Minimum tank size for a Lawnmower Blenny

gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
I'm not a huge goby/blenny fan, but I saw a LMB at an LFS, and thought about getting one.
I'm setting up a 30g breeder (36" x 18" x 12" tall) and I wanted to make sure that's a big enough tank for it.
I've seen there min tank size anywhere from 20 - 55, but I figured since they're bottom dwellers, and my tank will have more surface area than a 55, I'm ok.
 
knockout

knockout

Member
I love the fish, but, do you have plenty of hair algae on your tank for the LMB to feed on, if not he will starve to death even if he is taking prepared foods at the LFS, if you do he will decimate it all, then you will need to catch him and give it to someelse who is having an algae outbreak, search this forum for LMB starving... hope I did not kill your your enthusiasm
 
stanlalee

stanlalee

Active Member
I kept a one in my standard 30g for years (one day just disappeared. not sure what happened but it wasn't starvation). they seem to start off just feeding off the live rock algae but before long they are ripping apart algae sheets, eating the other fishes meaty food along with picking the rocks. honestly there max size is probably a bit cramped in a 30g but most will be okay.
here was my guy in the standard 30g


 
nycbob

nycbob

Active Member
a 30 gallon with enough lr should be fine. if u see that its starving, just add an algae sheet.
 
girlina4x4

girlina4x4

Member
I love my LMB, he's the star of the tank! He is in a 29 gallon, about 6 inches, and he is pretty fat. Always eating. The first day I got him, he cleaned up a forrest of hair algea. He comes up to the surface and is always the first to start the feeding frenzy. He eat algea sheets, flake, freeze dries and frozen blood worms, frozen mysis shrimp, he even tears apart and eats large peices of krill! Lately he has also been attempting to eat the light on the heater wihtout much luck though. I think yours would be fine in a 30 gallon if he is provided with plenty of food.
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
Thanks for the responses. Looks like a
if I can get my hands on a smaller one.
I've got a good amount of hair algae in my tank already, one reason why a LMB appealed to me. I also have Nori sheets from the Coral Beauty I used to have in the tank.
 
metweezer

metweezer

Active Member
Originally Posted by gmann1139
http:///forum/post/2727721
I'm not a huge goby/blenny fan, but I saw a LMB at an LFS, and thought about getting one.
I'm setting up a 30g breeder (36" x 18" x 12" tall) and I wanted to make sure that's a big enough tank for it.
I've seen there min tank size anywhere from 20 - 55, but I figured since they're bottom dwellers, and my tank will have more surface area than a 55, I'm ok.
I agree with all above except knockout. But good luck finding this guy on your sandbed. He is a glass kisser, if you have algae on your glass. Mine races my other fish to grab all the food I feed. He will be fine in your 30. Mine thrives in my 29. Nori sheets is a great replacement for hair algae. I have never had hair algae and my guy is phat in more ways than one
 
dpeter51

dpeter51

Member
I would take the hair algae comments with a grain of salt though...I have read many many posts stating that their LMBs wouldn't touch long hair algae, and it turned out to be true in my case as well. I wasn't feeding supplemental algae, I thought he would be fine on what was growing naturally. He never touched the long hair algae that I had been fighting--he only ate the short "new" stuff on the glass and the rocks. I cleaned the algae off the glass one time, then went on vacation for a week. When I came back, I noticed that he looked like a skeleton. A couple of days later he was gone. (hermit crabs)
 
gmann1139

gmann1139

Active Member
Originally Posted by mkzimms
http:///forum/post/2731894
how are they with corals? im keeping a bunch of sps.
Zimms if you're serious on one I think I saw one yesterday at the store in Copiague. Not 100% sure b/c I was in a hurry, but I rarely see one around here, and I thought they had one.
 
N

nereef

Guest
Originally Posted by mkzimms
http:///forum/post/2731894
how are they with corals? im keeping a bunch of sps.
the only problem they would pose has to do w/ their tendency to perch on things. this may be irritating to some sps, but i don't see it being a major problem.
 
R

rcreations

Guest
My LMB eats stuff off the rocks, the glass and also eats algae sheets, regular food I feed my other fish, even krill and silversides. Fat little bugger.
 
jerryatrick

jerryatrick

Active Member
Originally Posted by knockout
http:///forum/post/2727807
I love the fish, but, do you have plenty of hair algae on your tank for the LMB to feed on, if not he will starve to death even if he is taking prepared foods at the LFS, if you do he will decimate it all, then you will need to catch him and give it to someelse who is having an algae outbreak, search this forum for LMB starving... hope I did not kill your your enthusiasm
Not so much
 
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