Lawnmower blenny: who has one?

[Delphinus]

Just trying to do some reading on this guy. Seems they might be hit and miss about picking/not picking on clams and corals? And it might be hard to get them to accept offered foods?

When they're doing their little "lawnmower" trademark, is it the algae they're eating, or the bugs living in the algae, I wonder?

Would greatly appreciate personal experiences with this fish. Thanks..

[Troy F]

Tony, I loved mine...after I stopped hating him. They can be a bother to clams. They can also be beligerent to other fish. They don't, to my experience, eat hair alga but rather diatoms. Make sure it is eating before you buy one. The one I had ate everything so I'm not sure if it would eat pods and stuff but they are definately herbivorous and possibly opportunistic with other foods. Mine would eat seaweed select off of a clip. Possible jumper as well (found out the hard way no pun intended).

[christyf5]

Hi!
I have one. He is quite the character. Constantly eating but never really making a dent in the algae. He does eat hair algae but seems to confine his efforts to a few select places and only nibbles on the younger stuff. I have him in with my new live rock which seems to be growing copious amounts of green algae(not hair algae thank god) and he just goes nuts on it. He has it almost all cleaned up. He never bothers any of my corals (not that I have many, no clams, few sps). Although he has always had plenty to eat tongue.gif

Christy smile.gif

[ 09 June 2002, 19:30: Message edited by: christyf5 ]

[FishGeek]

i have one in my soft coral 135 gal tank. the only time s/he bothers my corals is when s/he is perched on top of my cabbage. the cabbage at first didi not like it but now does not mind. I have never seen my blenny eat offered foods but is staying fat off the algea in my tank. S/he escecially?.... likes the algea that grows on the glass. It's pretty funny to watch. S/he looks as if s/he's bagging his/her head on the glass. I think they add great character to the tank.

Simon