📍
Social Behavior
Cleaner Station Attendance
Client fish queue at reef cleaner stations - specific locations where cleaner wrasse or shrimp reliably operate.
Trigger: Food Function: Concentrated parasite removal service Observable in aquarium
📖 Overview
Cleaner stations are fixed points on reefs where clients arrive, adopt characteristic postures (mouth open, fins spread), and wait for service. Some sharks and groupers even visit stations at predictable times. Removal of a resident cleaner wrasse can measurably reduce local fish diversity within weeks.
👁️ How to Observe
In marine aquariums, cleaner shrimp will approach any fish that hovers still - even at times fish would not naturally seek cleaning.
✨ Fun Fact
Some sharks visit cleaner stations at the same time each day - genuine appointments with local cleaner wrasse.