My lawnmower is dieing...discouraged.

lolly1

lolly1

Member
I just feel terrible about this. I don't know what it was, but my lawnmower just never came around and now is definitely not going to make it through the night. Since I got him three weeks ago, he has refused to be at all social and is constantly hiding out of view (to be seen only if you sneek in on him with the room lights off at night). Since I saw so very little of him, I never saw him eat and couldn't see enough him at one time (until today) to notice how sickly he is looking. What could have done it? My false percs seem very happy and all my inverts seem to be doing better than ever. My water levels are all good, yet something was making him unhappy. I tried Formula 2, Prime Reef, Algae sheets, you name it and he never got excited about eating anything. I'm trying to everything right and THIS happens! Truthfully, the false percs have been the first fish that I HAVE been able to keep alive since the tank was cycled in May (I previously lost a fuzzy dwarf lion and a flame angel). I'm getting discouraged to say the least.
 
whitey_028

whitey_028

Member
some fish dont make the trasition from sea to tank very well. It may be the way he was caught to the shipping to the acclamation... It may not even be your fault at all... I think if youve been in this hobby for any period of time you will loose fish straight from the store... I usually try to make sure they eat at the store before they come home and actually see him eat at the store but even then its doesnt gaurantee survival rates. My opinion is"nothing lives forever" Sad but true...
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by whitey_028
some fish dont make the trasition from sea to tank very well. It may be the way he was caught to the shipping to the acclamation... It may not even be your fault at all... I think if youve been in this hobby for any period of time you will loose fish straight from the store... I usually try to make sure they eat at the store before they come home and actually see him eat at the store but even then its doesnt gaurantee survival rates. My opinion is"nothing lives forever" Sad but true...
True enough. Normally I would have watched them eat at the store too (I think that's a great practice), however this one I ordered through my lfs and took him home just after they received him so he wouldn't have to get stressed over adjusting to their tank and then mine...
 
barchtruong

barchtruong

Member
Only liverock can save your Lawmower
my Lawmower Blenny acted exactly the way yours does.
Mine doesn't eat anything but stuff on lr.
And when I got him, I didn't have any lr. I fed him all kinds of food, and he didn't even come and check them ou.
he was working on the glass surface to get at much algae as he could get to survive.
My tank was so new at the time, so there was hardly any algae in the tank.
The poor thing hung on very well until 2 wks later, I put in 50lb of lr. He was happy.
And I just added another 50lb of lr in. Total of 100lb in 55g tank.
The rocks keep him busy all day.
That's the only creature in my tank that I don't have to worry about feeding.
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by barchtruong
Only liverock can save your Lawmower
my Lawmower Blenny acted exactly the way yours does.
Mine doesn't eat anything but stuff on lr.
And when I got him, I didn't have any lr. I fed him all kinds of food, and he didn't even come and check them ou.
he was working on the glass surface to get at much algae as he could get to survive.
My tank was so new at the time, so there was hardly any algae in the tank.
The poor thing hung on very well until 2 wks later, I put in 50lb of lr. He was happy.
And I just added another 50lb of lr in. Total of 100lb in 55g tank.
The rocks keep him busy all day.
That's the only creature in my tank that I don't have to worry about feeding.
I do have quite a bit of lr in my tank. I also have some algae growth on ght back glass. :thinking: I just don't know...
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by grips
Mine love to eat Nori. Try to rubber band some to a small piece of LR and toss it in.

Thanks for the suggestion...but he's gone.
I need some more fish like my percs...love to live, love to eat, super hardy. Any suggestions??
 
doglvr

doglvr

Member
I would stop cleaning the glass on the tank & leave the lights on longer to stimulate algae growth. While my LMB gets excited and comes out when I feed brine/mysis/etc., I have never seen it eat anything but algae off the rocks and glass. It's easy to tell if its eating algae on the glass because it will leave, what I call "blenny kisses" (perfect little mouth impressions where the algae is gone) :happyfish
 
doglvr

doglvr

Member
Originally Posted by Lolly1
Thanks for the suggestion...but he's gone.
I need some more fish like my percs...love to live, love to eat, super hardy. Any suggestions??
Oh no! That's too bad & sorry for your loss.
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by Farslayer
What are your water parameters? How did you acclimate your LMB?
I drip acclimated him for about 3 1/2 hours. My parameters are as follows:
Temp: 80-82
Salinity: 1.025-1.026
Ammonia: 0
pH: 8.2-8.4 (depending on time of day)
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 15-20.
 
grips

grips

Member
How about some Blue/Green Chromis. They are in the same group as clowns (damsels). Very hardy and a fairly passive fish.
Maybe you could try some type of goby.
Sorry about your loss.
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by grips
How about some Blue/Green Chromis. They are in the same group as clowns (damsels). Very hardy and a fairly passive fish.
Maybe you could try some type of goby.
Sorry about your loss.
Are blue reef chromis just as hardy? I think they are prettier...
I was thinking of maybe a watchman goby, but it seems to me I read that they are even touchier than the lawnmower. I could be mistaken on that...
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
I have a yellow watchman, they are HARDY! I have him paired with a pistol shrimp, which completely rules! If you try a watchman, get a pistol shrimp for him and watch the coolness :)
Chromis need to be kept by themselves or in groups of three or more. Keep them well fed with good food to maintain their coloring.
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by Farslayer
I have a yellow watchman, they are HARDY! I have him paired with a pistol shrimp, which completely rules! If you try a watchman, get a pistol shrimp for him and watch the coolness :)
Chromis need to be kept by themselves or in groups of three or more. Keep them well fed with good food to maintain their coloring.
Thank you! I was actually just reading about watchman gobies and wondering how hardy they were. Definitely going to consider it!!
 
farslayer

farslayer

Active Member
Oh, but get a lid, they can be jumpers. Not so much with the watchmans since they stay near the bottom. Make sure you have a sandy substrate or you can scratch them up bad (like with crushed corals). Gobies rule, easy tempered, small, perfect for reef tanks.
Good luck!
 
lolly1

lolly1

Member
Originally Posted by Farslayer
Oh, but get a lid, they can be jumpers. Not so much with the watchmans since they stay near the bottom. Make sure you have a sandy substrate or you can scratch them up bad (like with crushed corals). Gobies rule, easy tempered, small, perfect for reef tanks.
Good luck!
I do have a sandy substrate, but no lid...I'll have to look into getting one, I guess!
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Sorry for your loss. You seem to have done all you could. Remember the fish we get go through untold perils before they arrive in our tank. No telling what happened to it.
Lids can be bad. I don't like them as they limit gas exchange. Consider building a canopy instead.
 
f14peter

f14peter

Member
Originally Posted by Lolly1
Are blue reef chromis just as hardy? I think they are prettier...
I was thinking of maybe a watchman goby, but it seems to me I read that they are even touchier than the lawnmower. I could be mistaken on that...
I love my blue-green chromis, they're a crack-up, and as I understand pretty hardy. Fascinating to watch their color change right before your eyes as the angle of light changes.
Never thought a fish could swim straight backwards until I got them, they can also move up and down like a helicopter. Really fun to watch them as they pop up and down, in and out, from behind the rocks when the lights go out or come on. During the day, they occupy the front of the tank usually in the upper part of the water, and they also quickly learn about chow-time . . . I just have to walk near the tank and they start getting all excited.
 
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