I'm bery sad my last Blenny died?

mrangel

mrangel

Member
I bought 2 blennys about a month ago. I bought them from a reputable fish store and I asked him what the Blenny's ate. He said they were scavengers and don't need any extra food.
I have a 55 galloon tank and I have 6 damsels and 2 snails and 2 hermit crab.
My blenny's seemed to be doing fine and about a week ago, I noticed they looked skinny. Two days ago I found one that was dead. I realized they weren't eating enough and I desperately tried to give my other blenny some food. I tired lettuce and seaweed, but he passed away yesterday.
I am upset, because I wish the guy at the fish store would have told me that I might need more food? He seemed to think I wouldn't need anything extra.
Is there anything else that could have happened that could have caused my blenny's to die? Are blenny's very delicate fish?
Please help?
Maggie
 
drakken

drakken

Member
Sorry to here you lost your fish.
I read an article in a fish magazine (Tropical Fsh I think) that said blennies need live food. Mostly things like copepods that live on live rock (not feeders). If you want I can photocopy the article for you and fax it or something.
 
mdhyde

mdhyde

Member
It is always sad to hear the passing of a tank mate. And even more so when LFS members give out bad advice.
As far as he said, his advice really wasn't bad. But he should have told you if there wasnt a lot of algae in your tank, that they would need to be fed. With crabs and such in there, unless you had tufts of algae almost any blenny would starve.
Blenny's should eat lettuce, actually spinach is good subsititute. But any spirulina based food from the store would work.
And it does depend on the type of Blenny. Most eat just algae, but a scooter Blenny doesnt eat algae, he eats brine shrimp, amphipods and anything small like that. I would guess you had scooters and the lack of meaty foods did them in.
A good place to go to learn what fish eat is
XXXXX.com (link removed)
I have never bought fish from them, but if you look at the fish it gives a good description of what they need, how hardy they are and what they eat.
I am sorry for your loss. If you hold a wake (pun?) for the fish, please let us know
 
mrangel

mrangel

Member
Thanks for everyone's sympathies and response. I feel real bad that my scooter blennys died. I wish I would have know.
I have a question about live sand? What is it and where do you get it?
Thanks
Marguerite
 
mdhyde

mdhyde

Member
ah yep yep. Scooter blenny's. One of the few who eats meaty stuff and not algae.
I think LFS's should be held accountable. I see them selling fish like scooters and mandarins, knowing they arent going to a proper home or dont even ask. These fish simply starve to death and that is not fair to the fish or the person who buys them.
You need a lot of rockwork and little tiny critters to feed them. I had a pipefish that did well in my tank. When I switched form a 70gal to an 80 I lost most of the amphipods left in the old tank. He died 3 days later. Now I hatch baby brine for them.
Live sand just means it has stuff growing in it, like live rock is alive because it has stuff growing on it.
You would be wise to buy 80% of your sand from Home Depot (get premium playsand), pour it in, then add 20% of what you want of "live sand" from your LFS. In no time, all the sand will be live...and it will be MUCH cheaper.
Of course, if you are Zora and got half a mill to blow, go for 100% sand from the store. :D
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member

Originally posted by mdhyde
A good place to go to learn what fish eat is
XXXXX.com (link removed)
I have never bought fish from them, but if you look at the fish it gives a good description of what they need, how hardy they are and what they eat.

Sorry, mdhyde, had to edit out the link. SWF is hosting this board, and so it is a courtesy not to link to a competitor :)
mrangel, sorry for your loss! Hopefully we can always help with dietary questions. We encourage people to ask as many questions as possible before purchase, so that we can help out! :)
 
mrangel

mrangel

Member
mdhyde - I was able to get the information about the scooter blenny and that helped me figure out what went wrong.
Marguerite
 
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