Red Scooter Dragonet Feeding

[criticle]

I purchased a red scooter blenny or a (dragonet), after seeing it eat brine shrimp off of the sandbed at the dealers. well I was hoping if anyone had any experiance with live coepods in a bottle? I was hoping that they would breed in the aqaurium and still have a strong population for the scooter to eat. If you know anthing or have any experiance with your own red scooter blenny please let me in... by the way I have a clarke clown living peacefuly with the blenny, but does eat alot of the food before it sinks to the bottom for the blenny to get it.

[Sk8r]

Try frozen cyclopeeze. It might go for that. And yes, you can buy live copepods [tiggerpods, not arctipods] at reefnutrition.com and have them shipped. You can turn the whole lot loose in your tank or a refugium and feed phytoplankton: this will nourish the pods, who reproduce where live rock touches the sand; or in cheato balls. Hope your move will be soon to a larger tank with more live rock...or that you will get a refugium going. Even with supplementation, and eating live brine, it's going to be a rough go for a scooter in a 30g: live brine doesn't give enough food value. If you can get him to take mysis or cyclopeeze, that would be really good.

[criticle]

I do have freeze dried cyclopese would that work?

[Mojo Jojo]

Those things will not eat much meaty. It may go for it for a little while, but eventually you are going to have to buy some pods so the little guy does not starve.

[Sk8r]

I'd sure try it. Scooters are easier to get onto prepared food than mandys are. Good luck!

[davidryder]

If you don't have any luck get in touch with some local reefers (through clubs) and see if you can get ~25 pods to start a population. You can start them in a sponge and put the sponge in a place that is inaccessible to fish.

[criticle]

yeah so Ive heard... well ive seen Danny (my scooter) eat dead brine shrimp and constantly niping at rocks and sand... supposedly eating small inverts

[criticle]

by inaccsesible, what do you mean?

[davidryder]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9729150#post9729150 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by criticle
by inaccsesible, what do you mean?

A place in the tank where fish won't be able to access and pick the pods off of. It doesn't have to be lighted - maybe wedged between some rocks in a corner... if you don't have a refugium this is a decent alternative.

[Mojo Jojo]

That he cant get to it?:p

[criticle]

ohhh perfect I have plenty of those... Oh yes will the clarke pick off coepods? probably not but just wondering?

[davidryder]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9729173#post9729173 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by criticle
ohhh perfect I have plenty of those... Oh yes will the clarke pick off coepods? probably not but just wondering?

If the fish is hungry enough it will pick the pods off the glass and rocks, but if you regularly feed them they will stop relying on searching for food. Dragonets and blennys on the other hand are much harder to create the independence.

[Mojo Jojo]

Do you have any fuge? Sump? Etc? Try to culture pods someway. Like davidryder use a sponge or something. In the 30g you have the scooter will chow on them fast. Specially if you have a six line too. Mine is pig when it comes to pods. Some clowns can eat them too, but not too much.

[criticle]

Thanks Everyone for your Imput!