I am working on my stock list for my next tank and was thinking of getting a wrasse to help with parasites on both fish and corals. I thought a possum wrasse would be good but they like to jump and my tank will be topless. Instead of a wrasse, i was thinkingof a skunk shrimp. Would the shrimp clean parasites off coral or just off the fish?
Cleaners
- Thread starter Shaunv
- Start date
to be honest... idk if that statement by seth is true that the skunk cleaners only clean fish. Mine are active as HELL at night and are all over my corals. They pick off any dead flesh on any coral, clean the feet of my nems constantly, pick off crap or anything that is on the sps.... I have had very much luck with them cleaning everything.
Ive kept cleaner wrasses in every tank I have ever owned and never, ever had any issues with reef compatibility, they do not feed on corals and are much to small to eat inverts. In all honesty I dont know why theyd reccomend at least 50 gallons, I have one in a 29 bio cube that does just fine and Ive nenver seen one get bigger than 3". Im sorry to say, but based on my experience Id have ot say Live Aquaria is completley wrong here.
Ive never had this issue. Ive only ever kept Red Sea cleaners and even when I had a heavy SPS populated tank I didnt have these issue. Ive had numorus cleaners over the years and all they do is pick crap on rocks, fish and corals, but never actually harm the coral. I attribute my good luck with fish on their diet I guess. People keep saying "stay away form this fish and stay away from that fish", Ive had people tell my Im crazy for having some of the fish I do in my reef, but the only fish Ive ever had eat corals was a file fish, and he has a liking for xenia, which i dont mind becuase I hate it.
I guess it really is a case to case basis, IM sure my time is coming where I get a trouble maker, however tnka is just about fully stocked, so Im hopeful. I keep a very parge pink tail trigger, 6"+ and shes a model citizen. I keep a full gorwn male bannana wrasse who does not mess with inverts. I have 2 red sea cleaners in my 180, no issues. A mexican rainbow rock wrasse who has no interest in inverts either.
I guess it really is a case to case basis, IM sure my time is coming where I get a trouble maker, however tnka is just about fully stocked, so Im hopeful. I keep a very parge pink tail trigger, 6"+ and shes a model citizen. I keep a full gorwn male bannana wrasse who does not mess with inverts. I have 2 red sea cleaners in my 180, no issues. A mexican rainbow rock wrasse who has no interest in inverts either.
I keep my fish well fed. Fish are opertuistic feeders, they will take whats easy. If you let them get hungry, theyre gonna eat stuff you dont want them to, if you keep them fed, they know the food will be coming and they will wait, becuase its easier. I feed 3 times a day, small portions. Once in the morning before I leave for work, my soe then does an afternoon feeding when he gets home from school and I do a night feeding just before the lights turn off.
It all comes back to what has become my favorite saying here, "DUE DILIGENTS"
Im sure my wrasses would eat inverts, if i let them go hungry, Im sure my coral beauty and flame angel would eat corals, if i let them go hungry. Im sure my trigger would eat anything she can fit in her mouth, again, if i let her go hungry, but since Im diligent wiht my feedings the fish have no reason to eat things they shouldnt be, the wrasses still pick at the rocks between feedings, my tangs still eat various algeas between feedings, but none of my fish bother any of the other inhabitants and attribute it to being diligent in feeding.
Trust me, If I dont feed for a day, the bannana wrasse will eat snails, the file fish will pick at zoas, but when properly fed they dont exibit any of these habits.
It all comes back to what has become my favorite saying here, "DUE DILIGENTS"
Im sure my wrasses would eat inverts, if i let them go hungry, Im sure my coral beauty and flame angel would eat corals, if i let them go hungry. Im sure my trigger would eat anything she can fit in her mouth, again, if i let her go hungry, but since Im diligent wiht my feedings the fish have no reason to eat things they shouldnt be, the wrasses still pick at the rocks between feedings, my tangs still eat various algeas between feedings, but none of my fish bother any of the other inhabitants and attribute it to being diligent in feeding.
Trust me, If I dont feed for a day, the bannana wrasse will eat snails, the file fish will pick at zoas, but when properly fed they dont exibit any of these habits.
I have a pair of neon gobies who are doing a good job keeping my fish clean. They are captive bred, and a have a great rate of survival, unlike cleaner wrasses. If you get opposite genders, they will readily breed in captivity too. I love them as a more sustainable option.
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