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Cleaner Wrasse
Wrasse

Cleaner Wrasse

Labroides dimidiatus

The iconic black-and-electric-blue bluestreak that sets up cleaning stations and picks parasites off other fish — mesmerising on a wild reef, but one of the hardest common marine fish to keep alive. It is an obligate cleaner that often will not switch to aquarium food and slowly starves, so most experienced keepers discourage buying it. It harms neither corals nor inverts, so it stays reef-safe; the problem is survival, which makes it an advanced (and ethically fraught) purchase.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
4.5"
Min tank
90 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Mid-water, Rockwork
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
Symbiosis · Cleans other fish.
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Tankmates

How Cleaner Wrasse gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Purple TangPurple Tang (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Dogface PufferDogface Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Porcupine PufferPorcupine Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.Lunare WrasseLunare Wrasse (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Spanish HogfishSpanish Hogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Cleaner Wrasse.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Sailfin TangSailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Emperor AngelfishEmperor Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Blueface AngelfishBlueface Angelfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Niger TriggerfishNiger Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Blonde Naso TangBlonde Naso Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Desjardini Sailfin TangDesjardini Sailfin Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.Orange Shoulder TangOrange Shoulder Tang (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Cleaner Wrasse and may harass it.