Faked out by a "cleaner wrasse"  8/27/05
Well, wouldn't ya know... yep, I got faked out by a mimic "cleaner wrasse". I though something was up by the way my flasher wrasse was acting towards him, ( it didn't "flash" at anyone else). Quick, to WWM for the answer to what's going on! Turns out its a saber-tooth blenny.
<Ah, Aspidontus... happens, though not often>
After having to COMPLETELY breakdown my reef to catch the little guy and place him in the fuge temporarily, now what? I like him a lot and would love to keep him, but feeding the fuge is not good. Do I trade him in, knowing that he'll just do the same thing to someone elses fish?
<Ah, no>
Please give me some advise on this dilemma. I'd be heartbroken to send him to a watery grave in the bathroom!!
Thanks for your guidance in advance,
Allegra
<... "look before you leap"... or purchase livestock? When we find these mixed in with Labroides, they're removed and destroyed... not suitable for aquarium use with other fishes... could try keeping in your refugium. Bob Fenner>

Re: Faked out by a "cleaner wrasse" 8/29/05
Hi again Bob (or fellow WWM guru),
I did put the little fella into the fuge, although I think putting food in
is counter-productive to its use. The reason why I'm replying again is that
I was checking out more of the questions posted about real cleaner wrasses,
and there were some folks that mentioned theirs were doing well on
supplemental foods, such as Mysis, etc...even Nori. There was no mention that
their fish may be a saber-tooth,
<Would not be... these will invariably terrorize other fishes...>
just that it was an unusual case. Mine also
feeds on everything as well, including the Nori strip I put in. In fact he's
the only one that does eat it. Its hard for me to tell the difference in the
mouth from the pictures here, so are we truly safe to say that I do have a
saber-tooth blenny and not an unusually hardy cleaner wrasse?
<Seen side by side, these fishes are easily told apart... See fishbase.org, the Net/Google pix...>
PS. Thanks for the quick reply, very impressive!
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Cleaner Wrasse..?  Nope, Probably a Mimic!
Hi, I recently purchased a cleaner wrasse, I think, I was just wondering what are the differences between the real cleaner wrasse and the false one. Also I have a 9cm maroon clown female and she doesn't like the cleaner wrasse coming near it or trying to clean it and tries to bite it, what is the problem? 
<The false cleaners actually take hunks of meat off the fish it is supposedly servicing. James (Salty Dog)> 

Cleaner Wrasse or.. Why Not Satisfied with Previous Answer? Don't Keep Resending!
Hi, I recently purchased a cleaner wrasse, I think, I was just wondering what are the differences between the real cleaner wrasse and the false one?
<When referring to cleaner wrasses you probably mean Labroides dimidiates, a small black\white\blue wrasse that eats parasites (among other things) off of other fish. The 'false cleaner wrasse' (Aspidontus taeniatus taeniatus), instead of providing parasite removal, nips other fish and proceeds to nip at fins, scales, and anything else that looks tasty on the host fish. Neither of these fish should be purchased for the home aquarium. The 'true' cleaner wrasse will starve to death in a matter of weeks, as no home aquarist can provide it with enough parasite infected fish to meet it's dietary needs, and it rarely accepts alternatives>
Also I have a 9cm maroon clown female and she doesn't like the cleaner wrasse coming near it or trying to clean it and tries to bite it what is the problem?
<Clownfish in the wild rarely if ever accept\need the services of a cleaner wrasse - if it is indeed a 'true' cleaner wrasse. My advice is to return the fish, and stay away from cleaner wrasses completely. M. Maddox> 

Juvenile purple wrasses?
Bob,
<Lee>
I bought 3 juvenile purple wrasses, at my local wholesalers. Thinking they were Hawaiian cleaner wrasses.
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I am now worried because I have 12 cleaner shrimps in my 240 gallon tank. I pray that these wrasses will not grow up and eat my shrimps. What do you think? Also do you know the scientific names of these wrasses?? Thanks again.  Lee
<Umm, not familiar with the common name "purple wrasses"... neither is fishbase.org... But, a few things to impart... I would NOT put three Labroides spp. wrasses in this size system... I would definitely research all purchases ahead of acquisition... and I WOULD definitely quarantine all new livestock... You're playing the petfish equivalent of Russian Roulette my friend. Bob Fenner>