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Feeding Behavior
Cleaning Behaviour (as Cleaner)
The active picking of parasites, dead skin, and food debris off other fish - a specialised feeding niche.
Trigger: Food Function: Feeds on parasites and dead tissue of other fish Observable in aquarium
📖 Overview
Cleaner fish (wrasses, gobies) and shrimp actively remove ectoparasites from client fish. Unlike incidental cleaning symbiosis, this is the cleaner\'s primary feeding strategy - they eat what they remove.
🐟 Examples Across Species
Cleaner wrasse (Labroides), neon gobies (Elacatinus), Pacific cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis).
✨ Fun Fact
Cleaner wrasse work an average of 2000+ clients per day at their stations - one of the most productive feeding niches in the reef ecosystem.