feeding a scooter blenny

[newfishguy]

I just purchased a scooter blenny a couple of days ago and have tried feeding him Formula 2 frozen like the lfs said they did. However, from what I have read on this site they eat live worms and live brine. Can you purchase live worms and live brine at a lfs?
I have also read that they eat Microfauna from lr.
What do you feed yours?

 

[jdragunas]

uhhhh. scooter blenny is a bad choice of fish for a new tank. They actually feed off of pods, and rarely take frozen food. They're finicky eaters, and are not actually blennies, but are dragonets, like the infamous mandarinfish. If i were you, i'd take him back immediately... Always make sure you have the LFS feed a fish before you buy it, no matter what kind of fish it is!

 

[jmick]

Originally Posted by jdragunas
uhhhh. scooter blenny is a bad choice of fish for a new tank. They actually feed off of pods, and rarely take frozen food. They're finicky eaters, and are not actually blennies, but are dragonets, like the infamous mandarinfish. If i were you, i'd take him back immediately... Always make sure you have the LFS feed a fish before you buy it, no matter what kind of fish it is!

I agree, this was a very poor choice for a new tank and hopefully, they will take him back. It's so important to research an animal before you buy so you know that you can meet the needs of the animal. I’d be so happy if all stores stopped selling dragonets.

 

[newfishguy]

Ok. I think they will let me take him back. I spend enough money there.
What about a firefish goby and a Pygmy Angel?

 

[jdragunas]

firefish goby is great! They like to be in pairs, but you have to introduce them at the same time. I'm not familiar with pygmy angels... hold on i'll look them up...

 

[newfishguy]

Good. because I already got one because of a recommendation from here. What should I get in place of the scooter?
Originally Posted by jdragunas
firefish goby is great! They like to be in pairs, but you have to introduce them at the same time. I'm not familiar with pygmy angels... hold on i'll look them up...

 

[jdragunas]

hmmmm... what all do you have now?

 

[newfishguy]

Firefish goby
Pygmy Angel
Scooter Blenny
From what I read the Pygmy Angel was a good choice and so was the Firefish Goby.
Originally Posted by jdragunas
hmmmm... what all do you have now?

 

[jdragunas]

firefish are amazing, cute, and really nicely colored.
The Pygmy Angelfish is also called the Cherubfish, Cherub Angelfish, or Atlantic Pygmy Angelfish. It is a brilliant sapphire-blue with orange highlights to the face.
The Pygmy Angelfish requires a 30 gallon or larger tank with numerous hiding places and live rock for grazing on microalgae. It may nip at large-polyped stony corals and clam mantles.
The Pygmy Angelfish is an aggressive little angelfish, so it is best to never have more than one male per tank, since they may fight to the death. A breeding pair may be kept, and the Pygmy Angelfish has been bred in an aquarium with success.
The diet of the Pygmy Angelfish should include Spirulina, marine algae, high-quality angelfish preparations, mysid or frozen shrimp, and other meaty items. Feed three times daily.
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Care Level: Moderate
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 3"
Color Form: Blue, Orange
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Caribbean
Family: Pomacanthidae
Sounds like the pygmy can be pretty agressive, so keep your eye on him. Firefish can be aggressive too, so it should be ok.
You can add a clown if you'd like. They're really interesting to watch. I love watching mine swim, because they use their whole body to swim, not just the tail and fins. They're absolutely adorable. Mine actually "rides" the water from my return valve from my filter, like a roller coaster. It's amazing!!!

 

[newfishguy]

Thanks for the extra info on the Pygmy. I did a little research on him before I got him. My problem is that I goto the lfs and don't know what I am getting so I just get whatever looks cool and do the research afterwards. Well, actually my daughter picked out the scooter blenny so its her fault.

The firefish, angelfish, and blenny have all got along in the tank. My cleaner shrimp loves cleaning the angelfish. Its pretty cool to watch.
Too bad I have to take back the scooter he is pretty neat.
I'm afraid to get another clownfish since my first two died.

Ill never go back to ***** again for fish because a friend of mine said that every fish he ever bought from ***** has died. He buys his fish elsewhere now and never has a problem.
Originally Posted by jdragunas
firefish are amazing, cute, and really nicely colored.
The Pygmy Angelfish is also called the Cherubfish, Cherub Angelfish, or Atlantic Pygmy Angelfish. It is a brilliant sapphire-blue with orange highlights to the face.
The Pygmy Angelfish requires a 30 gallon or larger tank with numerous hiding places and live rock for grazing on microalgae. It may nip at large-polyped stony corals and clam mantles.
The Pygmy Angelfish is an aggressive little angelfish, so it is best to never have more than one male per tank, since they may fight to the death. A breeding pair may be kept, and the Pygmy Angelfish has been bred in an aquarium with success.
The diet of the Pygmy Angelfish should include Spirulina, marine algae, high-quality angelfish preparations, mysid or frozen shrimp, and other meaty items. Feed three times daily.
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Care Level: Moderate
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 3"
Color Form: Blue, Orange
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Diet: Omnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Caribbean
Family: Pomacanthidae
Sounds like the pygmy can be pretty agressive, so keep your eye on him. Firefish can be aggressive too, so it should be ok.
You can add a clown if you'd like. They're really interesting to watch. I love watching mine swim, because they use their whole body to swim, not just the tail and fins. They're absolutely adorable. Mine actually "rides" the water from my return valve from my filter, like a roller coaster. It's amazing!!!

 

[sleeper]

Hey, I have two scooter blennies (male and female) in my 29, all you have to do is train them to eat like you would a mandarin or seahorse. It's not easy, but when people perpetuate the myth that a fish is impossible the hobby doesn't advance.
The first step is to test, in the LFS, whether the fish is eating frozen. Ask the salesperson to drop a cube of something frozen into the tank. You'd be surprised: even some synchiropus splendidus (mandarins) will eat... as for the ones that don't, either don't buy it or, if you're up for a challenge, you really can keep it alive. I did this with my female and now she's the biggest pig on frozen mysis in my whole tank.
I also did it with my male kuda seahorse, which wasn't eating ANYTHING but live brine... within two months he was completely on frozen.

 

[fishmamma]

I have a bi-color blenny in with my angel and they bicker a bit but nothing major. Very fun personality. You could also consider another type of goby.

 

[newfishguy]

Good point. So, do both of yours eat frozen mysis? What else do you feed them? Do they run right for it when you put it in the tank?
Originally Posted by sleeper
Hey, I have two scooter blennies (male and female) in my 29, all you have to do is train them to eat like you would a mandarin or seahorse. It's not easy, but when people perpetuate the myth that a fish is impossible the hobby doesn't advance.
The first step is to test, in the LFS, whether the fish is eating frozen. Ask the salesperson to drop a cube of something frozen into the tank. You'd be surprised: even some synchiropus splendidus (mandarins) will eat... as for the ones that don't, either don't buy it or, if you're up for a challenge, you really can keep it alive. I did this with my female and now she's the biggest pig on frozen mysis in my whole tank.
I also did it with my male kuda seahorse, which wasn't eating ANYTHING but live brine... within two months he was completely on frozen.

 

[20gallon]

nfg,
Pardon me for saying this but you are adding quit a load to your tank at a alarming rate, then add in the fact that you acknowledge you aren't doing your research til after the fact is a recipe for disaster.

 

[newfishguy]

Not really. I've had some inverts in the tank for over two months. I now have three small fish in the tank. Thats all that is going in it. Water levels are perfect.
Originally Posted by 20Gallon
nfg,
Pardon me for saying this but you are adding quit a load to your tank at a alarming rate, then add in the fact that you acknowledge you aren't doing your research til after the fact is a recipe for disaster.

 

[jdragunas]

i think he's adding them ok...
as for the blenny, i agree that it's not impossible for someone to have them, that's not what i said. However, they are an "expert" fish, and an experienced aquarist should have them, not a beginner, IMO. Yes, it's possible to train them on frozen food, but that doesn't mean that yours will definately take to frozen foods. IMO, you should return him, and get another beginner fish, and as you become more acustomed to the hobby, if you desire, you can get one in the future.
And for the ***** thing, i've purchased every fish i own from *****, and the only ones i lost were due to my inexperience (i put 2 in while the tank was still cycling, and my one clown killed the other...) So don't exclude ***** indefinatley. If your particular ***** is poorly kept, then don't purchase from them, but if you feel comfortable with the fish you see, by all means buy them.

 

[jsb]

I tried training a scooter due to being new to the hobby as well. The store wouldn't take him back. I had pods all over my tank glass, so I wasn't real worried about it, but my tank is a 37gal, and the pods couldn't be replenished fast enough (at least that was my assumption). I tried hard to convert him, but he eventually starved. Towards the end he finally started eating frozen brine, but it was too late. He wasn't fast enough, and the fish would get to it first. I've got pods again, but I won't buy another until I have a larger tank that can support another one. Good luck. I was just sharing the flip side of the coin. I replaced him with an awesome little watchman goby.

 

[jdragunas]

ooohhhh, watchman gobies are awesome too!!! but, the firefish is pretty territorial toward other gobies, so i wouldn't mix the two.

 

[slugger]

hey,
i have a scooter blenny who's currently going to town grazing,
I read they graze on algae too, i only saw it one place though, anyone heard or seen it before too?
How did you train you scooters and mandarins to eat frozen mysis. I'd like to do that too.

 

[wax32]

They "graze" all right. They suck all kinds of stuff into their mouths and then it comes out of their gills. That doesn't mean they are getting any nutrition from the activity.