scooter vs. lawnmower

grim0822 · 02/05/2006, 07:42 PM

i would like to add either a scooter blenny or a lawnmower blenny to my 30 gallon fowlr tank. my main concern is my sand substrate. will either of these two eat algae on sand? i've heard lawnmowers will clean any surface, even glass. any personal experience with these two? thanks!

Amphiprion · 02/05/2006, 07:47 PM

Scooter "blennies" will not eat algae per se. They do feed off of the small benthic animals that associate with it and on the sand. They must have a reasonable population of these to live and thrive. They are actually a dragonet, similar to the mandarin fish. I cannot honestly recommend one for this size tank. Lawnmowers are true blennies and need algae in their diet. They will clean most surfaces, rasping algae from them. They are far more likely, however, to get algae from rocks and glass than they will sand. As long as there is ample algae and no other similar blennies, you should not have much of a problem with this one.

dwculp · 02/05/2006, 09:35 PM

With that size tank I would recommend the lawnmower blenny. It is a peaceful fish that will spend most of its time searching around for algae to eat and hiding. When you first put the blenny in you probably wont see it for awhile, they are VERY shy fish and can take awhile to get used to their surroundings.

He wont bother any other fish or inverts and can be considered a member of the "clean-up crew" because be feeds on algae. Mine can be seen hopping and swimming bewteen rocks during the day cleaning any algae he can find off of them.

The "scooter blenny" will just starve and die in your tank

grim0822 · 02/06/2006, 09:18 AM

thanks for the advice. i'll cross the scooter off of my list.

any recommendations for getting my sand clean (in addition to water quality, which i am attempting)?

i currently have 3 red legged hermits, 4 astreas and 6 nassarius snails. they all pretty much stay on the rocks, although the nassarius will also get on the glass. i'm a little disappointed in the nassarius, because i read that they were good sand cleaners, but they pretty much go everywhere but the sand! i'm hesitant to put the astreas down there, because i've read that they're more used to rocky surfaces and don't necessarily like sand.

nemofish2217 · 02/06/2006, 09:32 AM

tagging along....

Mish · 02/06/2006, 09:48 AM

Give your nass snails time. They will move to the sand. (mine did) I have two different types of nass snails (black ones kinda big, and lighter colors white/tan) I like the lighter ones better they seem to take to the sand more.

As for a lawnmower blenny, they are great at eating algae, mine dosen't eat it off the sand though. I will warn you, Mine became very aggressive to his tank mates. He is famous for chasing a bi-color Pseudo (supposedly an aggressive fish)

Good luck!

dwculp · 02/06/2006, 10:26 AM

Mish - your avatar makes me crave guacamole!!!

Keeping sand clean can be difficult, most of the cleanup crew spends its time on the rocks. However, I would suggest the following for keeping your sand clean and stirred:

A few morew nass snails
Get some mini brittle stars. I mean the dime sized ones not the big ones.
Get a some beneficial bristle worms and spaghetti worms.
Get a really good pod population going.

You can get all of that from ipsf.com. Great company with fast service!

Mish · 02/06/2006, 10:42 AM

Trust me you don't want that avacado! It has half a bottle of glycerin on it!

gtriamy · 02/06/2006, 11:49 AM

hey wait a minute, i have a 20 with a scooter blenny, he's straight from the wild, and he'll eat right out of my hand, i feed him plankton and mysis (he doesn't like brine). the scooter is not as hard to feed as a manderin and adds a whole bunch of character to your tank.

02/05/2006, 07:42 PM	#1
grim0822 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 37	scooter vs. lawnmower i would like to add either a scooter blenny or a lawnmower blenny to my 30 gallon fowlr tank. my main concern is my sand substrate. will either of these two eat algae on sand? i've heard lawnmowers will clean any surface, even glass. any personal experience with these two? thanks!

02/05/2006, 07:47 PM	#2
Amphiprion Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mobile, AL Posts: 6,611	Scooter "blennies" will not eat algae per se. They do feed off of the small benthic animals that associate with it and on the sand. They must have a reasonable population of these to live and thrive. They are actually a dragonet, similar to the mandarin fish. I cannot honestly recommend one for this size tank. Lawnmowers are true blennies and need algae in their diet. They will clean most surfaces, rasping algae from them. They are far more likely, however, to get algae from rocks and glass than they will sand. As long as there is ample algae and no other similar blennies, you should not have much of a problem with this one. __________________ You've done it now, haven't you? Current Tank Info: 40g breeder patch reef w/ seagrass; 2-250w XM 10K; Vortech MP40wES & MP10wES; BM Curve 7 skimmer; carbon & occasional GFO

02/05/2006, 09:35 PM	#3
dwculp Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Carrollton, TX Posts: 2,338	With that size tank I would recommend the lawnmower blenny. It is a peaceful fish that will spend most of its time searching around for algae to eat and hiding. When you first put the blenny in you probably wont see it for awhile, they are VERY shy fish and can take awhile to get used to their surroundings. He wont bother any other fish or inverts and can be considered a member of the "clean-up crew" because be feeds on algae. Mine can be seen hopping and swimming bewteen rocks during the day cleaning any algae he can find off of them. The "scooter blenny" will just starve and die in your tank __________________ Remember, it will only get worse before it gets worse. Current Tank Info: 10 years - Currently have a 100 FOWLR

02/06/2006, 09:48 AM	#6
Mish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 306	Give your nass snails time. They will move to the sand. (mine did) I have two different types of nass snails (black ones kinda big, and lighter colors white/tan) I like the lighter ones better they seem to take to the sand more. As for a lawnmower blenny, they are great at eating algae, mine dosen't eat it off the sand though. I will warn you, Mine became very aggressive to his tank mates. He is famous for chasing a bi-color Pseudo (supposedly an aggressive fish) Good luck! __________________ Mish If you find yourself in a hole, it's best to stop digging.

02/06/2006, 10:26 AM	#7
dwculp Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Carrollton, TX Posts: 2,338	Mish - your avatar makes me crave guacamole!!! Keeping sand clean can be difficult, most of the cleanup crew spends its time on the rocks. However, I would suggest the following for keeping your sand clean and stirred: A few morew nass snails Get some mini brittle stars. I mean the dime sized ones not the big ones. Get a some beneficial bristle worms and spaghetti worms. Get a really good pod population going. You can get all of that from ipsf.com. Great company with fast service! __________________ Remember, it will only get worse before it gets worse. Current Tank Info: 10 years - Currently have a 100 FOWLR

02/06/2006, 09:18 AM	#4
grim0822 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 37	thanks for the advice. i'll cross the scooter off of my list. any recommendations for getting my sand clean (in addition to water quality, which i am attempting)? i currently have 3 red legged hermits, 4 astreas and 6 nassarius snails. they all pretty much stay on the rocks, although the nassarius will also get on the glass. i'm a little disappointed in the nassarius, because i read that they were good sand cleaners, but they pretty much go everywhere but the sand! i'm hesitant to put the astreas down there, because i've read that they're more used to rocky surfaces and don't necessarily like sand.

02/06/2006, 09:32 AM	#5
nemofish2217 Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: South Carolina Posts: 1,606	tagging along....

02/06/2006, 10:42 AM	#8
Mish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 306	Trust me you don't want that avacado! It has half a bottle of glycerin on it! __________________ Mish If you find yourself in a hole, it's best to stop digging.

02/06/2006, 11:49 AM	#9
gtriamy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 138	hey wait a minute, i have a 20 with a scooter blenny, he's straight from the wild, and he'll eat right out of my hand, i feed him plankton and mysis (he doesn't like brine). the scooter is not as hard to feed as a manderin and adds a whole bunch of character to your tank.