Scooter blenny doing weird things

[chamic1]

I just got a scooter blenny 2 days ago. It is white and blackish-grey in color. Today, when I got home from work, its head was a differnt color-- blackish-green-- and I noticed some bright blue spots on the dark part of it. Its been hopping around and every now-and-again it "inflates" its fins and starts to dig up some of the sand creating a bloom of white sand in the water. Is this normal?

 

[chamic1]

Has anybody ever seen their blenny do something like this. I have 2 other YT damselfish with ich, I think. I quarantined them, but is it possible that the blenny has it too. I bought him at a different time as the damselfish.

 

[meadbhb]

HIya,
My scooter changed colors from when I brought him home until he was in the tank a few days. When some fish are stressed out they loose color, so he's probably showing his true color.
As for the digging, puffing, and sifting, yeap, all normal behavior. The sifting is his way of finding food. Scooters are part of the dragon family and live on pods. Unless you can convert your scooter to processed foods, you're going to loose him when he wipes out your pod population.
Meadbhb

 

[chamic1]

any suggestion on how to increase the pod population?

 

[saltjunkie]

I'm not sure how to increase pods, other than maybe getting as much live rock as you can. I purchased 2 scooter blennies without knowing any better also. The LFS said nothing about them not eating the foods my other fish were eating. I was new to saltwater and didn't know to ask. Following advise on several forums, I went out and purchased some frozen brine shrimp. They started eating it! Then I got some frozen Mysis shrimp. They gradually started eating it also. Then I purchased some frozen Marine Cuisine. They love it. Now after about 2 months, they are eating some of everything and growing. Maybe you can train yours to eat these foods also. Good Luck, they are very cute and worth the effort! :yes:

 

[gun freak]

Mine LOVE frozen food and yes mine does the same thing !!!:jumping:
she don't stop moving , untill she goes to sleep ,then she goes down in the cc
with JUST her eyes showing "Yes changing out to the live sand "!!!:jumping: