Just brought home 2 bi- color cleaner wrasse recently. I've kept the blue streak before and had success with them but lost them along with other members of the community in a system crash 8 months ago.
I've always considered these fish a necessary part of a functional system where outside of my prize members, everyone has a job. These guys are in my opinion, an important part of my community.
Short back story, I made critical error about 10 months ago, took about 2 months for everything to come to an end. Lost 7 fish and all coral in the process, was left with 4 members. Decided to wait several months to kick everything back up. Now is that time. For the past several weeks I've been working on revamping my system.
Currently it is a fowler system and I've built up the community to 9 members. 11 now with the pair of cleaners.
I've read up on these specific species of cleaner wrasse and understand that they can be a little tenacious in their duties but being I've kept the style of tank as semi aggressive I don't see to much of an issue with their persistence.
My question is, I have a pair of maroon clownfish, today I witnessed her allowing one the wrasse to clean her gill. This wrasse was pulling something out of her. She had never shown any sign of illness, distress, scratching, diving, or lack of appetite. But now I'm concerned for her. Whatever it was this wrasse was pulling out she had to have wanted out because she allowed it to keep going and she can be aggressive and physical when she wants to be. She also has the physical size to be a problem if she deems it necessary.
This wrasse was putting in work too, like it was struggling to get whatever it was out of her gill. Pulling hard, jerking side to side. This I've never seen before from the bluestreak. The content was white coming out of her gill,
Are the bi-color cleaners a better cleaner wrasse?
What could it have been it was pulling out of her gill?
She has since had enough of the process and turned aggressive to let the wrasse know she is done and is now back in her nem with her partner. The side that was worked on is what she is keeping towards the nem so I can't even see it.
Flukes? Ich? Asking to see if anyone had seen this before and what to look for moving forward.
I've always considered these fish a necessary part of a functional system where outside of my prize members, everyone has a job. These guys are in my opinion, an important part of my community.
Short back story, I made critical error about 10 months ago, took about 2 months for everything to come to an end. Lost 7 fish and all coral in the process, was left with 4 members. Decided to wait several months to kick everything back up. Now is that time. For the past several weeks I've been working on revamping my system.
Currently it is a fowler system and I've built up the community to 9 members. 11 now with the pair of cleaners.
I've read up on these specific species of cleaner wrasse and understand that they can be a little tenacious in their duties but being I've kept the style of tank as semi aggressive I don't see to much of an issue with their persistence.
My question is, I have a pair of maroon clownfish, today I witnessed her allowing one the wrasse to clean her gill. This wrasse was pulling something out of her. She had never shown any sign of illness, distress, scratching, diving, or lack of appetite. But now I'm concerned for her. Whatever it was this wrasse was pulling out she had to have wanted out because she allowed it to keep going and she can be aggressive and physical when she wants to be. She also has the physical size to be a problem if she deems it necessary.
This wrasse was putting in work too, like it was struggling to get whatever it was out of her gill. Pulling hard, jerking side to side. This I've never seen before from the bluestreak. The content was white coming out of her gill,
Are the bi-color cleaners a better cleaner wrasse?
What could it have been it was pulling out of her gill?
She has since had enough of the process and turned aggressive to let the wrasse know she is done and is now back in her nem with her partner. The side that was worked on is what she is keeping towards the nem so I can't even see it.
Flukes? Ich? Asking to see if anyone had seen this before and what to look for moving forward.