Help, algae blenny dropping weight fast

[slojmn]

I bought a 4" algae blenny from my lfs about 3 weeks ago, fat and healthy, to help with major algae in my tank. Well the little bugger is dropping weight fast and appears to not like the various algae in my tank. I cannot get him to take any prepared foods either. The lfs said he was eating for them, but did not eat when they fed him. They felt he had already eaten that day and I, like a fool, went ahead and purchased him. I figured with the 6 different varieties of algae in my tank something would appeal to him. He appeared to be eating off the rocks, glass, and sides frequently the first week. Since then he has really tailed off so I have been offering him a variety of algae and meaty foods to no avail. I am so bummed about this as I know that algae blenies will waste away if their food source is not available. I just can't believe with all the various choices he can't find anything that works for him. I feel now that he is so skinny he is refusing to eat at all and will perish soon. Any ideas or am I just screwed? I hate to see this happen as I am so very conscientious about my purchases. This time I really blew it and feel this little guy is paying the price.

[Agu]

Do you have nori or seaweed selects available ? If you don't I'd suggest that as an alternative food. Lawnmowers are herbivores that graze constantly because their food isn't very nutritous, so be sure the food is always available. Also, rubberband the food to pieces of rock, it may be more likely to eat if there's a more natural presentation than a food clip. Putting the food in a more sheltered area might help also.

Or, you may be screwed :rolleyes: . A LFS gave me a lawnmower that wouldn't eat for them under the assumption it would find something to it's liking in a 180 reef. It never did eat, with the inevitable results :( .

Good Luck,

Agu

[Randy V]

I don't think you did the blenny any disservice. If you can't get him to eat then it is unlikely it would have survived at the lfs or in anyone elses tank either. In addition to nori mine takes live adult brine which can be gutloaded with selco and also frozen artemia if it's presented in good current. I have also seen it pick pods off the glass during my actinic-only lighting period so it would probably welcome any refugium critters also.

[slojmn]

Thanks Randy and Agu, I have a plethora of pods and such for my mandarin who is very fat and happy. I have a refugium full of pods that keep the tank pretty stocked. As far as live brine, no luck. I feed live brine 4-5 times per week for a couple of my pickier eaters in the tank, the blenny just stares at them swirling around him. I am currently trying the nori attached to rocks and such, he is ignoring it all :mad: . I hate this :mad: . Randy thank you for pointing out that he may have been doomed from the start as he appears to be very picky. I have plenty of green algae on the glass that the snails love, I usually clean this with a magnet but have forgone this ritual this week in hopes that he will work on it, no luck. There is so much turf algae covering my rocks, but I guess he tasted it for a while and decided no go. I hope he will go for the nori (I am trying 3 varieties presently) even though I want him to eat the nuisance algae. What I really want is for him to live

[Randy V]

That is very strange behavior for a lawnmower blenny. I've never seen one that wouldn't eat film off the glass. That sounds like the behavior of a fish that can't physically eat, possibly due to the way it was caught. I hope you can save it.

[JohnL]

Lot's of good advice above. You might also want to try some OSI spirulina flake. All my herbivores love it.

[hcs3]

what are the types of algea present in the tank?

don't clean the glass yet...

henry