I’ve Heard Of The Cleaner Shrimp But What Is The Cleaner Fish?

I would imagine that all marine aquarists have heard of, and probably seen, the cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis). This colourful shrimp is very popular, becoming used to the aquarist very quickly and even walking around on the hand if the opportunity presents itself - a large and strangely shaped fish to be cleaned perhaps.

There is another creature known for the natural cleaning activities it undertakes. This is the cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus). The fish is commonly known as the cleaner wrasse or blue streak wrasse. There are other reef fish that undertake cleaning duties particularly when juvenile, but this wrasse does it as a full time job.

The wrasse likes to go into a small hole or crevice for security when night arrives. During the day, it seldom moves far from the area, as it is a cleaning station. In other words, the little wrasse, usually in a group, wait for other fish to come so that they can be cleared of parasites and other irritants. The wrasse goes busily about the fish being cleaned, as this is the food source. They will even enter the mouths and gills of bigger fish, including predators - the larger fish normally hang still, fins spread when being cleaned, and keep their mouths open to allow easy access. The cleaner wrasse are protected from predation during this activity possibly by their swimming motion, colours, shape, or all three. The cleaner stations are well known to other reef inhabitants, and it is known for fish to wait and queue patiently for attention. There are always enough fish for cleaning, and thus food for the wrasse.

As with many wrasse, the cleaner is hardy in a good aquarium environment. It needs plenty of swimming space and places to hide. The normal caution should be exercised with regard to health when purchasing one.

On the wild reef there are plenty of fish to be cleaned, but not so in the aquarium. Even in a fish only system where there are normally more fish per gallon, there is insufficient natural food. It follows that this will be the same in a reef system. Also of course, the last thing the aquarist wants is parasites in the aquarium. Talking of parasites, it might be thought that the wrasse could be of use in a fight against marine white spot or velvet. Unfortunately, this is reportedly not the case and the wrasse is vulnerable to the parasites as well.

When considering introducing a cleaner wrasse to the aquarium, the usual compatibility question applies, though this is not usually a problem from the wrasse‘s point of view. When the wrasse is in the aquarium, natural instincts continue. It may ‘think’ that the fish in the area are waiting for cleaning and attempt to carry out this task. These attempts can continue over and over again, day after day, and other fish can be highly irritated by the attention. The wrasse may be repeatedly warned off, though it is unlikely to be attacked, though if the system is a fish only with predators there could be a problem. Some predators, such as lionfish, may not have very good manners! It is said that if the wrasse ‘learns’ when food is available and responds to it with the other fish, the cleaning drive could diminish, as the driving force, hunger, is reduced.

As with other fish it is a good idea to ask a retailer to put a little food in the aquarium and watch the response of the wrasse. Many wrasse are easy to feed, generally being gluttons, and the cleaner type is reported to feed well too. There have been reports of starved cleaners that perished, but this does not appear to be the norm.

The food fed needs to have a little resemblance to that in the wild. Fortunately, most other fish will take it as well. Try frozen foods that are prepared for marines, such as mysis shrimp, artemia, shellfish, squid, lobster eggs and the like. Some may need to be chopped so that the cleaner can handle them. It is reported that the fish will often take flake food. A diet with plenty of variety, plus flake if possible, should be successful. Fed carefully, the seawater conditions should not deteriorate as other fish present will eat the same diet.

On the wild reef mimicry is not unknown, and so it is with the cleaner wrasse. Other fish trust the wrasse and do not hesitate to present themselves for cleaning. Taking advantage of this is a fish which is closely coloured and patterned. This is the false cleaner (Aspidontus taeniatus), which in fact is a blenny. What it does is present itself to a fish which is ready for cleaning, but instead of being useful it quickly bites a bit of fin or scale and dashes off. Not the way to win fishy friends! It is unlikely to be obtained in mistake for a proper cleaner, but the two are easily identifiable, the proper cleaner has a mouth at the front of the fish, the false one has an underslung mouth.

There are other cleaner wrasse, but none are reported to take to aquarium food as readily (I’d better avoid the word ‘easily‘) as the one discussed.

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Tags: aquarium, home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-aquarium, saltwater-fish

If A Fish Dies Should You Remove It From The Aquarium?

The loss of a fish is a very sad occasion and often, whether the cause is known or not, the aquarist will wonder if it was his/her fault. Most (all?) aquarists lose a fish occasionally when the rest are perfectly healthy.

Despite the sadness, the aquarist needs to take action to maintain the quality conditions inside the aquarium, which will protect other livestock from further problems. A rotting fish may cause a rise in the load on the bio-filter, and the bio-filter may not be able to cope.

The answer is yes, the fish should be removed if possible. Easy enough maybe, unless there are many rocks in the aquarium. Fish often have a tendency, probably a defence mechanism, to hide in rocks when there is a problem.

In a fish only system using an external filter and not a lot of rock, or even one which uses a good quantity of live rock, as there aren’t any corals it should be practical to move rocks about until the corpse is discovered. This will stress the remaining fish and therefore the rock movement should be minimised as far as possible by moving rocks and replacing them in a methodical manner until the corpse is found.. This should also preserve the layout of the rocks. On the other hand, the ‘fish only with live rock’ aquarist if necessary could leave the fish in the rocks and proceed as in the reef system below.

In a reef system it is more difficult. The reef is constructed of many rocks and is usually covered in may corals of various types. The aquarist is not going to be particularly keen on dismantling the reef, even if it can be done methodically. The disruption is greater, and the stress to the living fish would probably be more severe. So what is the procedure?

It is the water quality that is being watched. As said, the presence of a rotting corpse can stretch or overload a bio-filter. The reef aquarist could make the decision to ignore the dead fish and monitor the water quality. This is an option because in the reef system there are normally less fish, again to protect water quality (though the bio filtration mechanism will still have adapted to the load it has to deal with). What is being daily tested for is any presence of ammonia. At the same time, the actions of the fish should be watched to ensure they are not showing any sign of discomfort, such as increased breathing rates and/or erratic and unusual swimming. The corals too should remain as normal. If any problem does appear then the action is a water change to dilute the toxin, the amount depending on the severity of the problem.

That said, it is possible that the reef aquarist will not note any detrimental changes in water quality, particularly in a mature reef. This is because the many tiny occupants of the reef are always ready for a meal, and are perfectly able to dispose of a corpse. I have, over the years, lost fish and removed them from fish only systems, and left them alone in a reef. The reef life dealt with the problem and removal of the fish in the fish only system prevented any problem arising.

The loss of a fish calls for water quality checks, unless the aquarist is sure of the cause.
If the fish can be removed, it is best to remove it. If not, monitoring the water quality for say at least a week should provide an adequate safeguard.

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Tags: captive-fish, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-aquarium, saltwater-fish

Consider Tank Raised Marine Fish

There are a lot of people who decide to start a marine aquarium due to seeing a natural coral reef in person, on televsion, in pictures etc.

Of course there are lots of other reasons as to why people start saltwater aquariums.

But that’s not the purpose of this post.

The majority of aquarists have a passion for life in the wild as well as the life which they keep in their home aquarium.

And rightly so - life in nature is wonderful.

This does however bring an issue to ‘us aquarists’

We love the life in the ocean yet we need to remove some of this life so that it can exist in our [tag-tec]home aquarium[/tag-tec].

Granted a lot of the fish, corals etc on the reef are monitored and protected so that the reef is not drained empty of life yet we as the responsible aquarists we are need to at least try to do our bit.

By that I mean considering purchasing [tag-tec]tank raised marine fish[/tag-tec].

For those who are not sure what a tank raised fish is let me enlighten you. Basically they are marine fish which are bred in an aquarium and allowed to grow until they are old enough to be made for sale.

So what’s the beneift.

Two fold really. The first is that with them being tank raised they have not been removed from the wild, therefore the populations in the wild are not reduced. Secondly they are generally hardier than wild fish so are more accustomed to life confined to the aquarium.

To me that is two good reasons to at least consider it.

A while ago we were very limited to what we could purchase in this area however nowadays the selection is much greater.

You can purchase fish such as :

• Clownfish
• Dottyback
• Banggai Cardinal
• Gobies
• and more…

Don’t worry if your local fish shop do not have any in stock. Just ask and I am sure that they will be able to acquire some for you.

Maybe you will not fill your entire aquarium with tank raised marine fish but if you at least have a couple then you have helped to reduce the impact on the wild reef.

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Tags: captive-fish, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-aquarium, saltwater-fish

Excitement With A Sad End

Many years ago, when I was fairly new at the marine hobby, I was really overcome with excitement. I had a fish only system at the time, the move to a captive reef was yet to come.

So what was all the excitement about? I had seen and ordered to be kept for me a juvenile emperor angel (Pomacanthus imperator). This 3″ or so beauty was cruising up and down the dealer’s show tank, looked in full health, and could not be resisted. I did some research in the dealer’s shop using a book that he provided. It was fully compatible with my aquarium stock and the aquarium was quite large enough.

The juvenile emperor has a blue body with a series of white rings and is most definitely beautiful. This colouring is lost as the fish ages and it turns into beautiful nearly horizontal narrow yellow stripes interspaced with blue. The top of the fish’s body is yellow and the bottom dark blue, with a yellow tail. Perhaps the most striking is the white mouth area, with the eyes covered in dark blue - this gives the fish a very ’cool dude’ appearance. The full adult size is about 12”. Why there is this colour difference between juvenile and adult is open to speculation. It has been said that perhaps the juvenile colouring protects the fish from the attention of the territorial adults.

Anyway, an aquarium that had contained two clowns was prepared so it could act as a quarantine tank. The fish was carefully introduced to this temporary accommodation and the lights left off. In a day it was noticed to be eating some red algae that was growing on the rocks. A small amount of flake was offered which the fish took without problem. The fish fed from day two without problem, on any fishy food offered, including blanched lettuce.

After two weeks the fish was transferred to the main display aquarium. There wasn’t any problem at all, the fish swam out of the bowl it had been transferred in and cruised regally up and down its new home. All areas of the aquarium were checked by the fish and it was completely settled. The other fish had no real interest in the newcomer apart from a little caution, probably because of the newcomer’s size (the other inhabitants were smaller).

The fish lived for many months quite happily. It fed well, rising with the other fish to the fingers. Dietary needs were met.

One day, oh, I remember it so well, I went to the aquarium to see the fish and in particular my ’special’, and it was very slowly moving along the bottom of the aquarium. The other fish were fine. I put my hand near the glass and the fish did not respond, though the others did. Hoping there wasn’t anything wrong, I waited. I couldn’t see anything wrong with the fish itself.

The fish didn’t improve. Water testing followed, there was nothing wrong. By this time the fish was laying upright against the front corner of the aquarium, not swimming at all. Breathing was quite slow and as it had always been. I looked at the fish closely but could see nothing wrong. There were no torn fins, damaged areas of the body, or cloudy eyes. I got a magnifying glass and looked closely at the fish, but couldn’t see any of those dreaded tell-tale signs of marine velvet or white spot. The fish did not improve.

Clutching at straws, I did a water change with carefully matched SG and temperature. I then dosed the tank very carefully with a copper medication. Though this is effective for some problems, no medications should be given for the sake of it. The copper dose was maintained carefully and none of the fish showed any stress, including the emperor which did not improve. The other fish were eating, but not the emperor.

After a few days (I didn’t record the exact number, it was around 7 to 10) activated carbon was added to clear the copper, followed by another water change. The emperor had moved a little, it was now leaning against the middle of the viewing glass.

I don’t know why, but I had the sinking feeling that the next day the emperor would be gone. I remember that feeling! The next morning I went to the tank and the emperor was still in the same position. It was dead.

I felt guilty for quite a long time, and no-one I spoke to could give me any clue as to why the loss had occurred.

Thinking about it later, and even now, I think that I acted reasonably in the circumstances. As there wasn’t a clue to be seen on the fish of the cause of the problem, I have wondered if it was internal, a parasite perhaps. I will never know.

I cannot keep an emperor now, as first my current aquarium is too small and second the fish is not reef compatible. If I could, I’m sure an emperor would be among my livestock.

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Tags: home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-aquarium, saltwater-fish

I’ve Lost A Fish!

The fish only aquarium or reef aquarium has been stocked. The aquarium may be fairly newly set up, or may have been running for months or years. Sooner or later, a fish is going to disappear.

How can I be so sure? Well, fish are living organisms and therefore have a timed lifespan. On the wild reef this could be cut short by a predator. In the [tag-tec]home aquarium[/tag-tec] there aren’t any predators capable of taking other livestock, or there shouldn’t be. So how does the fish disappear?

The aquarist quite rightly checks the fish when doing routine maintenance or feeding. It is at this time that the absence is noted. Has the missing fish previously not been quite right - swimming strangely, breathing badly or similar? Are the other fish up for their food as usual, and swimming around as usual at other times with good colours? Are the water parameters normal and up to spec? Definitely no sign of ammonia or nitrite?

If there’s nothing wrong as in the previous paragraph then the fish has either been suffering from some malady that does not affect the others or, simply, its time has arrived. Apart from size, it is difficult to know the age of a wild caught fish. It may be months old, or years. Also, I am not aware of the expected lifespan of fish. It seems reasonable to assume that they might live longer in a well managed aquarium, with the lack of predators, but the potential lifespan, how long is it?

[tag-ice]Reef fish[/tag-ice], when faced with a reduction in health, often swim into the rockwork to find safety. This is their natural response. Of course, it may well be that the fish never comes out again. The aquarist has to assume after a few days that the fish is lost. Is there anything to be done?

There is no need to dismantle the reef in an attempt to locate the fish, and I doubt many aquarists would be tempted to do this. Leave the reef as it is. However, do not go out and purchase a replacement, at least not yet. In a mature reef aquarium the tiny life forms present can dispose of a dead fish very quickly. In a less mature system these life forms may not be present in number so disposal will take longer. The aquarist should not alter the routine [tag-self]aquarium maintenance[/tag-self] schedule, but ensure that water changes continue and the schedule includes regular ammonia/nitrite checks. These checks should be done daily once the fish is known to be lost. After four or five days reduce to every two days. After around a week and a half all should be well. This period is there to allow any consequence of the sudden appearance of a dead fish to appear. If it does not, all is well. If ammonia or nitrite is detected, observe the fish and ensure they are comfortable and not displaying signs of stress. Be prepared to do additional water changes. The bio-filtration is tuned to the normal load, and the additional load may not be successfully fully dealt with.

Once the period of water quality stability testing has passed, then a further fish can be considered and purchased.

The loss of a fish is a sad occasion for the aquarist. Even with excellent water quality and excellent nutrition, and the aquarist carrying out maintenance diligently and correctly, these losses occur. The fish however may have lived longer than it would have done on the wild reef.

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Tags: aquarium-fish, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-aquarium, saltwater-fish

Don’t Ruin Your Water By Overfeeding Your Fish

No matter what type of aquarium you keep or are hoping to keep - be this a [tag-tec]fish only aquarium[/tag-tec], [tag-ice]reef tank[/tag-ice] or [tag-self]mixed reef tank[/tag-self] then there is one thing which you need to ensure.

Water quality.

Let’s face it the aquarium is a closed environment. The fish, corals etc have no way to escape. They live, breathe, feed etc in the water which you, the aquarist provides them,

If you take a closer look at the various components (if that’s what you call them) in the water then basically it is like ‘pea soup’. It is a mixture of various nutrients, chemicals etc which all work together to make up the water.

There is a very fine line in the aquarium between good water quality and bad water quality. Of course we all should aim for excellent water quality but at the start let’s aim for good water quality and attempt to improve it from there.

All it takes to tip the balance from good water quality to bad water quality is an inbalance so why assist in this inbalance by feeding the fish to much.

In my opinion it is better to feed the fish little and often, however this is not always possible due to the lives we all lead. Of course there are automated feeding deviced which we can procure and install but in my opinion this is taking some of the enjoyment away. I don’t know about you but I thoroughly enjoy feeding the fish.

So if you can’t feed little and often what do you do.

Well a lot of people come home from work, spend some time with the family and then dump some food into the aquarium and believe that this is ok.

It isn’t unfortunately. Sure the fish will survive but you could inadvertanly be harming the water quality in the aquarium. Fish by their very nature will feed when food becomes available. The trouble is that the fish will not digest all the food which it has eaten. A lot of the food will pass through their body partially digested back into the aquarium where it will slowly rot and deteriorate the quality of the water.

Scavengers if you have enough may assist but more than likely you will start to see climbing nitrates etc.

What I do is feed sparingly throughout the evening. I always soak all food prior to adding it to the aquarium in some aquarium water and then feed a little. I use this time to watch the fish closely to ensure that they are all feeding etc. I then wait an hour or so and then feed them some more. I tend to perform 2 to 3 feeds per evening, however there are nights when I feed less.

Personally I have found that by feeding sparingly that the fish appear to be healthy and I am able to maintain excellent water conditions.

I know that it is hard to not feed the fish as much as it is a very enjoyable time. Plus the fish have a habit of coming to both the front of the aquarium and the waters surface begging for food when they detect your presence. Remember that this does not mean that they are hungry. This is a natural response.

Look at it another way. Would you live in a home which was polluted with gases and other substances. Of course you wouldn’t. You want to live in a home where the air is fresh, free from toxins and will not harm you. Your fish are the same but unfortunately they do not have the benefit of being able to go outside if the water is bad quality.

Basically you are the hand of the fish god. You provide them with food, you care for them but you also have a responsibility to ensure that the habitat which they live in is the best it can be.

Don’t ruin it by overfeeding.

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Tags: home-aquarium, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-fish, Water Quality

Marine Fish Identification

The marine aquarist sometimes has a problem in identifying a marine fish. This could be a fish that has been seen in a local fish shop that identity confirmation so that further compatibility checks can be made, or the like - or just general interest.

The job is made much easier by having a look at the website link following. The fish list dealt with is very large, so marine aquarists should be able to find what they are looking for. When searching for a fish type the proper name or common name can be used. The proper name will usually be the more successful. When the fish is found a picture of good quality is available.

Here’s the link:

http://www.fishbase.org/search.php

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Tags: fish-id, fish-identification, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-aquarium, saltwater-fish

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