There are a number of marine organisms that make almost all of
their living by cleaning parasites off of other fish. This
includes a number of shrimp that pick larval isopods off piscine
neighbors and a group of wrasses that service hundreds of
clients a day. Then there are the cleaner gobies, the most
active cleaners along the coasts of the Americas. The cleaner
goby most often encountered by aquarium hobbyists is the neon
goby (Elacatinus oceanops). This diminutive fish is an even
better cleaner species for the home aquarium than its labrid
counterpart, the bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides
dimidiatus). It tends to be hardier and is not as annoying to
other fish as Labroides dimidiatus (the latter species tends to
be more aggressive in its cleaning technique). Its list of
clients is long and can include small damsels to the large and
imposing greater barracuda. When a fish is ready to be cleaned,
the neon goby will leap on to its patron and begin looking for
the crustacean parasites to harvest. This may