Re: A bit of a concern about a blenny, the pet-fish store experience/mass merchandisers included   10/20/07
Bob,
<Jon>
I think my problem with the dip is that I set it up very... quickly.
Usually, when I've dipped, I've set it up about 4 nights before -- aerated, heated, multiple pH testings (and I usually use a package of the 8.0 pH adjuster + some baking soda to perfectly match my tank pH).
<Good to be thorough, meticulous here>
But yeah, everyone looks good today. The one fairy wrasse, a Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus lubbocki), is one of the shiest fish I've ever seen! He was shy in the store, but besides that he looked great. Same in my tank.
He's got tons of personality and pops out quick to eat food. Just likes to scuttle back to cover quickly. I don't know what species the other is and I'm going to try and get an up close shot of him to send to you guys. He's a fairly drab purple color with a little bit of light green around his fin area.
<Cirrhilabrus spp. live in large shoals by and large in the wild... and are quite active as such... in captivity, in small numbers, little volumes, quite different>
This is also way off topic, but I just started a job at Petco (Howell, NJ).
I know that you guys generally hate the way fish are kept there and all,
<Mmm, for the record, I worked at/for Petco in the early nineties, as a consultant, then a buyer... helped with arranging the co.s early entry into livestock... It is my qualified opinion that each store, indeed experience is largely a measure of the individuals involved. Much of the gear that the personnel are charged with is deficient IMO, and the system for livestock ordering... Is NOT sustainable... but the very gist of what one "gets" from involvement with mass merchandiser LFSs is identical with that of independents... Id est, "it" all comes down to the knowledge, ability, personal skills and desires of the INDIVIDUALS involved... Hotay, off da soap box... for now>
and I agree for the most part, but I've noticed that it's better than I expected. And at least I've been trying to persuade salt and fresh customers alike to quarantine and use salt/fresh dips before placement as well.
<Excellent! Good for you... us... the planet>
I like to think that I'm making a bit of difference. I think I've given out Wet Web's address about 30 times to various customers (and a few have come back and mentioned just how great of a site it really is).
<Ahhh... the pleasure>
Thanks again for the help!
- Jon
<Welcome my/our friend. Life to you. Bob Fenner>

Re: Blenny Death – 07/19/07
Thank you for your response. We set up the tank in March 2006 and started adding fish 3 months after. Here is the list of fish we had in the tank and also we have some mushrooms and polyps and about 150 pounds of live rock. The sump below is filled with live rock as well with 2 Detritivore kits. In addition to the pump we have two maxi jet 1200 powerheads on each corner of the tank, protein skimmer and we top off the water 1 gallon per day with RODI water. We have not introduced new fish to the tank in about 8 months. The tank was doing great until about 2 weeks ago when we noticed the Blenny gone. The Mushrooms and Polyps are doing fine still but we lost the following fish:
Blenny
Flame Angel
4 Damsels
Survivors so far (I'm not sure about the 2 peppermint shrimp?)
Foxface
Large Tang
Small Clown
1 very small Damsel
2 Scarlet Shrimp
I feed the fish 1 cube of frozen brine or marine cuisine every other day and some flake food the other days, also some pellets and was told I may be feeding them too many pellets because they were found in the sump and were not eaten by the fish.
We recently did add a small fan 3 months ago which is controlled when the lights go on as to make sure the lighting during summer did not heat the tank too much. The temperature stays stable due to the air conditioning in the office set at a certain degree and I would think if the tank overheated the corals would have suffered. I know it could be a number of things and it's sometimes impossible to figure out what went wrong but any thing you can think of would be helpful.
Thanks for your help!
>>>Hello again Nancy,
One thing really jumps out at me, and that is that your tank, before your fish deaths, was WAY overstocked. About 5 fish the size of your flame angel is the most you should be thinking about for a tank this size. That is, if you want stability and a reasonable margin for error. Under the circumstances, I'm not surprised you're having some issues quite frankly. There are many things that can kill a fish, and so many in such tight quarters will quickly exacerbate any small problem that rears it's head.
Assuming the "large tang" and Foxface remain, that really only leaves room for maybe two other small fish. Remember all that water that is displaced by that rock! After all is said and done, you have maybe 65 gallons of water in your tank.
I have a feeling that you've had a low-level C. irritans infestation in your tan for quite some time, probably due to improper quarantine procedure, or complete lack thereof. Organic wastes have built up in the tank, and your fish began to succumb to the parasite.
Course of action at this point, do NOT add any fish for at least 4 months. Let things settle down, and do some large water changes. Frankly, if nothing else dies, you'll have a fully stocked tank.
Feel free to ask more questions.
Jim<<<

Quarantine?  3/10/07
Dear WWM Crew,
<Jan>
As always, thanks for all of your help!!  It is a great comfort to be able to reach out to you folks and get such great advice and help!
<Yes>
We have a 72G reef tank with about 80 lbs. of LR.  Our water parameters are
(Temp=77deg F, Sg=1.025, pH=8.3, Ca=380ppm, Mg=1290ppm, dKH=6.75, Ammonia & Nitrite=0ppm, NO3= 5ppm).  The tank was set up and cycled last May.   
For about the last six months our live stock has consisted of a pair of clowns (A. ocellaris), a fat mandarin (S. splendidus), and a school of 9 Chromis viridis.  15 various corals, 2 tube worms (Protula magnifica) 2 turbo snails and some (+/- 8) blue legged hermit crabs.  In addition to this we have 3 peppermint shrimp (L. wurdemanni) & 2 fire shrimp (L. debelius) and 2 common cleaner shrimp (L. amboinensis).
We have 3 questions.
1. Our LFS has been holding a Hawaiian Yellow Tang (Z. flavescens) for us for the last 2 weeks in their "quarantine" tank with water dosed with copper.  However, while the Tang has been alone in this tank, the tank is connected to other tanks running on the same water.  Should we quarantine this fish? If so, for the full month or just two weeks?
<I would quarantine this fish, or at the very least run it through a prophylactic FW dip/bath... detailed on... WWM>
2. We are also thinking of adding a Lawnmower Blenny (S. fasciatus) as our tank has plenty of algae on the LR.  Given this fishes need to graze algae, should it be quarantined?  If so, for how long?
<I would quarantine this species for two weeks... some smaller, likely-to-starve Blennioids for a shorter duration>
3. Also, concerning the Blenny & Tang, given the size of our tank and the current livestock listed above, do you see any potential problems with adding either or both of these fish?
<Mmm, no... not really... The fifteen species of corals here (in a 72 nominal gallon volume) should not be added to though... as they are likely "used" to each other... will/would react to new cnidarian life adversely>
Thanks!!
Jan & Ellen  
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Blenny Quarantine? - 5/25/2006
Today I received an Orange Spotted Blenny (Istiblennius chrysospilos) from an online retailer.  After a two hour acclimation period I currently have him in quarantine.  He is the first fish I have purchased for my new 90 gallon FOWLR tank that has been fishless for four months now, only a dozen snails, two cleaner shrimp and two porcelain crabs.
<<OK.>>
Everything seems to be going great, I have thousands of pods, about a dozen peanut worms, small pink bristleworms and numerous other life forms including probably 6 or 7 different kinds of macroalgae.  I have 60 lbs. of live rock, a 20 gallon sump with AquaC UrchinPro protein skimmer, a 10 gallon refugium and at least 18X turnover rate through a closed loop system plus the sump return.  
<<Sounds good so far.>>
Anyway, I was prepared to keep him quarantined for what I have read is a three week standard baring any difficulties.  But after reading one of the earlier FAQ's on blenny selection, Bob states blennies need a "brief quarantine."  I was wondering what brief meant.
<<At least a week in my opinion.>>
The blenny seems healthy; small, but not skinny.  He doesn't appear sick, just scared and trying to cope with his new environment.   I have only tried once to feed him some frozen herbivore medley which he didn't seem interested in (I have about ten different offerings prepared for him waiting to try out).  Should I continue with the three week quarantine whether he eats or not or should I move him in a couple of days to the plentiful display tank if he doesn't appear interested in what I am offering?
<<If he eats nothing, move him sooner, but if he accepts some of your offerings, push it longer than a few days.>>
Thanks again.....y'all are wonderful with your insightful advice.  Jonathan
<<Glad to help. Lisa.>>

Very Stressed Midas Blenny   4/1/06
Hi, <Hi there, Leslie here with you this morning.>
I asked this on wetwebfotos and got no responses.
I got a Midas Blenny from what I think is a reliable source (lots of reviews), also when everything arrived it was beautifully packed. Everything else is fine and in good condition (all inverts). However, the Blenny is not so ok. I don't think it is sick, but it is hiding constantly. I put the Blenny in QT. It is not a stripped down QT, has some rock and
sand. Anyway, the Blenny has been hiding and has been seen a couple times, not moving much and very mottled in color.
<These fish spend quite a bit of time perched between rocks usually with their heads peeking out, seeming quite alert and interested in their environment.>I understand that is a stress signal.
<It can be a sign of stress but that is also how they look when they settle in for the night. It is a form of camouflage. He probably is not feeling safe in his new environment just yet.>
(Actually if I didn't know what they really look like I would say it is quite pretty. Oh well.) Anyway, I want to know what I can do (if anything) to help my fish. I added a few more hiding places. Am planning on a water change tomorrow (1-2 gals) and changing the carbon. Also lowering the water level a little-- I am using a power filter so a little lower water level will cause a bit more water movement (I think).
<Yes it should, even better would be a small power head placed at the surface so that the return flows horizontally across the water surface causing a nice ripple effect.>
Anything else I could do for the fish?
<I think you came up with a great plan. If possible limiting the activity around the tank for a while until your fish settles in may help. Your new fish probably just needs little time to adjust to it’s new home.> Should I not do any of the above?
<No. It all sounds just fine.>
My main tank is looking much better btw!!
<That’s great news!!>
Thanks, des
<You’re most welcome, best of luck with your new blenny.  Leslie>

Blenny on The Decline?  12/15/05
Hello Mr. Fenner,
<Scott F. in today!>
Huge fan of the site and I wasted lots of time and money before learning so much on WetWeb.  My issue involves my Sailfin Blenny who appears to be struggling for survival now.  Very fast respirations (with mouth open) and not moving too much, but active enough to move fast when approaching it.  He has a big belly but that's not anything new. I do 10% water changes weekly - the tank is a 29 gallon.  The other fish appear happy and are eating well.  I have to honestly say, I've rarely seen the Blenny eat but I've had him for 8 months.  I have roughly 35 lbs of Walt Smith Fiji Live Rock which will never allow me to catch this fish for quarantine/treatment.  Would you have any recommendations here?  Is he on his way out?  He's been like this for about 3-5 days.  PH 8.2 SPG 1.024.
Thanks,
Phil
<Well, Phil- it's awful hard to be certain what the problem could be. You could be looking at anything from a parasitic illness (such as the dreaded Amyloodinium-"Marine Velvet") to some type of poisoning. Blennies are a bit sensitive to water quality, and can be the proverbial "Canary in the coalmine", as far as water quality issues are concerned, often being among the first fishes in a community tank to display distress. On the other hand, if it is a disease, you could be looking at a situation where you may have to dismantle the tank for treatment. I'd continue to observe the fish carefully, monitor water quality (particularly ammonia and nitrite) carefully, and take action as needed. Attempt to get him to eat food, if possible. I cannot give you any more detailed advice than that without actually seeing the fish. If nothing else, just consider the possibilities and proceed carefully. By all means, don't treat in the display tank, if ti comes to that! Good luck! Regards, Scott F.>

Stringy blenny  9/19.5/05
I'm writing about my 46 gallon bow...FOWLR Had a little Cyano, so I did water changes 10 percent
every 5 days (looking better). tank parameters 0 - nitrite, ammonia, ph - 8.2, nitrates - 20 (ongoing tank para)
tank inhabitants:  bi-color blenny, black-line blenny, molly miller blenny, 2 percula clowns, yellow goby,
pygmy angel, 2 cleaner shrimp. Same fish stock for a while....all fish QT'd going in....
Here's my problem, for the past 2 weeks, my molly miller blenny has kind of "stringy" material on him,
comes and goes...doesn't look like ick....is eating like a pig - (vitamin enriched pellet and frozen
w/garlic) (as usual).  It has been suggested to me (by my LFS) that he may be shedding his slime coat and
getting debris stuck to him (he's around the rocks) but I've had him a while and never noticed this
before.  All my blenny's scratch now and then...but I know this is normal behavior...
<Yes>
I've got a qt set up....a fresh dip going....just in case....but just keeping an eye on it for now...
BUT....have you ever seen a "stringy" blenny?
<Yes... sometimes these "strings" are copepod parasites... can be treated with Clout, other compounds with anti-arthropod activity. Bob Fenner>

Re: Stringy blenny  9/20/05
Bob,
<Lisa>
Appreciate your extensive knowledge... but I've had him a while...several months... starting to think it is ich...
<... Crypt doesn't look "stringy">
he looked pretty bad the other morning... fed him well (and he ate like a pig), FW dipped, put in 10
gallon qt...looks much better (still feeding well). Color looks good but still may not be 100%..may fw dip
again tomorrow if needed.  Is there any chance that some blennies sleep and secrete a mucus like some other fish?  
<Yes... all fish are slimy... blennies more than most>
My black line looks a bit "salted" around his head... ich I've seen, looks bigger than that (yet velvet takes it's course much quicker..
<... environmental...>
speaking from experience).  He's a bit strange, anyhow, when he sleeps it is in the tank corners or against the rocks
and ALWAYS loses color.    Incredibly interesting fish looks dead when sleeping but it is in his
nature...I wonder if all black-line blennies do this?
<I do think so... helps them evade predators to "blend in">
Had mine for about 6 months and he always has..... If it is ich,
<Not ich...>
it is a far less aggressive case than I've dealt with in the past.  This has been going on
for 2 weeks....no losses.... Here's the question of the day:  Do cleaner shrimp not
service certain fish?  Seems some do not have that "relationship"....  
<Yes... both parties must be willing>
What concerns me, is the black-line is sleeping in a different place.... tomorrow, I will buy another
AquaClear filter put it on my 30g (filled with tank water from my other "ich free" tank and a powerhead
for now) yet use one of my sponges from existing tank.
<... would move parasites...>
I will then fw dip all the fish.   Put the black line in with the molly miller in the 10g qt, and the rest (
2 percula clowns, pygmy angel, yellow clown goby, bi-color blenny) in the 30g with the cleaner shrimp
(too many to qt in a small tank, and the molly miller doesn't care for the cleaners) and do continuous water
changes from my ich free tank to vacuum up any potential spores.... and fresh dip as needed....I will
not medicate, since all fish involved are sensitive.. except the clowns that seem fine (unless it
gets worst.. everyone is feeding well) yet put my 2 cleaners in the 30g.  Good plan?  Or am I
over-reacting?  Would you wait and observe longer?
<I'd be looking for root cause/s... making large water changes, using chemical filtrants... looking into a larger system, better filtration. Bob Fenner>

Re: Stringy blenny  9/24/05
Bob,
<Lisa>
I am now going to quote from your fantastic book,
"Sometimes the treatment is worst than the disease itself...." (Or that which we think is a disease)
because I have done nothing but observe my main tank and do water changes daily.
<Wish I had insisted on the word "often", "more often" in place of "Sometimes">
I forgot to mention, I do have a Knop skimmer,
<... wish Daniel, their previous distributor would not have allowed the name to be applied to these... they're bunk, not made by the Germans (but by a U.S....)>
aqua clear 300, and powerhead
(which I increased the circulation).  As tempted as I was to pull them all (because the bi-color blenny was
scratching the bottom more than usual and sleeping in the corner by the heater) I did not.
I now think he is happily out more because he doesn't compete with the molly miller and sleeps by the heater
against his reflection and to keep an eye out for more food during feeding time....
All have continued to eat...no losses at all.
<Good>
My molly miller is looking great in qt (after 2 fw
dips and I vacuum the bottom twice daily) going to add him to my other tank in a few weeks...I think it was
just too many blennies in the tank he was in - too stressful for them all.
<Agreed>
I am still running my 30g empty tank in tandem, in the event this does turn out to be something....vacuuming
the bottom and filling with water from my other tank. Doesn't hurt to have it going...
<Good planning>
I'm going to make another donation to your site, as I hope all do who get such expert advice.
<Oooh, we do put the money (from sponsors, donors, book sales...) to good use... Mainly paying our content providers, editors of our online zine, getting folks scuba certified, paying for occasional computer upgrades, travel to conferences, speakers reimbursements to clubs...>
As much as I love the hobby, I am starting to wonder if it is just too stressful....
<Heeee! It is relaxing... to folks who don't own them!>
Regards, Bob, you are the best!
<Don't know about this... but thank you. Bob Fenner>

Sick Lawnmower blenny
Hi every one.
I have a blenny that is starting scratching quite
often over the past two days and is starting to have
his tail fin rot a bit on the outer edges. He has a
fantastic appetite and eats more than his fair share.
I feed him Nori, TetraMin flakes, Formula one and
often parts of my finger if it happens to hit the
water. The blenny is in a 55 gal tank with a few other
fish. The only other fish to show signs is a purple
backed Pseudochromis (scratching). I have had this tank
for about two weeks now but have no test kits other
than salinity and pH, 1.024 and PH 8.2. Getting this
tank was not planned but a last moment thing when and
friends co-worker had to leave town, as such i can not
afford everything i need at once. The tank was cycled
when i got it, though the move was very hard on the
fish and the existing bio filtration is not very good
at all. The condition of the fish when i got them was
more than horrible; they were all under fed and
seemingly bleached of all color. The fish all seemed
like they would do fine and then the blenny started
acting up. I’m going to buy a full test kit soon but
it will take days to get to my house. What should i do
in the mean time?
Thank you.
<Perhaps lower your specific gravity a few thousandths... this will arrest, stall proliferation of microbes that may be involved here, stir your fishes to produce a bit more body mucus... In the meanwhile, please take the time to read on WWM re marine parasitic disease. Bob Fenner>

Mysterious Death
Hello,
I have one question: Why my SALARIAS FASCIATUS died? Everything was ok, but for few days his stomach was  VERY BIG.<Could have been bloat> I thought that he just ate too much but today i saw him behind the rocks... What cause that?<Also could be a hitchhiker in the LR that killed him> My water par, are great. In tank there was only him and Foxface. Please tell me why he died...<I can not give you a definite answer here all I can do is give you possibilities.>
BTW:
I can't take him out of the tank, will my cleaner shrimps ate him?<Probably not...you need to take this fish out post haste. It will pollute your water.>
BTW2:
I'm going to put Zebrasoma flavescens to the tank. Will be any problems with my Foxface (it's 55 gal, but will be 195).Will they fight?
<I Have seen people do this before...normally it works but sometimes it doesn't. If it were me I would purchase a purple tang or a red sea sailfin tang because of the color difference.>
THX guys <No prob, IanB>

Sick Lawnmower Blenny 8/1/04
I need your assistance.  My (female) lawnmower blenny seems ill to me.  She seems less active then normal and she is eating but not at the same rate she used to.  I had the manager of the fish store stop by to take a look at her and he said she was losing some color on her back but should be ok.  
<hmmm... based on these symptoms, there's not much to go on here (and it does not sound like much/any problem>
I am really concerned.  I checked my water parameters yesterday and they were fine, I also took a sample into the fish store to have them test and they said the parameters were fine also.  I really would like some suggestions on how to help her.  I absolutely adore this little creature.  Thanks in advance, Karen
<the best way to stimulate fishes is a series of hearty water changes and improving the diet. Let me suggest that you do at least three 25% water changes in the next 2-3 week and add some Dick Boyd's Vita-Chem (for vitamins of course) and Selcon (for HUFAs) to the diet (usually soaking the thawed frozen foods... thaw and drain first, then add the supplements before feeding to fishes). No worries :) Anthony>

Sick Lawnmower Blenny III 8/2/04
Thank you for your response.  I added some "Kent Garlic Supreme" to the food yesterday 
and did a partial water change today.  
<very good>
I have also purchased and added to the food  "Kent Zoe Marine".
<I have little regard for Kent products personally... but this may be helpful indeed>
She, the lawnmower blenny, seems to be doing better today.   
<the water change gets the credit I assure you>
We were also wondering if the moon light could be disturbing her at night , could it be affecting her rest?    
<no more than the moon on a reef <G>>
We turned the moon light off when we went to bed last night and she seemed to do better this morning..  
Thanks again.  Karen
<you fuss/worry too much Karen... and I say that affably. Relax my friend... it is a relaxing hobby. 
Fussing with your tank and fishes in the long run makes things worse. 
Allow the system to find a groove and run a more natural course without frequent knee-jerk reactions. kindly, Anthony>

Sick blenny
Mr. Fenner,
What would we do without you? 
<I fear that some people would lose livestock, perhaps give up on this wonderful hobby altogether... and then who would I have to share with?>
My red lipped blenny is sick. He is in a
20 gallon quarantine tank and has been in there since we got him at the
end of Feb. Cannot put him into the main because we are keeping that
fallow due to ich. There is also a blue damsel in the 20. We haven't
put anything different or new into the tank The blenny started to look
dirty a couple of days ago, yesterday he looked worse and was acting
very shy which is unusual, today he is even worse. He doesn't raise his
fins or open his back fin and now instead of dirty he looks dark from
his head down to his middle. Oh, and he flicks. Yesterday the water
read: Ammonia-0-.25, Alk-3.6, Nitrite-0, ph-8.6. For the Nitrates I did
both tests one read 20(with the powder reagent) and the other 0. Then
I changed out about 3 gallons of water. What is it and what can I do?
Thank you, Mercedes
<Since February? I would move it/them to your main tank... add a biological cleaner, and hope for the best. Bob Fenner>

Re: sick blenny
Mr. Fenner, I am so grateful for your quick response! Thank you. A couple of
weeks ago, we figured we should be done with the ich so we put our coral beauty
in the main and he got ich in two days and died shortly thereafter, so we have
quite awhile to go before we can add anything. Now what? Is there anything I
can do for him? 
<About the best would be a clean, cured live rock system to place it in... barring this, if you can find cured live rock to put in the quarantine tank... this might save the day.>
I tested the water and all the readings are the same as before
I changed the water out. I am a little confused about the Nitrates reading.
Thanks again, Mercedes
<It may be that some of your reagents are old/damaged... I would do a third test if two are not in close agreement and then assume the worst and believe the two highest. Bob Fenner>

Pregnant Blenny???
Hi bob quick question for you,
<Anthony Calfo here... Bob is outside trying to hitchhike his way to Honolulu for the Pro Bowl... someone really should tell him that you can't get there by car>
I have a bicolor blenny that I just noticed has a somewhat distended belly with visible lumps. Now I've had the fish for over 2 months, so I don't think its about to lay eggs or have babies,
<agreed>
but I was curious if it may be infected with some disease. I noticed him looking full yesterday after feeding it some Mysis shrimp, but today its bigger and lumpy. any idea what it might be?
Thanks! David
<David...fast the creature/tank for several days to see if the distension subsides (we want to see if the "plumbing" is working). You might even add a TBN of Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) per 10 gall of tank water as a laxative (it is invert safe and in your food and sea salt as well) in case blockage/constipation were a concern. This occurs with greedy fish that gulp food to much too fast (particularly dry foods). Let us know if this helps. Kindly, Anthony>
David Schaer

Re: Pregnant Blenny???
yea, greedy constipated fish is what I think it was, the blockage seems to have cleared by today, it just look really weird yesterday
<not at all uncommon>
now I just have to keep an eye on my rusty angel who is developing pop-eye. 
<one eye on one fish is usually mechanical damage (a bump from a startle/spook into the glass or rocks). The Epsom salt ironically will help purge the fluid from behind the swelling eye (Magnesium Sulfate at 1 TBN per 10 gallons one time)> 
A question on that, my LFS which much to my chagrin happens to be PetCo,
gets their fish from a rather reputable wholesaler in NJ, so I order fish from them and try to get it in my tank before they can put them in theirs.
<wise>
Unfortunately the Rusty I picked up last week, spent a few hours in their tanks before I picked it up and its developing pop-eye,
<not contagious really unless overall conditions are so unsanitary>
even though my tank conditions are very optimal, no nitrites, or nitrates.
<again...likely mechanical damage but if both eyes swell...may be pathogenic and to be treated like bacterial infection>
Now I read most of the pop-eye FAQs last night, and my question is this,
they had an angel in their set up with pop-eye so I was wondering what the chances are that is a contagious pop eye and not a injury, if it is one that the fish caught in their tanks, do I treat it the same way, just let it go away on its own, and is there any additives, vitamin wise, that I should add to the tank to help it cure up? Thanks!! David
<Epsom salt and optimum diet for starters...if you don't see stabilization or improvement in 3 days, begin meds in quarantine. Anthony>

Ailing Lawnmower Blenny
Good morning one and all.
I have a quick question regarding my Lawnmower Blenny. He started off
looking good and fat and is now slowly becoming more thin. There is still a
predominance of hair algae in the tank that he takes no notice off but
instead tries to eat the glass of the tank. What supplements can I give him
in order to get him fat and healthy again? He ignores the Nori and the
Dulse that I use to feed the tang.
<Very bad sign>
All tank parameters are great and everyone else is healthy, the corals are
flourishing. Now I just need to get him back up to speed. Any suggestions
would be great.
Cheers.
Julian Hunt
<Of the major categories of probable cause here I'd discount bullying, environmental pollution effects... and suggest that "something" internal is at play... gut blockage from swallowing "something", perhaps a developmental/genetic anomaly, more likely an internal parasite of some sort. You can either "wait this out" hoping the animal may spontaneously cure of its own (they get thin quite quickly, and can perish in days to weeks w/o food), or try force-feeding the Blenny with an anti-parasitic compound or mix (I suggest food laced with Metronidazole)... in a quarantine system. Bob Fenner>