Tuesdays Photo ~ Cleaning Stations

[Dee]

These Creole Wrasse flock to the small hogfish's cleaning station several times a day. Zoom in, stand on their heads and wait to be cleaned.

1/80.......f/5.6

 

[drbill]

Last winter I saw an awesome cleaning station near Pelican Rock, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur with numerous rainbow wrasses cleaning an entire school of halfbeaks. Unfortunately my stills didn't do it justice.

However Casino Point on Catalina is home to many cleaners and stations. I'm posting two "collages" of images, the first of a senorita cleaning garibaldi.

Dr. Bill

 

[drbill]

Here is a series of male and female rock wrasses cleaning halfmoon, both on the sandy bottom and in midwater. When researching one of my newspaper columns about rock wrasse, I was surprised to read in a book written by a research ichthyologist who I've known for many years that there was only one recorded incidence of rock wrasse serving as cleaners. It is a quite common activity in the Casino Dive Park and I've seen them clean not only halfmoon (most common species cleaned) but also garibaldi, sheephead and other fish (although less common).

Dr. Bill

 

[Finesse]

The Circus or Le Cirque inside the lagoon Manihi, French Polynesia. Almost guaranteed to see mantas at this “Cleaning”site … …… gently cruising around …
The area is also plankton rich so it serves dual purpose….. AWESOME !!!!

 

[Tortuga Roja]

This is a regular station for turtles. This one is being serviced by goldring surgeonfish (with the gold ring around the eye), goldrim surgeonfish (with the white tail), and a Hawaiian cleaner wrass (small violet and yellow). Usually there are yellow tangs at work as well.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Parrotfish with neon goby. Beach dive, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. Oct 03

 

[okiediver1]

pic taken in Bonaire