Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse
Labroides phthirophagus
Identification: This species is yellow on the front half of the fish and royal blue to purple on the back half of the fish, with a black line running from the tip of the nose to the tail.
Maximum Length: Attains a length of approximately 4-5 inches.
Origin: As its name would suggest, this species is native to the Hawaiian Islands
Minimum tank size: 55 Gallon
Behavior: Unfortunately, this species tends to be very difficult to keep in captivity as it relies to a great degree upon the mucus of other fish and on being able to clean parasitic copepods isopods from other fish. Its food source is the mucus and the parasites on the fish with which it is being housed. Unfortunately, unless this fish is kept in an aquarium with a large number of fish it will tend to become emaciated and will eventually die.
Feeding and diet: Occasionally this species will feed upon some prepared foods, prolonging its life. However, this species does not take well to prepared aquarium foods.
Reef Compatibility: The advantages to a fish such as this are obvious. Foremost, by cleaning the occasional parasite from a fish, the wrasse can help to prevent a major outbreak. The cleaner wrasses’ effectiveness is limited. It will probably not be able to cure a full outbreak of parasites. However, it does serve well as a preventative measure.
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