[thezookeeper]

I KNOW they eat algae. My first lawnmower blennie did great for a few weeks and then disappeared without a trace. The first fish I've lost believe it or not. That was months ago. About a month ago I decided to try it again. Now I honestly don't know what the abdomen area is supposed to look like, but I think he looks thin. He hangs out a lot in one place and I can actually touch him without him swimming away right away. I'm beginning to worry. What can I feed him? Anybody?

These are supposed to be hardy fish but I'm encountering so many people who have problems keeping them. I'd hate to lose him!

Thanks,
Joanne

[Webman]

I have a lawnmower blenny and he is as healthy as can be. I've had him for 8 months now.

I use formula 1 & 2 flake food and frozen brine and meaty formula mixed with Kent Zoe vitamins. Every now and then I by some live brine for my tank. They love that!

Make sure you have enough places for this fish to hide and create a home. Hopefully you have a sand bed because lawnmowers love to move sand with his mouth to create a underground home.

Let me know how this works for ya.

Webman

[kevinpo]

Mine ate Formula1&2, Nori from my fingers. It sounds like yours will eat from your fingers also.

HTH,
Kevin

[Rin]

If he looks thin to you then he's starving. Lawnmowers aren't really a 'thin' fish. The fact that he won't move much when you touch him is also a warning sign.

Try to get him to eat 'something'.

Also, are you sure that you have hair algae, and not the feathery-looking bryopsis? He won't touch bryopsis.

[thezookeeper]

No actually I just said I knew they ate algae. I don't have either algae you mentioned. I feed formula one and two along with mysis, krill, silversides, Omega one veggie flakes.

I will get nori tonight and try to get him to eat. Thanks everyone. I appreciate it.

[tubs]

Sometimes I think cyanide has something to do with this. No matter how much a fish eats (whether it is an algae blenny or other fish) they just can't seem to gain weight. There is an LFS here in San Jose that sells certified cyanide free lawnmower blennies. They cost a couple dollars more but is certainly worth the extra cost.

Also not all of these blennies will adjust to artificially prepared foods and even veggies. By nature they graze all day on the rocks and it takes some learning for them to accept floating tidbits of food passing by. Some make this adjustment at some point and some may not in time or were never meant to adjust.

Anyhow I've had mine for 2 years now and for the first full year plus it didn't eat any of my offerings and got quite thin. It rejected any of the fish food offered to the other fish then all of a sudden it was wopping down everything I threw in the tank. Now it is as fat as a toad. I guess I feel fortunate with mine surviving.

[Rob]

I got two of these in two different tanks. Both are omnivores; and (unfortunately) prefer mysis, plankton and brine shrimp to algae --- any day of the week. If I feed my other fish, Salarius Fasciatus quickly gobbles his share, and as a consequence I've got nobody working on my nuisance algae... EXCEPT for the film algae on the glass, which S. Fasciatus munches as his pre-dinner salad.

They've both got big bellies.

This said, something doesn't sound right. If your S. Fasciatus won't take any food, there's got to be a reason.

Where did you get yours? Mine are from Premium Aquatics... and worth keeping, if you can. Interesting personalitles. I think De. Suess' "Grinch" character was modeled on the face of this fish.

[Rob]

Originally posted by tubs
There is an LFS here in San Jose that sells certified cyanide free lawnmower blennies. They cost a couple dollars more but is certainly worth the extra cost.

John, what in the world do they mean? The fish are interviewed ? Or do they just quarrantine and observe?

[kevinpo]

Rob,
I think it's kinda like a passport the fish carries LOL.

Kevin

[tubs]

There are some collectors out there that have been trained using nets where collection via cyanide is prevalent in the Philippines and Indonesa. MAC has been doing some work in countries such as the Philippines. Unfortunately I think that effort is in trouble because it was formerly funded by the Philippine government. Not exactly up to speed on the details but cyanide free fish can be obtained.

[IgorH]

I have one, and I can't honestly say that I ever saw it eat any algae (other than, as was mentioned, leaving those weird lip prints on the glass). Mine likes anything else, though, and is usually very aggressive about it. He even tries to eat me (I sometimes hand-feed my cleaner shrimp, because it's too shy to come out and fight for it, and it's kind of cute. Gotta watch the blenny, though - drew blood once.) Oddly, he looks skinny in the mornings, though he has what looks for all the world like a beer-belly the rest of the time.

Hope yours gets the hang of aquarium life; you hate to see any sick fish, and these guys are real characters. Good luck.

[marinelife]

I have had a Lawnmower Blenny for over 4 years and mine help take care of my hair algae problem I had right before I got him. Mine eats about anything that I put in the tank. he is always picking on the rocks, the only thing I have not been able to get him to eat is my bryposis algae. If you have plenty of rock they you should be ok, Mine likes to sit on the rocks and look out over the tank. I have never seen him dig in the sand. I think if he is thin then you have a problem, if you can get algae waffers you may want to try them, mine just loves them. Formula 1 & 2 also work for mine. Good Luck!!

[CNCreefer]

I was reading this thread yesterday and looked in the tank to look at my lawnmower blenny. He wasn't in his usual place, keep looking.....OH NOOOOOO! Is that a tail sticking out of my powerhead? Yep, sure is. So I unplug the PH and carefully pull him out. He's still alive, breathing fast, kind of "bent" looking....like he broke his back, but he was able to swim somewhat. So I leave him alone for the time being. Today when I got home from work I looked in there and he's doing a lot better, not "bent" looking anymore, and he's leaving his lip marks on the glass, so I know he's eating I better fabricate some kind of screen for the powerhead intake before something else gets sucked up in there.