Blenny eating substrate

[LaWoWee]

Lately ive noticed my starry blenny with a huge belly well before the normal feeding time. Come to find out its eating the semi coarse sand and itll poop it out. I feed the tank once a day with a sheet of nori and frozen mysis/brine and the blenny is right along side the other fish getting its fair share of both. I could feed twice a day but dont want to. It kind of freaks me out that its eating the sand and poopin chunks out (ouch!). Dont want it to choke or get constipated. Is this normal? Heres a pic of my sand to give you a visual of how coarse it is.

 

[bribo12]

Mine will eat any diatoms or algae off the sand bed and I'm assuming that's what yours is doing as well.

 

[LaWoWee]

Im sure thats what it is. Its just crazy that he would actually ingest the sand.

 

[Mebbid]

Are you sure it's actually eating the substrate? Mine constantly sifts through it picking it up and spitting it out. He will usually get a big belly but it's not from the substrate itself.

 

[LaWoWee]

Yes im sure because ive been witnessing a lot of it coming out its a$$.

 

[opwan]

I am sure of this too because mine does the SAME THING!

 

[Jmkb02]

A lot of fish poo looks a little bit like substrate too, maybe that's what's going on. My lawn mower blenny chomps on everything, huge belly as well and picks at romaine and nori and anything else I float for my tangs. All sounds normal

 

[opwan]

Well trust me this IS substrate not poo, been doing this for 30 years. I know the difference....

 

[LaWoWee]

Yes me too. My blenny's stomach gets super huge without being fed and im certain that cannot be from diatoms and algae.