seecrabrun
Active Member
New little guy and I'm not sure if I should do a treatment for ich or not. They are so textured and their coloration makes it hard for me to tell if it is ich or not.
Scooter blenny, ich or not?
- Thread starter seecrabrun
- Start date
seecrabrun
Active Member
Yeah I know they are dragonets. Under improper conditions they are still susceptible. I got him at *****, so........
bang guy
Moderator
Not impossible but it's unlikely for a Dragonet to contract Ick. It's probably sand grains blown over it as it feeds and imbedded in the thick (toxic to Ick) slime coat.
It does appear to be starving though. Keep in mind that it can eat a lot and still starve if it's not getting good nutrition.
It does appear to be starving though. Keep in mind that it can eat a lot and still starve if it's not getting good nutrition.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Say no more... LOL!
pegasus
Well-Known Member
I didn't want to point that out, thus the subtle "hint" about food. It's badly emaciated...
seecrabrun
Active Member
Yeah, I know he's starving, that's why I got him. I just brought him home yesterday.
I planned on getting one as the last fish in the tank(currently there are none, been doing a fallow period). I just couldn't say no. He was starving and I knew I had food at home, so I took a chance. He's been in there almost 24 hours and still striking every few seconds. So he is getting lots of pods.
I figured in their tank he would maybe last another week, maybe...
I watched him for a good 30 minutes before deciding to bring him home.
He was very active and trying to find food, but just didn't have much luck. There were at least 10 other blennies in the system with him, plus other fish and corals. He was actually the smallest of them all. He is about an inch tip to tail and the others were all at least twice his size, one was even 3 and another 4 inches.
He was eager and also quick to defend his little territory and also try and take over a little more. So I felt like he was still in good strength despite being underfed.
I'm also in the process of hatching some baby brine and I am going to start training him to take some frozen foods. The tank is a 20 gallon with only inverts, so it should be pretty comfortable for him to learn in.
I figured he probably wasn't going to make it, so I should at least try to save him. If I can then yay! If not, it was better than sitting at ***** and rotting...
I planned on getting one as the last fish in the tank(currently there are none, been doing a fallow period). I just couldn't say no. He was starving and I knew I had food at home, so I took a chance. He's been in there almost 24 hours and still striking every few seconds. So he is getting lots of pods.
I figured in their tank he would maybe last another week, maybe...
I watched him for a good 30 minutes before deciding to bring him home.
He was very active and trying to find food, but just didn't have much luck. There were at least 10 other blennies in the system with him, plus other fish and corals. He was actually the smallest of them all. He is about an inch tip to tail and the others were all at least twice his size, one was even 3 and another 4 inches.
He was eager and also quick to defend his little territory and also try and take over a little more. So I felt like he was still in good strength despite being underfed.
I'm also in the process of hatching some baby brine and I am going to start training him to take some frozen foods. The tank is a 20 gallon with only inverts, so it should be pretty comfortable for him to learn in.
I figured he probably wasn't going to make it, so I should at least try to save him. If I can then yay! If not, it was better than sitting at ***** and rotting...
seecrabrun
Active Member
Now I'm scrambling to make sure I have enough food LOL! I have pods in the tank, I added pods to the tank before I put him in and I have pods on hand to add to it as he depletes the population. I have a HOB refugium, but now I'm thinking of expanding the refugium to give more space for pods to breed.
Suddenly I'm not so sure I have enough, but I tend to get really insecure about things I can't see with my own 2 eyes!
Suddenly I'm not so sure I have enough, but I tend to get really insecure about things I can't see with my own 2 eyes!
pegasus
Well-Known Member
I really hope you can pull it off. Yeah, he surely would have died if he had stayed at ***** much longer. I don't know why they don't have dedicated tanks for special diet fish like dragonets. I guess they think they'll sell them before they die, and don't really care what happens to them once they leave the store... obvious by their "no guarantee" on SWF. I hope you can train it to eat frozen food, as it won't take it long to wipe out the population of pods in a 20 gallon tank. A refugium is a "must have" for long term feeding of this little guy. Best of luck, and keep us posted.
seecrabrun
Active Member
Indeed. ***** was especially crazy to have that many at one time! I've seen one at a time, maybe 2 but there were 10 including this one. And they were all on the same system.
I hope that I can train him easily. I know it was a bit early and so I'll have to be careful. I have no problem loading the tank over and over until we get it figured out.
He's still striking tonight lots, though it isn't as frequent, still multiple times a minute. I just did a small water change and pushed some of the pods in the HOB into the tank.
I think I'll add an external refugium, just need to figure out how I'll do it. The HOB is nice, but it only holds so much rock and algae and I know pods need the surface area to feel like they have the space to breed.
The brine shrimp should be ready in the morning. I didn't have a hot enough lamp on them so they didn't do it in the 24 hours. I've changed lamps and will start another batch as soon as they hatch.
I already have a mesh breeder, droppers, little glass jar for a diner. I have frozen mysis but those are too big indeed. So I'm picking up some frozen enriched brine and also nano coral frenzy while I search for frozen nutramar, roe, or cyclopeeze.
I hope that I can train him easily. I know it was a bit early and so I'll have to be careful. I have no problem loading the tank over and over until we get it figured out.
He's still striking tonight lots, though it isn't as frequent, still multiple times a minute. I just did a small water change and pushed some of the pods in the HOB into the tank.
I think I'll add an external refugium, just need to figure out how I'll do it. The HOB is nice, but it only holds so much rock and algae and I know pods need the surface area to feel like they have the space to breed.
The brine shrimp should be ready in the morning. I didn't have a hot enough lamp on them so they didn't do it in the 24 hours. I've changed lamps and will start another batch as soon as they hatch.
I already have a mesh breeder, droppers, little glass jar for a diner. I have frozen mysis but those are too big indeed. So I'm picking up some frozen enriched brine and also nano coral frenzy while I search for frozen nutramar, roe, or cyclopeeze.
seecrabrun
Active Member
Do you think it is a bad idea to have a canister filter when you are trying to cultivate pods?
I just switched from a HOB to canister and have been very happy so far. I don't have the room for a sump on this tank.
I searched cultivating my own pods last night and I think I'm going to setup a farm away from the tank. I also researched cultivated phytoplankton to feed the pods. They both seem easy enough and that would make sure I have plenty of fresh on hand.
I just switched from a HOB to canister and have been very happy so far. I don't have the room for a sump on this tank.
I searched cultivating my own pods last night and I think I'm going to setup a farm away from the tank. I also researched cultivated phytoplankton to feed the pods. They both seem easy enough and that would make sure I have plenty of fresh on hand.
seecrabrun
Active Member
I try!!! I'm the type that tries to help instead of harm. Yes I make mistakes and end up harming, but I try to weigh the likelihood of good to bad when I make a decision regarding a living thing. If I think I can do more good then its current situation then I try my best.
I've ended up with a lot of rescues over the years because of this. I've been the petmom to creatures of all kinds in all situations. From caring for a roadkill turtle to then release it, to chasing a crow around a parking lot in 100° heat when I realized it had a broken wing. LOL sometimes I try a little too hard...
I mean, if you've ever read my beginning posts when I joined... I got into this hobby because I accidentally brought home a hermit crab from the beach. Hundreds of dollars later, she's probably the most pampered hermit that ever lived LOL.
I just have a hard time seeing things suffer and not trying to help in some way.
I've ended up with a lot of rescues over the years because of this. I've been the petmom to creatures of all kinds in all situations. From caring for a roadkill turtle to then release it, to chasing a crow around a parking lot in 100° heat when I realized it had a broken wing. LOL sometimes I try a little too hard...
I mean, if you've ever read my beginning posts when I joined... I got into this hobby because I accidentally brought home a hermit crab from the beach. Hundreds of dollars later, she's probably the most pampered hermit that ever lived LOL.
I just have a hard time seeing things suffer and not trying to help in some way.
seecrabrun
Active Member
Er... I'm no saint though! I care so much because it makes me feel good to care, I guess caring is my hobby.
Don't want it to sound like I have a savior complex! LOL
Don't want it to sound like I have a savior complex! LOL
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Some pods will get trapped in the filters. It's unavoidable. But... they will mostly be free-swimming pods that the dragonet can't catch anyway. The best pod for dragonets is the Tisbe copepod. These are surface dwelling pods that reproduce fairly rapidly. Most of the other pods spend their time swimming in the water column, and since dragonets feed on substrate organisms, they're of little value to them. Once the dragonet gets bigger, it can make a meal of small amphipods, also. It's good to have these critters in your tank, as they're an excellent addition to the cleanup crew.
If you can't add a refugium, then a remote pod farm is an excellent alternative. In the meantime, and even afterwards, see if you can coax the little guy into eating processed food(s). The more rounded it's diet is, the healthier it will be. Keep us posted on it's progress.