What it is?

[~reefchik~]

I'm having some fun reading some good reef books I could never afford such as TRA 1 and 3 among others.  (got them used from Amazon!)
Anyway, I saw where there is a neon goby that looks a lot like a cleaner wrasse and I'm wondering if this is what I have.  When I bought it, I believe it was labeled Cleaner Wrasse and now I find that they are supposed to be rather difficult. 

The photos aren't great because I had to crop them out of larger photos. 





Anyway the little bugger nips me every time I have my hand in the tank - which has been often, lately.  He's doing great, though. 

[jd]

Yep, that is a cleaner wrasse. His nipping is likely his attempt to clean you. 

[~reefchik~]

Does that mean I have parasites or ick?  Eeek!!


Well, it's rather gratifying to know I have a "hard to keep" fish who is doing extremely well!  Thanks Mr Dr. 

[reefman]

Hard to keep, they usually live for a while

[lazylivin]

They can be difficult to get to eat and that is why the classify them as difficult. If it is eating good then you wont have any issues.

[~reefchik~]

Eats like a champ, has since day one.  All my fish are voracious eaters, in fact.  I've never had a group like them before. 

[Reefd Up]

Many of them die in captivity after about the 6 mos to a year point even if they are eating like crazy. The seasoning is that they may need a particular type of food they don't get in captivity. I think the jury is still out tho. There have been some successes-best advice i've seen from those cases is to just feed a large variety of naturally occurring foods. Larger tanks with plenty of fish to clean also helps. Best of luck to you!

[Reefd Up]

I meant to say reasoning. Mods, please correct

[Kenn]

I meant to say reasoning. Mods, please correct

I thought it was funny ! ... seasoning 

[Aquatic Specialists]

I have read that later in life they only eat "bugs", I feed them live pods or Arctic Pods from Reed Mariculture, which are a larger copepod made into a slurry.

[~reefchik~]

I ordered some Reef Bugs.  They sounded like a cool thing (hatch your own). 

[coral ranch]

We have one that has been in the race-way for 3-4 years. I think he does so well because of all the natural food and all the fish coming and going for him to clean.He eats about everything I put in there including flaked food.

[cyberwollf]

We have one that has been in the race-way for 3-4 years.

That one is HUGE!

[ghurlag]

That's what she said 

Mods, censor it if you have to, but I just couldn't help myself

[chromiumlux]

Funny

[HUNGER]

That's what she said 

Mods, censor it if you have to, but I just couldn't help myself

nice

[~reefchik~]

 

[ghurlag]

Oh, come on Steph...  geeze

That one is HUGE!

[~reefchik~]

   Got ya to fess up to your gutter-brain, didn't I?  Heheh...