Skinny Lawnmower...

[Jolieve]

I've had my lawnmower blenny for about two months now... when I got him, he was round and fat and took formula two flake for the first two days. After that... he stopped and stuck to the algae on the rocks and glass. I kept feeding forumla 2 in an attempt to get him to eat something else... because I knew that eventually there would not be enough fresh algae provided for him in the tank.

For the first time in a couple of weeks, I managed to get a good look at my lawnmower today. He is.. very thin. I have put a clip of seaweed selects in the tank, in hopes that he would take it, and picked up some spirulina wafers, but he is not showing an interest. I just sent my husband to the store for nori, and am hoping this will work and get him eating again.

Failing all of this, is there anything else I can do? I really love this guy, it'll kill me to lose him.

Thanks so much,
J.

 

[grav]

I should start by saying that I know very little about lawnmowers, or blennys. That out of the way, if he is eating nothing you need to do something. I'll assume your water quality is good.

Try several diffrent kinds of food. If nothing works, forget the "standard" foods they are expected to eat, and try anything. After getting a very thin Tang home, and he rejected vegie flakes, pellets, 3 kinds of lettus and spinach, I finally got him going on frozen mysis shrimp.

I think the little guy had been in transit, and in overstocked stress filled tanks for a while and had litterally forgotten how to eat. 2 weeks later, he would eat just about anything. If fresh alge is all he wants, get him some and then ween him off it over time. The LFS, or anyone with a fuge should be able to help.

Good luck, let me know how you do.

 

[klingsa]

Aaaah, I miss mine. He jumped out of my tank a few days ago. Very strange. Anyway, he was a fat sucker! He always ate enthusiastically off the walls and rocks, and shared dried algae sheets with my yellow tang. I think that and nori are both good ideas. Mine always seemed to like red algae sheets. But then again, he also compulsively moved my coral from one place to another...strange fish, that one. They have so much character! When I get home from vacation, I'm getting another one.
Good luck!
Sara

 

[Len]

There's actually several species of blennies that are being sold as "lawnmowers" and each has a slightly different diet. As you found out, none of them willingly eat introduced foods, even nori. So the only option once a specimen has grazed out most of the algae (good for you, bad for them) is to find algae-laden rocks for it to munch on or give him up to a new home that could use a lawnmower. Comb-mouthed blennies are always tough to get feeding, even after natural food in the tank is exhausted.

 

[PeeJ]

The pul kord on mi lawnmor brok 1 tym. i had 2 spyn thu blayd 2 start tha mwer. i cnt tipe to gud nemore

 

[grav]

PJ

u r werd

not werd gud, er werd bad, jus werd difderent

 

[PeeJ]

i know...people tell me that all the time...i think it cause i look like britney spears

 

[Jeff Hood]

Does he look like this? I feed Seaweed selects every day. I soak it in a Zoe and Selco mixture I make my self at least twice per week.

Keep on it and hopefully it will eat. Take a half sheet of Seaweed selects or Nori and roll it up. Rubberband it to a rock and tie a piece of fishing line to it. Lower it down to an area where the fish hangs out and watch what happens