Blenny is starving HELP PLEASE.

[windycityblues]

I've had a LMB for probably 4 or 5 months now and he was doing great. He actually had a little gut to him. Lately though he has been getting skinnier and skinnier. Now it's gotten to the point where i have to step in and do something. I leave the algae on the back and sides of the tank so he's got food but he doesn't seem to be eating as much. I got some seaweed select green marine algae and clip it to the rocks and the glass but the snails sniff it out long before the blenny even notices it's there. I've actually caught him eating poop (sorry detrius). Anyone have any luck with feeding any kind or brand of food.

[Blown 346]

I would try some Enriched brine shrimp or New Life Spectrum pellets. I believe they will also eat what is called sea weed if i remember right. How do your levels in the tank? any excessive algae growth( red hair or slime algae)? If so this is caused by high nutrient loads.I would review husbandry procedures (water changes, skimming, and feeding habits), and take action to eliminate the root cause of the outbreak. Second- if the red algae is of the "Cyanobacteria" variety (more slimy than hairy), there is always the chance that the fish is suffering from toxins (these algae can be toxic to fishes if ingested) as a result of eating the algae. This is a very remote possibility-but it could happen. A better possibility is that some of the same water conditions that are resulting in an algae outbreak are causing this fish to suffer.

[speckled trout]

You can shred the algae into small pieces before placing it in the aquarium. That way the snails can't get it. Mine finds these pieces quickly and engulfs all of them.

I have one in two different aquariums. One will eat absolutely anything from algae growing in the tank to flake food. The other eats algae but won't touch flakes. It, however, loves shrimp pellets. He gnaws on them until they're gone. I just toss a few in and he goes to work. Before I discovered this he was starting to get a little skinny.

Good Luck, I hope things work out.

[Haggisman14]

I have a plecotomus in my Oscar tank, and i feed him those algae waffer discs...would I be able to tosss them into my tank...maybe break them into smaller bits for him? Would that be alright...or does he need the seaweed strips?

[SOREVIV476]

formula 2 frozen food works great .. i highly recomend it it also has garlic for some reason the smell atracts them my bi-collor blenny loves the stuff .. does your lmb have a cave if it does put soem in his cave i do that with my yellow watcman goby because he is kinda shy ...

good luck

[windycityblues]

Thank you for the responses. I am diligent with my water changes. All the params are ideal. No cyano. I have a couple colonies of calpera that I'm letting grow a bit cause I'm planning on adding either a flame or coral beauty angel. I feed the tank a huge array of food.

Frozen
Formula one
mysis shrimp
daphnia

Formula one flake

freeze dried
ocean plankton
brine shrimp
daphnia

All these make there way into the tank throughout a week and I haven't noticed him going after any of them. I'll try the formula 2 frozen and try to shred some of the seaweed and see what happens. Oh I don't know if this helps but I would say he's pretty much full grown 3-4".

Thanks again for any advice

[thedude]

If the LMB has a favorite rock you could try rubberbanding some nori to the rock. That's what saved mine from starvation. If he's really thin you could try coating the nori with some selcon. That would add some good stuff and help fatten him up a little faster.

[Haggisman14]

would the algae waffers be any good...or pointless? Any ideas?

[SOREVIV476]

hey i would go with the flame rather than the coral beauty from what i have heard coral beautys are shy flames are hardy little pigs eat everything .. but i would ait to put that fish in last ... and the formula 2 frozen has seaweed in it also it is recommended highly for herbivours fish plus the smell of garlic attracts them to eat it .. try putting it next to his cave

[MattG]

when i first recieved my LMB he wouldnt take anything.

Once i soaked meaty foods like mysis in garlic he started to take that.

from there i started soaking formula two and spirilina algae disks and he eventually took those. Took about 3 months of persistant feeding.

after close to two years he just started eating nori.

i would try soaking all his food in garlic. i used kents garlic extreme. If you are persistent he will most likely eventually take in whatever you are offering. just offer him a variety of things. Also just because he isnt eating it now doesnt mean he wont learn to eat it.

[windycityblues]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm gonna go to the LFS later and try the formula2 and garlic and see what happens.

SOREVIV476 It is the last fish on my list. It's been 2 months since I added my last fish and have been waiting to add the angel. I added a flasher wrasse, and he, and the gramma were having some issues so I wanted to give them time before I went and added another.

[Haggisman14]

so i'm guessing blenny's don't have to eat only algae to survive...supplemental stuff will work....cool!!

[speckled trout]

Both of mine love these things. They're in separate tanks and learned to eat these on their own. I wasn't intending for them to eat it, but was giving it to my skunk shrimp. They now race to see who can get it first.

P.S.Mine's now as fat as a tick.

[azav8ter]

My LMB ate everything in the tank that I added as food, or the fish added as poop. He seemd to be non-stop eating. We began to notice his belly getting bigger. One day we noticed he stopped eating...the next day we found him on his side. Could he have ate too much?? There was no indication of disease, just a big belly. I was bummed cause he was a family favorite. Now we have detrius on the CC bed and have to vacuum...ugh.