LMB hungry want to start an algae bloom

[knockout]

I know this goes against everything I've read in the forum, I have a lawnmower bleeny that only eats hair algae, I have try every other kind of food, and he just ignores it, if its not attached to rock, glass or pump he does not eat it, I really like this fish and he is starving, I recently started a 10 gal quarantine tank and I thought I could start a hair algae bloom there and move him to the 10 gallon tank and make it his new home
what can I add to the water to start this process, I am thinking adding a gallon of tap water and leave the lights on for a few days.... what do you think????

 

[big]

Our LMB was one of my first two fish in this DT. It was set up in August two years ago. For the longest time I had issues with getting him to eat anything other than what was on the glass. When it ran out many moons ago I was in fear of him starving too.
For a long time I could not get him to eat. Here was what worked for me as quoted from a post I did a while back. As follows;
I for the longest time, had issues with mine. After dropping tabs and hooking sheets to one of those little Algae sheet hangers for what seemed like ever fearing he was about to starve. Here is what seemed to eventually work for me, was hanging a sheet of algae over the from center support of my tank. As the sheet softened I took parts of the sheet and mashed them between my fingers so it would flow with the currents in the tank. It also seemed to help with the snails for distribution of food for them. In short time he started chasing and eating these bits.
Now days Benny the Blenny has a fat belly and comes up and eats pieces right out of my hand!! Good luck with yours they become wonderful fish with some time and patience....... Warren

 

[knockout]

thanks big, i will try that today, one other thing is I think he does not like to compete for his food and the tangs (3) in the tank end up getting to all the algae sheets I drop in

 

[big]

Originally Posted by knockout
http:///forum/post/2455146
thanks big, i will try that today, one other thing is I think he does not like to compete for his food and the tangs (3) in the tank end up getting to all the algae sheets I drop in

Hum, Three tangs in a 75 just may be two too many. What type or should I say types of tangs? But I hope with a little time and patience your LMB gets some of the food. Once he (or she) learns the "method " I described he will hold his own with anyone in the tank.
You may need to overfeed the little floating bits of the algae sheet for a few days but once he figures it out he will be the first one there chasing the pieces around the tank.... . Warren

 

[sebae009]

add a little vodka to the tank, you will get the algea you desire.

 

[renogaw]

vodka would work great.
also, go get some frozen brine cubes, and drop the whole thing in. you'll get enough phosphates from that, and nitrates from the decomposing brine, to kickstart the algae.
if you keep on cycling rock in and out of it as it grows algae on it, you should do good. also, get a very low K value light, 2700k should work great too.

 

[renogaw]

btw, i have a TON of hair algae in my sump if you want me to ups some to you, i bet it would work fine (like chaeto).

 

[knockout]

thanks for all the advice, the fish died this afternoon before I got around to feeding, after reading a lot about this fish the one piece of advice I can give some one thinking about getting this fish is buy one that has been tank raised, since its a 50/50 chance that they will not adapt to hobby food, I believe my fish may have been caught wild and did not know what to do/eat after his natural food ran out.
thanks again to all who replied

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by knockout
http:///forum/post/2456189
thanks for all the advice, the fish died this afternoon before I got around to feeding, after reading a lot about this fish the one piece of advice I can give some one thinking about getting this fish is buy one that has been tank raised, since its a 50/50 chance that they will not adapt to hobby food, I believe my fish may have been caught wild and did not know what to do/eat after his natural food ran out.
thanks again to all who replied
The advice that I can give is NEVER buy an animal to do the job of maintenance. If they do not eat (make them show you at the LFS before you buy), and can be sustained on, frozen then do not buy them.

 

[big]

Originally Posted by knockout
http:///forum/post/2456189
thanks for all the advice, the fish died this afternoon before I got around to feeding, after reading a lot about this fish the one piece of advice I can give some one thinking about getting this fish is buy one that has been tank raised, since its a 50/50 chance that they will not adapt to hobby food, I believe my fish may have been caught wild and did not know what to do/eat after his natural food ran out.
thanks again to all who replied

Sorry for the loss!