Lawnmower Blenny Questions?

[beast]

What kind of algae do these guys eat for you? I just picked one up and am trying to figure out what to feed it. I've seen it suck on the glass, but that's about it. I've tried feeding nori and Formula II, but haven't seen him eat it. Any suggestions?

 

[danmhippo]

Diatom and green algae. It will ignore your flake food and nip on nori at best.

Are you an impulse buyer?

 

[danmhippo]

How long has your tank been setup? If your tank is relatively new, and the glass are pretty much devoid of diatom, your LMB could starve in your tank. Usually, 20G tank is considered small to house this blenny as 1. It does not have that much surface area to grow algae to keep up with his apetite and nutritional needs, if he does not starting to accept prepared food, and 2. It will out grow your 20G in less then 15 months, depends on how big it is now, and 3. It is a fairly territorial fish once it settled in.

How many fish do you have in the 20G now? I hope the clown and this LMB is it and you are not buying anymore. Your tank couldn't support anymore fish, IMHO. Interetingly enough, of all the possible fish you could've chosen, you picked 2 quite territorial fish........

 

[beast]

Yeah, I guess I'm an impulse buyer of fish. I go in that LFS and pick up the cool looking ones....without thinking ahead. But now I'm trying to figure out whether these guys will survive. My tank specs are in this thread(Feel free to critique in that thread):

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16891

Are you saying the LMB will not do well in a 20G tank? What do you think I can do to feed it?

 

[Lynn]

20 is pretty small to be able to supply enough for them to eat. I did have mine in my 20 for 6 months before my 180 was ready...but he ate spirulina tablets. You could try them? I would just lay them on a rock and he'd go to town.
Probably to be fair to the fish, you should return him to your LFS unless you can get him to eat or he will slowly starve to death. I 've heard some people having luck with sheets of Nori between the rocks??
Good luck with whatever way you go

 

[SteveP]

I've had mine for a couple of months now and all he does is scrape the algae off the glass. He also nips at halimeda, but I think he's really scraping off the leaves instead of eating them. I have a 135g tank, and I never clean the back glass so there is always enough for him to eat. He's never shown any interest in flake food or nori.

Steve
8{I

 

[slojmn1]

I tried a Lawnmower blenny in my 120g and he refused to eat any prepared foods, and boy did I try everything. After about 3 months he wasted away and died. If you are lucky enough to get him to take something he may do allright but he will definately be a terror in a 20g and outgrow it quickly. I'd return him. This is one fish I don't plan on trying again. Some people get really lucky and get one that eats prepared foods. They are definately cute and can induce impulse buying. I would definately think about doing more research before buying the animals for your 20g. This way you can really plan things out, learn in the process, and have a fantastic tank

 

[2poor2reef]

I keep a lawnmower in a 15g but it is the only fish in that tank. I had no trouble getting mine to eat prepared food. I started it with live brine, then frozen mysis (still its favorite) and then various flake. It's primary food now is spirulina flake. Please note that these are omnivores, not strict herbivores. As for algae they primatily eat surface films and true microalgae.

If you keep them in small tanks you MUST get it to eat prepared food IMO. Good luck. This fish typically has lots of personality.

 

[reefland]

A 20 gallon is to small. I've had a few of these over the years and they accepted spirulina flake food over time. Nori as well. Most of the time they would accept your typical home made frozen food mix as they tend to be fairly meaty.

 

[beast]

For those of you that have had success with nori, how long do you leave it in there for?

I'm going to try getting the spirulina flakes/tablets to see if he likes those. I'm currently experimenting with rolling up some formula 2 into nori, and seeing if something in that mixture he likes.

As far as the Formula 1 I throw in there, the LMB is too shy to stick around for food after I lift the lid. He's usually hiding when I feed the other fish, so it seems like he does not ever get the frozen food.

 

[2poor2reef]

I think that's the problem you're going to have trying to keep the lawnmower in such a small tank with other fish. I doubt it's going to work out.

 

[aquarist=broke]

Beast......

I have had two lawnmower blennies(neither have died). The first one that I had would only eat algae off of the glass. I never saw him eat anything other than what was on the rocks and glass providing it was easy enough to get off. When the glass algae started to disappear, I supplemented him with this green stuff called "seaweed selects". He preferred the stuff lower down in the tank ancored to anything.(my hermits and snails would also eat the stuff)

The second one that I have now eats algae and critters off the glass, and shocking to me at first is that he really loves Formula 1. He very seldom challenges the other four fish that I have to a floating piece, but he will "Wrestle" the hermits and even my bubble tip anemone for a nice sized morsel. 8O

Blennies kick _ss!!!

 

[Anonymous]

my lawnmower blenny ("Tubby") is a pig. 8O

he eats glass algae, rock algae, formula one, caulerpa, seaweed selects, and loves nori. i attach the nori to a clip and just leave it in there for the day. by am the next day, it's gone. in fact, i worry about him because he eats so much he can't sit right. he tries to perch and just rolls over his belly to one side. :lol:

 

[danmhippo]

Coral, you need a diet.......

Ugh......I meant him......

 

[pwlong]

My Blenny(Benny) eats the nori I buy from the grocery store, as well as Formula 1, frozen brine, and algae from the glass. I have read that nori gives little nutritional value, but it fills his tummy and he has been happily eating for the last two years.
Now I have another problem. In the last two days he has taken to trying to get out. He got out yesterday, and I have since covered all routes of escape, but it concerns me that he has been happy for the last two years and now hes doing this. I tested Ph(8.1) and Salinity(1.0245). Anyone else have this happen?

 

[2poor2reef]

pwlong, have you also tested amonia levels. I've seen that happen when something has died unnoticed and you have a temporary amonia spike. Also, when a fish is being pestered by an agressive tankmate.

 

[thebigblue]

i didnt realize how hit and miss the LMB seems to be...mine was the 1st fish added to my 125...he ate flake from the start and eats about anything i put in...i recently started trying the "lifeline" frozen foods from bio-tope research and he eats both the herbivore and carnivore of that too...

i guess it just depends on the individual?...

 

[oranje]

my lawnmower blenny ("Tubby") is a pig. 8O

he eats glass algae, rock algae, formula one, caulerpa, seaweed selects, and loves nori. i attach the nori to a clip and just leave it in there for the day. by am the next day, it's gone. in fact, i worry about him because he eats so much he can't sit right. he tries to perch and just rolls over his belly to one side. :lol:

yeah, that sounds about right. my lawnmower blenny, "sally jesse raphael," is a fat little fishy. she eats any flake food, frozen preparations, rocks, and small children. eats like a goldfish. literally. if i fed my fish every time she came out to beg, my water would turn into a brick of food.

i don't understand how anyone could have trouble feeding one of these! within a day she accepted flake food as her form of nourishment.

 

[teknopanda]

yup. my lmb ate everything...didn't become territorial though. was a very friendly fish. ate so much it looked pregnant everyday.

but then it died a large fat fish. =[ it's death is still a mystery.

 

[Anonymous]

yeah, that sounds about right. my lawnmower blenny, "sally jesse raphael," is a fat little fishy. she eats any flake food, frozen preparations, rocks, and small children.

rotflmao :lol: