Surfperches Cichlids and Relatives: Labroidei

FISH WASH

Cleaner wrasses set up sites for providing cleaning services to other fishes. Fish come to the cleaning stations and announce their desire to be cleaned by moving their mouths or bodies. The cleaner wrasses strike a deal by brushing the "customer" with their fins, and the cleaning begins. The wrasses pick over the body, fins, and head of the customer and may even enter the gill chamber and mouth to remove parasites, mucus, dead skin, loose scales, and other waste. Both the customer and the wrasse benefit from the arrangement: The cleaner is fed, and the customer is cleaned.