know i've lost my fair share of fish in my personal tanks due to a lack of understanding the fishes demands / needs, but i do not fault the LFS for selling me the fish. MHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trautman Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 if i only self informed, and knew that i was taking 100% risk with every fish, then i see no reason to go a lfs. a wholesaler is a wholesaler because they sell the fish. that's it. a lfs gives extra info and liability with the purchase (well worth the price increase). i trust lfs owners to pick stocking lists that are reasonable. i trust lfs owners not to sell me diseased fish...and i trust store owners to provide me with adequate and realistic information with my purchase. i am not about to buy a fish with disease then get told that "i should have know what it was when i bought the fish", no i expect a fish store to QUARANTINE the fish, and give fair warning and of it is my sole "responsibility to educate [myself]", and rule out the opinion of the lfs, then i have no reason to pay that extra price hike. that being said, i really do trust the advice the stores give out. garret, tim, jeff, nick, and you reefit, because this is a service i expect as a customer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberduck9 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Wow, very insightful but holey moley. All fish are differant! Good luck peeps! May the force be with you! (clap)(clap) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePremiumAquarium Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I have kept one alive for over a year in my previous reef. It readily ate cyclopeeze as well as smaller pieces of mysis. I have had decent luck with the standard cleaner wrasse as well. I dont' think these fish are for everyone by any means but I will say that they are definately able to be kept if done correctly. It also helps that the one I had was quite a pig and only took a few days to really start eating. I soak my foods in garlic gaurd and I fed it once a day, not the 4-5 times that they should be fed but it was fat and healthy. I agree with Robert on this one folks. You have to get educated about what you are thinking of purchasing and if it's an inpulse buy then do what you can to make it work. On an opposite note, I have purchased so many fish on impulse and some end up being the best purchases I have made. Not saying this is at all the best way to go about things but I have had some great fish that I would never have touched had I read what the internet says about them previous to buying them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVPaquatics Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 if i only self informed, and knew that i was taking 100% risk with every fish, then i see no reason to go a lfs. a wholesaler is a wholesaler because they sell the fish. that's it. a lfs gives extra info and liability with the purchase (well worth the price increase). i trust lfs owners to pick stocking lists that are reasonable. i trust lfs owners not to sell me diseased fish...and i trust store owners to provide me with adequate and realistic information with my purchase. i am not about to buy a fish with disease then get told that "i should have know what it was when i bought the fish", no i expect a fish store to QUARANTINE the fish, and give fair warning and of it is my sole "responsibility to educate [myself]", and rule out the opinion of the lfs, then i have no reason to pay that extra price hike. I totally agree with you...if it is up to the hobbiest, what is the point of having a LFS? to pay higher prices? That is the one positive about online sales I have found is WAY more people research the livestock AND the company before purchase...going to a LFS often leads to more impulse buys. To each his own. Personally I think half these animals should require a permit to own, USDA inspected haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeFit Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I totally agree with you...if it is up to the hobbiest, what is the point of having a LFS? to pay higher prices? That is the one positive about online sales I have found is WAY more people research the livestock AND the company before purchase...going to a LFS often leads to more impulse buys. To each his own. Personally I think half these animals should require a permit to own, USDA inspected haha I'm not sure how this got off topic but this really is not about the LFS service. I'm also not sure what this whole price hike is all about either, Have you compared pricing to online fish suppliers to your LFS? I know our prices as well as garrett's and several other stores here in the local area will match online pricing if not beat them plus you get to cherry pick your fish, not just a picture. The information on fish is the same anywhere you go and I do agree it is the LFS responsibility to be the professional and assist the consumer in knowing as much as possible about their purchase however if you've ever been into abusy LFS before it is virtually impossible to spend an hour with each client explaining about each fish / coral the do's and dont's, if we did we would lose business. It happens all the time. There is definitely a fine balance between the LFS and hobbiest and the bottom line issue here was it relevant for the industry or LFS to ban specific fish. Not in my oppinion, there are unlimited types of hobbiests and tanks out there and to ban a specific type of fish due to its difficulty is not appropriate for business. It must be done at the personal / hobbiest level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennmac415 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I have never kept one of the Hawaiian cleaner Wrasse, but a friend of mine in Kansas kept one for quite a long time. She just kept trying foods until the wrasse finally started eating one....I know this is going to sound very strange, but the one that the wrasse really ate like crazy was that frozen Beefheart ....go figure...anyway, just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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