Need Help with Scotter Blennie

[marty]

I have 2 scooter blennies in my 80 gallon tank. One is fine, the other is just sitting there. He moves very little. It doesn't look like ich or anything. I am worried that the other has just taken the will out of him. I had read (here on the board) that you shouldn't have 2 of these. Is that true? What is going on? Help please!

 

[kris walker]

I have seen the same thing. I had two scooters once, and they got along fine, even though one *did not* have a longer dorsal fin (which was what I was lookin for to identify it as a male). They both played a lot, and then one day, one just stopped moving (moved very infrequently actually, and not far when he did).
It turns out the one that didn't move had some sort of disease. Based on what I saw, I would say it was bacterial. It wouldn't eat either. And it would sometimes hide behind rocks (presumably not moving also) for days.
Take my advice, quarantine it asap in a separate tank. My other scooter got the same thing a week later, and also died. Unfortunatley, I couldn't get a QT tank up and running fast enough when I had the problem (it takes some time to establish a stable QT tank sometimes). Once the tank is stabilized, treat with maracyn-2 (for bacterial infections). If you suspect parasites for any reason, also lower the salinity in the QT tank to around 1.009 over a day or two (hyposalinity). If parasites, keep QT for 3 weeks. If only bacterial, keep QT for 1 week.
sam

 

[marty]

Tested the water: ph 8.0, Alk normal, ammonia - some green - lost color chart, nitrites < .1
Tests for the 10 gal hosp tank that is currently empty: ph 8.6, alk normal, nitrites 0, no test for ammonia because I ran out of bottle A.
I added a big piece of lr on saturday to the 80 gallon tank, big being 10 lb er - yep one piece.
Any thoughts now?

 

[kris walker]

The folowing assumes those water tests are the tests for QT tank water.
Funny. I was in a new LFS today, and overheard an employee telling a new hobbiest to just look at the vial and just "make sure it stays yellow". This is really a very bad habit to get into. Your eyes can play tricks on you, especially in artificial lights. What looks yellow in one light may look greenish yellow in another. You need the color chart to compare with. IMO, the test kit is useless without the chart. I highly recommend getting a new kit with a color chart, preferably one that you look both the transparent color scale and adjacent testing compartment.
Also, your pH is a little low, so make sure if your tank pH is higher, you properly acclimate the scooter when you transfer him into the QT tank.
If those readings you report were for your main tank, then if they are causing one scooter to be motionless, they should also cause the other one to be the same. So I would not discount the bacterial infectino theory based on that.
Good luck, I'm going home now and probably won't be back online.
sam

 

[marty]

Thanks Sam. Have a good night.
Anyone else have any thoughts? Please?

 

[marty]

Ok an update.
I bought a filter (penguin biowheel) and am getting my qt up and running. In trying to move the scooter, I had to move the decoration that was right next to him. He didn't even move. When I put the net in to get him, he finally moved. He is acclimating in a zip lock bag in the qt tank. He seems to be moving ok in there. I don't see anything visibly on him or anything. He moves, wags his tail, etc.. when I move the bag, so I know he is alive.
Have I just freaked out? What should I do? Some input please.

 

[fshhub]

first, scooters are normallyok together, as long as you have only one male(as sam said, distinguishable by the dorsal fins, the front one should be taller than the 2d fin), BUT do not mix them with other species of dragonettes, this they do not like, some may have had success but normally ther will be a big problem, often they will lock up(jaws) until one or botha are dead
hopefully you have freaked out, but NEVER count on this, although it is always a possibilty, it is better to investigate, than to be sorry
and as sam mentioned, you really should get another card, if you can, yellow is a good indication, but i work in printing, and one thing they told us at the beginning, yellows are VERYdecieving to the eye, a big difference in shadeis required to see adifference, without a close comparison, the eye does not see yellows as well as other colors
HTH

 

[marty]

I went and bought a new test kit completely as I was begining to run low on most of the drops. So I have a new ammonia card. Still I do know that my ammonia levels were closer to .25 than .5. I have check ammonia quite often to know what color/shade of green is.
Still, ammonia levels aside, do I qt my blennie? He is still in the baggie getting acclimated to the water in the qt tank. Should I put him in? Thanks!

 

[fshhub]

like i said, i would, just to make sure, if no other reason, q him a couple of weeks, he may not like the move, but he is already there, so if it is worth q ing him to make sure he has nothing, would it hurt? i'd rather have him healthy and going back in my tank than unhealthy and in my tank, and i meant nothing about your ability to read colors, it is just a fact that the eye is very forgiving with yellow shades, especially in different types of light, no offense intended, whatsoever, just trying to help avoid a potential problem

 

[cyn]

If the water in the QT is as different as you posted, I would very slowly acclimate the fish. Going from a pH of 8.0 to 8.6 would be alot of stress to a fish that is healthy, just immagine what it will be to a stressed one.
Just my .02
cyn

 

[marty]

Hey fshhub,
No offense was taken. I was just trying to say that I had remembered that the lighter shades of green were love ammonia levels vs the dark shades being high levels and that my readings were of light green not dark green. Of course, I do not like any green when it comes to ammonia, but light green is better.
Since he is now in the qt, what do I need to feed her? It does look more like a her since no big dorsal fin on the back/top. Right now the qt has a couple decorations, small gravel like base, 1 ph, 1 heater, 1 thermometer, and 1 penguin biowheel. Should I get some maracyn-2 and use that along with a hposalinity treatment?
I am heading off for the evening. I will check back in the morning.
Thanks for the help!

 

[fshhub]

feeding them is tricky, some will eat food, does yours regularly eay??, ours eats pods in the sand, and forzen brine, we just have to give it to him, when we started, we used a turkey baster to feed him/her(actually ours is a she, but i just got used to saying him), this got the food down to HER(LOL), so she could eat before the others scarfed it all up, and now, we still use the baster,and when it comes out from the stand, she climbs to the top of our 110lb pile of live rock, and watches, soooooo cooooooooooool!!, but she likes shrimp, and now still eats it as a regular meal,b ut the pods are also in her face all day long, so you know how she eats,
how long you had her??, if you jsut got her, this may also be part of your problem, especially if she is not eating, watch her when you feed, if she is not eating, get her back to the lfs, ours will take them just to try and save them, and then after they start eating, they will resell them, didn't notice, you are new to the hobby? i fthis is the case, make sure both are eating well
HTH

 

[marty]

Not sure if he eats or not. This morning I tried putting frozen (thawed) brine shrimp near him with a baster and he didn't do anything. Minutes later he had moved, but I didn't see him eat. Even the other one that appears good (still in main tank) I haven't really seen it eat anything. I try to force shrimp to the bottom near him, but he scoots away long before the shrimp settles. I wasn't able to stay long this morning to see if he came back to get any.
We got both scooters about 4 weeks ago. We are fairly new to the hobby, bought our main tank in September.
I will try some shrimp again tonight when I have time to watch them more.
Should I do the maracyn-2 on the one in the qt?
Thanks for your help.