Algae Blenny feeding ideas needed, please!

[Devilishturtles]

My algae blenny is quite particular...and it's driving me nuts. For some reason, hair algae loves to grow on the equipment in my tank, but not on the rock. The algae blenny though, doesn't touch it. He'd rather play in it, it seems. He rubs his face in it...but doesn't open his mouth to eat any.

So far, the only thing I can get the blenny to eat, is brine shrimp. He won't touch hair algae, and seems to ignore the seaweed sheets I add to the tank. He is still alive, so he must be eating something, but what do you guys feed your Blennys? Mine is constantly scavenging, but I still feel as if I need to see him eat something. I now feel like I must have a constant supply of brine shrimp just for the blenny, but he shouldn't eat them!

Thanks!

 

[roka64]

Just a crazy idea, can you put a little garlic in the hair algae? Not really sure if it will work, but it might be worth a try, crazy as it sounds....

 

[Devilishturtles]

Garlic huh? That's interesting. Like...storebought garlic or some sort of expensive made-for-aqarium garlic?

Nifty idea!

 

[roka64]

There are lots of people that use fresh store bought and squeezed. I would try to stay away from anything that has preservatives, I bought mine online, so I am not too sure what to look for, at the grocery. Try not to over do it on the garlic, maybe dilute two drops with some water and "spot feed" the algae, wow this is getting wierder...spot feeding hair algae. If you can remove the piece of equipment, try soaking it......Maybe someone can chime in....

 

[Charlie]

...are you sure its an Algae Blenny? I bought what I thought was an Algea Blenny a few weeks back. It only ate brine shrimp and nothing else. After a short while I determined that the fish I had bought was a Scooter Blenny. Scooter Blennys are meat eaters.

Just a thought.

 

[Devilishturtles]

...are you sure its an Algae Blenny? I bought what I thought was an Algea Blenny a few weeks back. It only ate brine shrimp and nothing else. After a short while I determined that the fish I had bought was a Scooter Blenny. Scooter Blennys are meat eaters.

Just a thought.

Had me scared for a moment! It's definitley an Algae Blenny as per the pictures on Live Aquaria. Here is the little guy.

 

[Guest]

Yes that is a Lawnmower/Sailfin...whatever it is an algae Blenny. I hear that they are hard to feed. If he is looking fed and not skinny I would not get too worried because your tank is established.

I have a few people in my reef club that have big Algae Blenny's so I will ask them what they do.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Thanks Mike. He has been looking okay, but a few days ago I noticed he looked skinny. I bought some brine shrimp, and now he looks plump again. He definitley is not following the norm.

 

[melosu58]

You might want to soak that brine in some garlic or vitamin supplement or Zoe. Something to enhance the brine.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Thanks for the tip melosu. I looked this last time, and the time before at my lfa and they are always sold out. I guess ill have to break down and order some online.

 

[Mrsfuller2572]

I use Garlic Extreme and they love it! HTH

 

[roka64]

I also thought of this, if he is well fed by you, he may become lazy and not eat the hair algae...This happened with my fire and cleaner shrimps. I never saw them clean once.

 

[Devilishturtles]

I don't know. I thought to myself that by not feeeding him, he'd be forced to scavenge for food. It seemed to be working well, until I saw him a little skinny the other day. He loves to pick the spot algae off the glass...but I don't think he is getting anything from it. Meanwhile, the hair algae goes untouched! I will definitley be trying the garlic (that garlic extreme is expensive, woah!). Worth the price though, I love this fish.

Thanks guys. I have some Zoe on order and the Garlic Extreme.

 

[Scoot]

My lawnmower blenny eats off the rocks all day long.

He also eats the "slow sinking pellets" I feed the tank - "Nutrafin Max Marine Complete Food for all marine fish".

There are fast-sinking pellets too, with spyrolina in them, he likes those.

He didn't start taking prepared food for a few months, until I got a green mandarin, so I wonder if the blenny was eating pods, and the mandarin cut the numbers down to the point where the blenny had to look elsewhere for food.

Either way, mines a little porker, and looks pregnant, cause his belly is so fat.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Scoot, I never thought about it eating the pods. Mine is eating off the rocks all the time too! But he is so small... I hope this garlic will maybe help it munch the hair algae.

Thanks again guys, I'll keep ya updated!