I have a blenny....or rather, a "blendy"

[andysgirl8800]

I recently added a lawnmower blenny to my tank to help with algae control. I could locate him the first couple of days in the same general area of the tank, but I haven't seen him in the last 2 days. Is it common for one to hide for long periods of time?

I haven't found a body, nor have I witnessed the usual crab convention when I've had a death in the tank, but for the life of me, I can't find the blenny! I've tried shining a flashlight into all the little nooks and crannies in my rocks that the light would reach.

I am still seeing little kissy marks in the algae film on my back glass, so I can only assume it is still alive, except that my dragon goby has also recently been kissing the glass too, so I'm not sure who gets the credit for the kissy marks.

Many of you have posted about these guys being quite the personaility in your tanks, but unless he has died, he's vanished without a trace. Is there any way to know if he is still in the land of the living, if I can't actually SEE him?

 

[yote]

If your seeing kiss marks in the algae,then the lil fellers probably still kicking it.
You'd be surprised at how easy lawnmower blennies can hide,even in plain sight.

 

[andysgirl8800]

So the kiss marks aren't being left by the dragon goby? He's been sucking algae from the back glass the last couple of days. Couldn't he have made the same marks? Hard to tell.

 

[dcantucson]

Could he have jumped out of the tank? That would be my guess, but you do have a large tank maybe he's just hiding.

 

[andysgirl8800]

My diamond goby recently went carpet surfing through one of the two openings on the front of the canopy. Found him on the floor the next morning. :grumble: Otherwise, it's an enclosed top. Since they are on the front, I would have seen him on the carpet in front of the tank, if that was his fate. I hope he's just hiding. The first lawnmower "blendy" died in the first 24 hr, with an obvious body on the sand bed.

 

[yote]

The dragon goby has a bigger mouth than the lawnmower.Plus their mouth is designed to dig up sand.So at the very least,the print would be bigger and shapped different.

 

[daugherty]

my guess it the lawnmower is still alive i had mine for 10 years and he would dissipear ebery now and then the kiss marks are from the lawnmower i use to have hundreds of them on the glass.

 

[lightcs4]

It took a while for my sleeper goby to come out as well. He / She is probably just getting use to the environment.

 

[andysgirl8800]

I hope so...I'm not finding any new kissy marks. :ugh:

 

[yote]

If your not seeing new marks,then he's probably not alive.Sorry about that.

 

[dcantucson]

Guess you can kissy his ass goodbye. :( Sorry andysgirl.

 

[andysgirl8800]

He must have died and the CUCs got to him before I found the body. Just rearranged the rockwork today and found not a trace.

 

[lightcs4]

Sorry to hear it. Always sad to loose something in the tank.

 

[andysgirl8800]

Since the search has been called off, but the hair algae is multiplying, I have gone with a starry (aka snowflake) blenny. Already, he's been far more industrius than his other 2 predecessors. Hopefully, he will not also disappear into the bermuda triangle.

 

[Bifferwine]

We'll keep our fingers crossed for him. Good luck!

 

[andysgirl8800]

Blasted Blennies!!! :death: Lost another one! Why can't I keep a reputably "hardy" blenny in my tank while the supposedly "sensitive" PBT thrives??? There is MORE than enough algae in my tank, of various types on the glass, sand, rocks, stand pipes, PHs, etc. I'm pretty sure it's not starvation. The Bermuda Triangle claims another one! No body, no bones, no crab convention. ARRRGG! :frustrat:

 

[lightcs4]

Blasted Blennies!!! :death: Lost another one! Why can't I keep a reputably "hardy" blenny in my tank while the supposedly "sensitive" PBT thrives??? There is MORE than enough algae in my tank, of various types on the glass, sand, rocks, stand pipes, PHs, etc. I'm pretty sure it's not starvation. The Bermuda Triangle claims another one! No body, no bones, no crab convention. ARRRGG! :frustrat:

There have been certain types of "hardy" fish and coral I could never keep in my tank. Some things just don't do well for some unknown reason despite how hardy they are supposed to be. Keep researching and you'll find something that will do well with both the algae and your tank.

 

[andysgirl8800]

My params and temp all looking great, my corals are thriving, all my other fish are active and healthy. Only other observation is I seem to be losing hermits. Snails and shrimp are good, but I keep finding little hermit leftovers.

Maybe my PBT is to blame for the blennies....? She is my most aggressive fish in the tank and will bully any new addition until they bully her back. GRR. I've been doing everything else I can to get this algae under control, but the blenny was the only thing that seemed to even make a dent. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

I only use RO/DI water.
I do a 15-20% WC every 2 weeks
I don't use flake food
I feed every other day with mysis and Emerald Entre soaked in garlic (strained)
I am removing as much algae as I can by hand
my diamond goby is doing its best with the sand
my skimmer is pulling plenty of scum
my sump is working well and chaeto is thriving

:dunno:

 

[lightcs4]

I had a green hydno, a very hardy coral that others couldn't kill. I found a way to kill it though. :grumble: I could keep other, more difficult corals alive, but even tried the Hydno again with the same result. :shock: Oh, and my parameters were all perfect as well. Sometimes It's just hard the fact that it is hard to keep an ocean in a tank.

 

[Melosu58]

So they are dissapearing after only two days? Are they eating when you get them even though they should not die for not eating for two days. I`m thinking someone is killing it for it to only last two days.