FishCommonVisible while snorkeling

Bluestreak cleaner wrasse

Labroides dimidiatus

The reef's dentist: tiny as it is, it swims right into predators' mouths to pick off parasites – and nobody ever harms it.

Photo: iNaturalist – (c) Frank Krasovec, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Frank Krasovec

The bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) is one of the smallest yet most important fish on the reef. A black stripe runs along its slender body from head to tail, edged towards the rear in brilliant blue – a "uniform" every reef resident recognises from a distance. That recognition is vital: this fish is not prey, it is a service provider.

Cleaner wrasses run permanent "cleaning stations" at prominent coral heads. Client fish – from surgeonfish to huge groupers and moray eels – queue up, freeze in a characteristic pose and let the little fish inspect their bodies, gills and even the inside of their mouths, picking off parasites and dead skin. The cleaner advertises its service with a distinctive bobbing "dance", and even the hungriest predator never swallows it – the cleaning station is one of the reef's oldest peace treaties.

You will see working cleaning stations on every dive around Hurghada: look for a spot where fish hover strangely still with fins spread, and watch for the blue streak zipping between them. At the coral heads of El Fanadir and Giftun, big groupers and boxfish often wait in line – one of the best photo scenes for a patient diver. You can watch stations on the shallow reef tops while snorkeling too, and sometimes the cleaner even gives a diver's fingers or ears a quick "check-up".

Did you know?

In 2019 the cleaner wrasse became the first fish to pass the mirror test: it recognised itself in a mirror and tried to scrape off a mark placed on its body – something most dogs cannot do.

Where can you meet it?

Its cleaning stations operate on every Hurghada reef: you are guaranteed to see it at work at the coral heads of El Fanadir, the Giftun Islands and Gota Abu Ramada, and while snorkeling in the Shaab Sabina shallows too.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, that is its daily job: it picks parasites from between the teeth of gaping morays and big groupers. The predators never swallow it, because being cleaned is vital for them too – a good cleaner is worth far more alive than as a snack.

It happens! If you hover calmly next to a cleaning station, the little fish sometimes swims over and gently nibbles your fingers or around your ears. It is completely harmless and at most tickles – just remember not to lean on the coral while it works.

Look for a prominent coral head where fish hover oddly still, fins spread, sometimes head-down – that is the "please clean me" pose. Look closer and you will spot the little blue-striped fish dancing up and down between them.