I haven't seen my Lawnmower blenny in a few days

[Anonymous]

I fear that he is dead. I know they require alot of algea to survive but I thought my green hair cesspool would be perfect for him. Saw him eat it a few times. He did look a little skinny the last week or so. I was worried about him. He never ate anything I offered, but was constantly picking at the rock, glass etc.

Are they always this dificult to keep?

I only had him for 2 months or so!

Louey

 

[Lynn]

Gosh, I sure hope not. How big was he when you got him? I've had one for over 4 months now. He is in a 20 gallon and is fat. He'll eat spirulina tablets as well as the algae. I got him when he was about 1" long. I wonder if getting them when they're real young helps?? My little 1" manderin eats frozen foods too.

 

[Anonymous]

Lynn, the lil bugger was probably 3-4" long.

I also have a manderin that is doing well for over a year. Of course their feeding requiments are differents, so that doesn't help with figuring the problem with the blenny.

As for getting them when they're small, I duno?
Anyone?

 

[Anonymous]

Have you checked the floor around your tank?

I had a lawnmower blenny jump out once.

 

[Anonymous]

mulberry-I just got home and looked all around for him. Inside and outside the tank.

He's a gonner. Dang it! He was a cool fish.

Am I just unlucky here, or is this typical for lawnmower blennies?

lynn. ps, my manderin eats frozen formula one. Although I only feed formula one once or twice a week, he usually eat some everytime. Here is a pic I took 9 months ago.

[ April 08, 2002: Message edited by: Louey ]

[ April 08, 2002: Message edited by: Louey ]</p>

 

[Lynn]

Louey, your pics are super and your tank is awesome!! just beautiful! I have some Form one and I'll try feeding that tonight, thanks. Hey, what coral is that beside the manderin in the # 15 pic. I think you should try another lawnmower blenny, looks like a perfect setup for one! Maybe he died of something else??who knows?
Lynn

 

[Lynn]

Also, your sun coral look so orange? Mine are bright yellow? Is it the camera or are they more orange then yellow?
take a look at mine and you'll see quite a difference.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Lynn.

I can't remember what that green hairy looking coral that is to the right of the manderin in picture #15. I'll take a picture of it and post it for ID sometime in the next couple days. All of those pictures are over 9 months old. I really should take more pics and update as much has changed.

The picture of the sun coral was taken at night, with a flash. That did bring out the orange in it. But it was more orange and pink than yellow. It died. I guess that sun polyps (or corals) require some special feeding that I was not providing. What are you feeding yours?

As for the blenny, I may well get another. They are such cool looking fish.

 

[Mouse]

He might have gone carpet surfing, look for a big sticky ball of fur.

 

[dustint]

Did you have powerheads and if so are the intakes well covered? I lost a blenny because he loved the powerhead, and it shutoff about one hour a day. Well he was able to wiggle himself into the covered(but not well enough) intake and get axed when it kicked on

Hope this didnt happen to your guy, but its a possibility?

Good Luck,
Dustin

 

[Anonymous]

Mouse-I looked all around, can't find him. Oh well. And while I have you here, do you mind if I ask WTF is the blue wobbly thing?

dustint-My MJ's are covered to the intake that comes standard w/ MJ's. So the PH didn't get him.

I think he just croaked. The cleaners ate his body and that's that.

Any other comments regarding the husbandry required to keep these lil buggers alive?

I'd like to get a new one, but not if they are difficult to keep.

Thanks for the replies!

Louey

 

[Lynn]

Louey,
I feed my sun coral everynight! Each polyp gets mysis or bring shimp or prime reef. It opens for me as soon as I start feeding the fish. Sometimes it will even do it in the day! I think they are beautiful.

 

[Lynn]

Louey,
I feed my sun coral everynight! Each polyp gets mysis or bring shimp or prime reef. It opens for me as soon as I start feeding the fish. Sometimes it will even do it in the day! I think they are beautiful.

 

[fishfarmer]

From what I've read on this board, they can be difficult. I believe they are primarily a film algae eater, at least that's what mine did a lot of. I had a healthy specimen to begin with very fat, jumped out of the bag at the LFS. He didn't touch the hair algae in my FOWLR, but did a great job cleaning the rocks and sides of the tank. He started to get skinny, so I tried Hikari algae wafers. He took a liking to those and started to gain weight. He would grab the wafers on the way to the bottom, much like a dog catching a frisbee. Then one day he just disappeared, no body showed up.

 

[LINK]

I have had my lawnmower blenny for almost 9 months, and he eats any kind of food I put in the tank. He is also ALWAYS swimming from one rock to the next, so if he is missing, I am sorry to say, but I fear the worst. I got mine when he was about 4-1/2 inches long.