VERY thin Lawnmower Blenny

[kewliz]

My Lawnmower Blenny is getting thinner. He eats a lot off my rocks and the sides of my tank, but he's too thin, even though my tank has plenty of algae.

I've had him for about 3 months. He's always been active and healthy, but has become thinner since he spent about a week in QT tank (not much to eat), but that was a good 5 weeks ago. He hasn't been fat since.

Anyone have ANY good food suggestions for my guy?
He's never shown any interest in anything I've fed the tank, including dried seaweed, formula 1, lettuce, and frozen herbivore food (fish gumdrops)

I'm concerned about his health at this point. Is there ANYTHING that he'll eat? Does anyone else have a picky eater Blenny? What's worked for you?

[karid]

do a search on this forum for "lawnmower blenny eating" - there are lots of posts about lawnmower blennies not eating and starving.

Mine was a fat piggie for months until he just stopped eating, got too thin, starved and died. I tried everything I could think of to no avail. He used to voraciously eat algae in the tank in addition to emerald food (his fav), forumla two flakes, formula one frozen, and pellets - pretty much anything I put into the tank.

[kewliz]

I had no idea until I did a search, that so many people had trouble with the lawnmower Blennys. I just ordered some Sea Veggies and they're getting here tomorrow. I'll try those.

Do Blennys eat red algae - the kind the LFS sells that's red and attached to rocks (the kind Tangs love)?

[karid]

I don't know about red algae - mine just ate green algae off the rocks and brownish algae off the glass.

You can also try emerald food if your LFS has it (Petco here has it). Mine liked that a lot.

Good luck!

[Reefdude3]

I hope yours starts eating. Mine always liked the green dried sea weed. Try dropping a few drops of garlic in the water when you feed, this can sometimes elicit a feeding response. yeah, a lot of people have trouble with them. Mine was doing great for 2 1/2 years until over the course of a few weeks he wouldn't eat and died, very sad.
Good luck!

PS: warn anybody you can, IMO they are not sutible for anything other than maintence fish that get cycled around to rid massive algae blooms, they can't be maintaned for long other wise, well, most can't.

[kewliz]

So far the best thing I've read is that bottom-feeder food (wafer/pellets) seem to be the most widely-accepted thing that Blennys will eat. I will pick some up in the next day or two. Meanwhile, I'll try those new sea veggies tomorrow and see what happens.

[Reefdude3]

try the garlic also, good luck!

[kewliz]

No luck with Sea Veggies, or the bottom-feeder pellets. The crabs and my Tang LOVED the pellets, though.
Poor Blenny. He's active and eating, but thin. I'm out of ideas.

[Jerry W]

I recently lost one to the same cirumstances. He ate very well for the first several weeks, scouring algae off the glass and rocks. Actually had a little pot belly. I noticed him tapering off from eating and then he stopped altogether, and eventually died, very thin. No change in tank conditions. Never accepted any prepared foods, even nori. I won't get another.

[Me No Nemo]

I through a couple of fresh shrimp and scallops in a food processor with some nori and about a quarter of a clove of fresh garlic and both my lawn mower blennies go nuts for it. They also like the Formula two pellets with the garlic. I think the garlic really does the job. Good luck.

[Me No Nemo]

Geez, that should be "throw"

[kewliz]

He shows NO interest in any type of food. Pellets, frozen, etc. All he eats is the goop from the sides of the tank. His favorite day is tank side cleaning day. He goes nuts over the pieces of algae that come off when we scrub. :-)

I just don't want him to die. He doesn't eat any of the herbivore food that we feed the Tang.

[moo]

I lost my lawnmower sometime last year. He would not eat anything I gave him. I tried nori, algae wafers, formulas, but no success. After all the frustration in getting him to eat poor guy died after a week.

Good luck with yours.

[Me No Nemo]

Here's my lawn mower blenny, Homer, sucking that food right out of the end of the baster. My other LMB, Maggie, does that same in the other tank. Neither were eating well before I found the food section on Melev's (sp?) page here on RC and made up some fresh food with the Garlic added. Supposedly, the garlic is supposed to be very good for them as well as sparking the appetite. Hope yours starts eating soon. Marcye

[Confooseld]

neato

[Me No Nemo]

BTW, does the tang chase him a lot? I just remembered that I had a tang that really bothered one of my LMB and I finally pulled him out. They seemed to compete for the same type of food and i think the blenny may have gotten intimidated. Just a thought.

[kewliz]

Originally posted by Me No Nemo
BTW, does the tang chase him a lot? I just remembered that I had a tang that really bothered one of my LMB and I finally pulled him out. They seemed to compete for the same type of food and i think the blenny may have gotten intimidated. Just a thought.

Nope, not at all. And besides, just got the tang 2 weeks ago. I started noticing that the Blenny was thin after he spent about a week in QT and ate nothing.

[crzy4reefs]

how's your blenny doing now?

[tizme]

We have a lawnmower blenny and so far he is doing great (but then we have quite a bit of algae in the tank LOL), he is even a little fat through the middle

Just wanted to mention that tonight I fed the tank some frozen cyclopeze and he was actually going nuts over it, not sure if the freeze dried would have the same effect, but it is a thought

Hope yours makes it through as they are quite an interesting fish with quite a personalty

Robin

[josh_peter]

yeah...you need an algae bloom...

[verde_ad]

Do you have a refuge, or know someone who does. You could stick it in there for a while and let it get fat and then stick it back in the display. I don't know if that would work, but it couldn't hurt.