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Bartman
01-19-2005, 08:45 PM
I got a small Algae Blenny for my Nano about 6 weeks ago and it has been doing an amazing job with hair algae in my tank. It is constantly active picking away at the glass and rocks. I would have expected it to be fat by now but it is not. In fact it appears to be slowly wasting away. Where my Clown and Royal Gramma always look fat in the stomach area the Blenny is now looking drawn and stringy. As I say, it always appears to be eating something but it does not go after flake or frozen food that the other 2 fish get and it doesn't seem interested in the few algae wafers I've tossed in. It is active and healthy looking otherwise. Any thoughts on what I should be trying to feed it? :confused:

Richer
01-19-2005, 09:21 PM
Try feeding it pieces of unseasoned nori sheets. I usually rubberband a piece of nori onto a rock and drop it into the tank once every few days. You can usually find them under the oriential section of a grocery store. If your blenny doesn't take to that, try adding a couple drops of garlic extract to it. My first algae blenny didn't realize the nori sheets were food until I put a couple drops of kent extreme garlic on it... after that, it went nuts everytime I dropped its nori rock into the tank.

-Rich

4ptbuck
01-19-2005, 10:51 PM
I've had this exact same problem with 2 lawnmowers.
Each slowly got thinner and wasted away. They both ate frozen mysis and Nori.

This was a question I was going to ask.

Interesting to see the responses.

Bartman
01-19-2005, 10:58 PM
Thanks for the response. So far mine doesn't eat Mysis but I will try the Nori. Any other thoughts?

Rikko
01-20-2005, 02:42 AM
Blennies have pretty small throats comparatively.. They have problems eating many things. I have a bicolor who is positively obese because I feed chopped mysis. I already use a fairly small mysis (odd how different brands of mysis shrimp can vary in size so much) and then slice it thinly with a razor blade (while still frozen). The advantage is a very fine (and variable!) food size that all the fish and corals take advantage of (though the shrimp tend to steal it from the corals, alas), but because you need to slice it up frozen you can't really rinse away all the packwater. End result might be a little more nutrients in the water, but everybody's thriving.

Richer
01-20-2005, 05:06 AM
I was always under the impression that algae blennies are herbivores and require foods that refill the requirements that come with being a herbivore. As far as I've read, meaty foods such as mysis don't really benefit these kind of blennies, even though they may eat them.

-Rich

SeaHorse_Fanatic
01-20-2005, 08:09 AM
Mine have always grown fat & sassy on mysis & blood worms & brine. Other local reefers have told me that if their LM blennies don't switch to supplementing with frzn foods, then they always starve to death.

Maybe try growing some grape or feather caulerpa, since most herbivores love that stuff. If I toss in a fist sized clump in the evening, by morning not a stem is left after my tangs & angels are through. :eating:

JME

Anthony

In most of our tanks, we would have a hard time growing enough food for a hungry LM blenny, since mine will eat almost constantly.

Van down by the river
01-20-2005, 10:46 PM
Hello Scott,

Well your first problem is simply this, the tank is too small for your Blenny.
You said "Nano" so I will assume your tank is less than 20gallons. Normally a Algae Blenny is recommended for 50 gallons or larger. Your clown and Royal Gramma are omnivorous (unspecialized) feeders and will eat practically anything. Although your blenny may eat meaty foods, and they often do, it is not his main natural diet. You may find he bothers your corals when he has a lack of natural food supply. You mentioned algae wafers, if you are referring to the hard types of discs and pellets you will find that only larger fish such as Tangs will show interest in them.

Rich's suggestion of seaweed attached to rocks is a good idea that I have used in the past. It has been my personal experience that these blennies have a high metabolism and can require large amounts of suitable algae to fulfil their dietary requirements.

I would also like to draw your attention to your hair algae problem in your aquarium.
I think a more productive long term solution would have been to focus on your water chemistry. The addition of another fish increasing the bio load will only serve to further aggravate the hair algae problem, as even the current nutrient levels are not being processed effectively.
Revisiting some of your maintenance/feeding methods may also help you control your algae problems.
You mentioned your clown and Royal gramma are fat and happy. Remember that even if your fish eat all the food given they only process a certain percentage and the rest is past on back in to your aquarium as waste (also know as Algae fertilizer). So maybe cut back slightly on your feeding to reduce the nutrients available to the algae.

The addition of various small grazers such as hermits and snails would have been a much better solution for a small tank. They also will have a much smaller effect on your bio load.

Blennies have pretty small throats comparatively.. They have problems eating many things.- Rikko

Although somewhat true, I think you would be surprised at what small fish are able to swallow. I do agree that variety in food and particle size is beneficial. Obviously within reason, the ability to swallow has some effect. Some fish will show prey size preference, but I don't think that's the issue here. Usually what is referred to as a Algae blenny is a Salarias fasciatus, Istiblennius sp. or closely related species with about a 10 -15mm mouth opening.


quote]Maybe try growing some grape or feather caulerpa, since most herbivores love that stuff. If I toss in a fist sized clump in the evening, by morning not a stem is left after my tangs & angels are through.-SeaHorse Fanatic/Anthony[/quote]

Caulerpa's may help with reduction of nutrients in this case, but due to the small size of the aquarium and risks of macro algae reproduction. I don't think this is the solution.
The blenny has a comb like mouth designed to scrape small algae off the rocks. Unlike larger herbivores he will most likely show no interest whatsoever in large Macro algae.

So what is the solution? based on your post:

I got a small Algae Blenny for my Nano about 6 weeks ago and it has been doing an amazing job with hair algae in my tank. It is constantly active picking away at the glass and rocks. I would have expected it to be fat by now but it is not. In fact it appears to be slowly wasting away.

Look at some of the issues I mentioned.
As for the blenny, it is in his best interest that you place him in a more suitable home. It is quite obvious that he is not getting enough to eat. Trade him back to the store you got him from for snails and hermits. If you are unable to do that than sell or give him to a fellow hobbyist with a larger more suitable aquarium. If you choose to keep him, he will ultimately waste away and die in your system. Please be responsible, they are living things.

I hope I've helped clarify things, and do not take any of this as a personal attack on you or anyone else's abilities or ethics.

I do think that asking questions prior to purchasing would have avoided this.

Bartman
01-23-2005, 04:09 AM
Consider me duly chastised.

I have had some very positive PM's, though, on this issue which appear to be helping. :cool: I appreciate the responses.