Lawnmower - how to entice him to eat

[Mihai]

I got a lawnmower in my quarantine tank (QT) and I'm not sure he's eating. He got in 10 days ago. The QT is a 10 gal with lots of LR and plenty of different types of algae (some thick film on the glass, two types of hair and cheato).

First I never saw him eating anything ever. Second, he seems to have a pretty thin tummy. I found a patch of algae missing here and there, but I also have some cerith snails in there, so it may be those guys. Is it anything I can do to get him to eat the feast of algae in that tank? I thought that he'll make quick work of those algae but if those missing algae are his work, he's eating very little...

I tried a bit of nori on a shell, but he did't seem to care. I put some formula 2 but he doesn't seem to care...

Thanks for any advice,
M.

 

[bleedingthought]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/blenfdgfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/blenselfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/blensysfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/blendisfaqs.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algblenfaqs.htm

HTH

 

[Anonymous]

Many specimens fail to feed properly in captivity and wither away regardless of measured taken, even in tanks full of algea. With any luck, yours is not one of them.

Good luck

Jim

 

[Mihai]

Well, I always thought that it's a hardy, no-brainer type of fish. It turns out after some research that there are three types of lawnmower blennies:

1) the ones that never eat anything and die within weeks
2) the ones that seem to eat and thrive for months to years just to die unexpectedly
3) the ones that live happily for many many years.

I had no idea about the first two categories - it seems that in all the books only the third category is mentioned.

I hope I'll convince mine to move from the first category in one of the other ones... I'll try some fresh seaweeds from the asian market.

M.

 

[Mihai]

One more question: if he does make it and gets moved in my main tank, will he fight with my mandarins (<i>S. splendidus</i>)?

I know that they don't like other blennies, but are the mandarins considered blennies in the lawnmower's taxonomy?

M.

 

[Anonymous]

The last one I had never bothered my Mandarin. As I always say, nothing is all the time, but most likely yours will be no different. The one I speak of ate algae like crazy, yet withered away and died within a few months. The one before that lived until I moved and got rid of him.

The first example is unfortunately very common.


Jim

 

[Anonymous]

Only one I had would have survived nuclear holocaust. I got him, get this, as a hitchiker on LR that was out of water wrapped in newspaper for about 2 hours. Crazy. Of course that was my first piece of LR about 6 years ago before I knew that it should be carried from the store in water to prevent alot of die off. However, I digress. Mine ate everything offered. Had him for 2 years before I had to shut down the tank to go to germany. He was an incredible fish that survived all my newbie mistakes. I too was under the impression that they were all like him.

 

[bleedingthought]

Had him for 2 years before I had to shut down the tank to go to germany.

WWII?