lawn mower blenny

[bobbyjeb]

Murry was the first saltwater fish i bought. He had a huge grass belly and was happy for the last 6 monthes. Now he is very skinny and doesn't ...play...I am very worried for him. Is there anything that he can't resist to eat? He is in a 90gal and he really does his job. No (extream) algea except the long stringy green stuff. And not much of that.

[small alien]

put some nori in there. spirulina brine? other veggie enriched foods? I think this experience you're having is not entirely uncommon when one of these fish uses up the existing food source. good luck.

[milkit]

mine lives sheets of seaweed. eats them all day

[reefboarder]

My blennies in my 120 have adjusted to the feeding schedule of my other inhabitants and lurk in the shadows for any pieces my other fish miss to float down within striking distance.
I typically feed a few diff foods
1. a mix premade by myself with squid,scallops,shrimp,and clam and sometimes i break up some nori and mix it in
2. a frozen called 50/50 from my LFS it has bloodworm, mysids, and some other goodies mixed in
3. Ocean Nutrition formula 1 for omnivores it also has mysids i believe cyclops and some type of seaweed/macroalgae

they typically eat anything that floats close enough providing it is food.
thats just my experience hopefully it will work for you.
+1 on sheets as well you may want to try to put it somewhere that the blenny will feel safe going for it mine are shy usually and dont spend much time hanging by the glass

[Mike31154]

Hmm, I'm on my 3rd Lawnmower and haven't lost one to starvation. #1 fell victim to a power head, #2 went carpet surfing. Thankfully my current "Homer" has been with me for a while now, about a year I reckon. Each one was different with only #2 taking any of the food provided for my other tank inhabitants. #1 & #3 strictly graze(d) the rock, glass, powerheads, anything that doesn't move and some things that do like snails & hermit crabs.

Your guy may be just a grazer like mine and it could be that he never takes anything else, luck of the draw it seems. Keep trying different veggie based foods is about all you can do. Mine does appear to take a day off once in a while and his belly gets quite empty, but it's never longer than a day or so and he resumes grazing with vigour after that. He's never stopped 'playing' though.

I keep the back glass uncleaned so it builds up a fair amount of various algaes, maybe you could try the same if not already the case. Good luck with your dude.

[bobbyjeb]

Ok, thank-you for all the great replies. He has never eaten and of the food i put in for his friends. I never clean the back glass, he does that. Its rather clean now. I tried sheets of red sea weed, and another sheet of something else, he is not interrested. He has never been a shy thing, he plays peek-a-boo at the front glass with my finger. I hope he will be ok,
i will get that nori stuff and try it. ty ty ty

[convict3]

mine loves floating cichlid pellets. i tried everything to get him to eat but he refused. as a lest ditch effort i tried the pellets and it worked

[alextheromanian]

i had 4 ...UGLY but the most FUN FISH EVER

cant help but love them...they are very effective at eating algae...actually too effective...like others have said try dry seaweed the last one i had accepted it...the 3 before it didnt...

sadly they all died eventually being attacked by these tangs i had i got rid of.


GOOD LUCK!