25g cube - scooter blenny

[sandyf]

Hi. I'm a little concerned about some info I'm getting from my LFS. I have a new 25 gallon cube with live sand and live rock that was fully cured at the LFS and put right into the tank. It's about 3 weeks old. I was told that the live rock is already filled with the bacteria so there's no need to go through a long cycling period. So I've already put some critters in the tank... Clean up crew, 1 banggi cardinal, 1 6-line wrasse, a scooter blenny, duncan coral and anthelia. I've done a 10% water change every week and all my tests are good. Salinity about 1.022 and I'm slowly raising that with the water changes. Everyone seems completely healthy but I'm concerned about the scooter blenny. I was told I couldn't have a mandarin until the tank was established but a scooter blenny was fine. I feed mysis shrimp and cyclops but he doesn't eat that. He sifts the sand and grazes the live rock constantly but I doubt he's getting anything to eat. Or is he? Does live rock and live sand have any copepods or does that take a while? Should I buy a bottle of pods and put it right into the tank? I've only had him 2 days and I want to do the right thing for him. Thanks for the help!!
Here's a pic.

 

[carey]

My scooter also didn't eat prepared foods when I got him. Whoever told you that he was fine was misinformed. :-( It took about a month to get my scooter eating prepared foods. I fed several different kinds of frozen foods a day until he finally started eating some. Now he eats bloodworms and most anything else. He still pecks at the rocks but I see hi eat twice a day so I'm ok.

 

[sandyf]

I just got home with some live brine and he's gobbling them up. I know they're not great nutrition wise but at least he's getting something. I'll feed them along with frozen stuff and hopefully he'll start on the frozen. I also have a little 2 gallon that is established with plenty of copepods so I'll try to get some transferred into the 25 gallon to get that started. Maybe one of those pod condos. Thanks for your response!!!!

 

[kay-bee19]

...I was told I couldn't have a mandarin until the tank was established but a scooter blenny was fine...

Scooter's are actually dragonets (just like the mandarin's are) and not blennies.

It's good that your scooter is eating the brine shrimp; hopefully it will also accept the frozen food.

 

[sandyf]

Update: I moved the little guy into a 2 gallon tank I have and taught him to eat frozen. He actually begs now. ..it's really cute. So I moved him back into the bigger tank and he's still eating from the turkey baster. He really likes blood worms. I mix mysis in with it so he gets some of that too but he really gobbles the blood worms up. Is he getting enough nutrition from that and how long should it take for him to gain weight. He's still really skinny. Thanks!

 

[CleverBs]

Update: I moved the little guy into a 2 gallon tank I have and taught him to eat frozen. He actually begs now. ..it's really cute. So I moved him back into the bigger tank and he's still eating from the turkey baster. He really likes blood worms. I mix mysis in with it so he gets some of that too but he really gobbles the blood worms up. Is he getting enough nutrition from that and how long should it take for him to gain weight. He's still really skinny. Thanks!

Good job getting him to eat I trained mine to eat in about a week and he's nuts for live baby brine shrimp. I love my scooter Blenny

 

[carey]

You lucked out! Nice! Took me several weeks to get mine fully on frozen food.

 

[sandyf]

Oh no. I'm afraid this doesn't have a happy ending! I fed him last night and he ate and seemed fine. But this morning he's just gone .. nowhere to be found. It's a 25 gallon cube so I can see pretty much every square inch if it. I have a small 6-line wrasse that never bothered him before but when I moved the blennie out and back in again the wrasse started to harass him a bit. Would the wrasse have killed him??!! this is really sad...you get more attached to the "special needs" guys.
NEVERMIND, phew he just came out of a very secure little hiding place. I'm glad I saw him come out so I know where he is when I can't find him. So happy to see the little guy.
So new subject... What do you use to feed? I have a turkey baster but it's not long enough. Are those sea squirt things any good?