Lawnmower Blenny

cushen123

cushen123

Member
First of all I would like to say how impressed i am with this web site. i made my first real fish and invert purchase from here and could not be happier. Everything is doing great and really adding color to my tank(Yellow Tang, Lawnmower b., emerald crabs, cleaner shrimp, orange tree sponge)
I've heard of problems with the blenny not eating and curious how to ween him/her on to the food i give and what food should i try to make available for him/her?
The orange tree sponge: anyone had success with these sponges?? if so, how?
Thanks
Edit/Delete Message :help:
 
fishfreek

fishfreek

Active Member
You can offer nori (seaweed) on a seaweed clip. My LMB loves that stuff, he also likes to pick at film algae on the glass.
As far as the orange tree sponge goes....sorry can't help there, i've never owned one. HTH
 
cushen123

cushen123

Member
mine bites at the glass, so i assume he's eating that film algae. is he getting enough to eat by eating that film algae???
 
dogstar

dogstar

Active Member
LMB should always have a slight pop belly. If they start to look a little skinny in the belly area then its starveing.
 
cushen123

cushen123

Member
I've put nori, formula 2, and another type of seaweed in the tank and I haven't seen him eat any of it. He does however attack the glass and appears to be eating off of it.
 
farmboy

farmboy

Active Member
My LMB works on the glass and a little on the rocks. I added some seaweed selects-dried macro? He didn't seem real interested.
OFF TOPIC: Is it normal for a LMB to"hide" in the rock work? I thought they enjoyed attention, but ours seems timid. The only other fish we have are a 14" bamboo shark--J/K
No really the only other fish are 2 Oscillaris clowns, 1 mandarin dragonet and a strawbery psuedochromis.
 
cushen123

cushen123

Member
Mine does the same thing, if i'm next to the aquarium he hides in or on top of rock work, but if i'm looking at a distance, he's all over the tank. But i've only had mine for 2 weeks so he may eventually open up to me a little.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
LMB's do like to hide in the rock, so that's completely normal behavior. Now, for what they eat. They're omnivores, so you need to feed them some meaty food too. I have 2 and i feed them "marine cuisine", which is a mixture of brine, krill, and mysis, with a "color-enhancing additive". They go crazy for this, and won't eat anything else. Your clown will really enjoy it too. You should be able to get it from your LFS.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
if he still doesn't eat, try enticing him with "extreme garlic" They go crazy for it. Just add a little to the water, after the food's been defrosted and let it soak for a minute or two...
 
cushen123

cushen123

Member
so when you say meaty, the formula 2 that I have isn't right???
what about taking bits of scallps and feeding that to him??
how would i feed him that stuff if he hides from me??
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
you just got him, right? once he realizes you're the food bearer, he'll come running everytime he sees you.
When i say meaty foods, i mean shrimp, basically. That's brine, mysis, and krill. if you purchase the "marine cuisine", you're golden! Mine goes crazy for it!
BTW, i've never heard anyone having a problem with the lawnmower blenny eating. You may be thinking of the "scooter blenny", which is really not a blenny, but a dragonet. They're picky eaters, and normally don't take anything except for copods.
 
cushen123

cushen123

Member
a friend of mine said his was a feniky eater and eventually died. i don't want that to happen to mine. Yeah, i've had mine for about 2 weeks, and I dont' feed everyday. I bought the formula 2, which is little pellets made from a mixture of brine, krill, etc... and he doesn't seem to be excited about it or the nori i put in. I had a hair algea problem before i got these fish and between him and the emerald and the tank, the algae is almost gone so hopefully he'll migrate from that to the seaweed or pellets.Thanks
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
you should be feeding him meaty foods, not pellets and nori... That's why he's not eating...
 
meisacao

meisacao

Member
I'm with Jenn on this one. I took her advice on what to feed. My LMB was acting like yours when I first got him and actually almost died. I couldn't get him to eat anything and then one day noticed he wouldn't even move around. He was getting very sick from being starved. I went to Petsmart and got the marine quisine and within an hour of eating it (he hogged it down too) he was motoring around the tank and dancing again. He eventually got to where he would chase the food through the tank to eat it. he's a little pig now and is very healthy. I suggest you go get the marine quisine.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
take a cube (or 1/2 cube, or 1/4 cube, depending on how many fish you have), and put it in a small cup (i use a plastic dixie cup) with a little bit of aquarium water. Let it defrost for about 15 min, mix it up (i use a straw), then pour it in the tank. You'll have to play with it a little to see how much your fish will eat... you want to feed them only as much as they'll consume in about 3 min. After that, it's all waste.
 
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