Austinvines Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 My LMB is losing weight. He isn't emaciated but is thinning out from when I first started the tank a month ago. I removed 60# of rock when I set the tank up and have other algae eaters so maybe there isn't enough of the micro he likes? I see some algae on some rocks but others are totally clean. I just dropped some formula 2 flakes and he didn't eat any. He won't eat nori either. I will watch him tonight at dinner to see if he eats some frozen food. He was getting a good cleaning from the cleaner shrimp last night and swims around well but I don't like the look of a thin fish. Any ideas on food that he might like or other feeding techniques? Dylan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishypets Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 I have bought and lost three of these guys and they all started out fat and then died in my tank. Wish I had the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 mine went thru that when i cut back on feedinng and the tank got really clean. i started feeding the tank heavily and the algae came back and he got fat again. i prefer to feed heavily now and the corals like it too. BTW i have never been able to get him to eat anything other than film algaes, he wont eat nori or hair algae or any prepared foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinvines Posted June 11, 2006 Author Share Posted June 11, 2006 Well I have now left the back glass completely available to him. I thought he would eat frozen but don't know and will have to watch him. So Robert, you are feeding heavy which I do a fair amount of but also have to deal with phosphates/nitrates. Do you run phosban 24/7? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammondegge Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 i run phosban reactor and skim 24/. nitrate is 0 and i dont seem to have any phosphate problems. i feel that i add enough nutrient for the animals and algae and then quickly remove it before it is a problem. i only feed heavily once a day. if i feed a second time it is very light. if algae starts to grow a little fast then i cut back on the food. also i have a lot of flow. i think this is key to overfeeding and nutrient control. everything stays suspended to get used or processed. flow on the 40g is over 2000 gph switched ( 1500 at any point in time ). flow in my 55g is around 3000 gph continuously. actually now that i think of it there are a number of things involved. lighting and nutrient keeps the algae growing. flow, high alk, and critters keep it in check. IMO of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinvines Posted June 11, 2006 Author Share Posted June 11, 2006 Well, I spent an hour watching the tank and was surprised by a few things. The LMB did graze on some nori that I have rubberbanded to some LR in the tank. I am actually starting to prefer this over the clip. The other blenny in the tank, supposedly a Molly Miller that looks nothing like the species of the same name available from Live Aquaria, will literally ride the 1/4 sheet of nori like a magic carpet and chew right at the clip until it breaks apart and floats through the tank. Rubberbanding to the rock limits this greatly and makes the sheet stay around much longer. Almost 6 hours since I put it in and there is still enough to munch on. The other thing about the LMB I noticed was that he goes in for a cleaning from the skunk cleaners often. They work him over well, including the gill area, until he has had enough and he swims off, only to return 15-30 minutes later. I am still a little jumpy about an ick outbreak but trying to see lesions on a LMB is more than a little difficult. For those fish that utilize the cleaners in your tank, is it a regular occurrence? You have a good amount of flow, Robert. I am not very happy with the number of PHs (4) and their placement, in my tank. I am starting to follow the maxijet mod thread on RC and think that 2 MJ1200s modded with the shroud on a wave maker would be a poor man's Tunze until those nano streams come out. The shrouds would increase the flow in each mj1200 from 400g/hr to over 2000g/hr if the creators are to be believed. I think a new skimmer is first on my list of priorities since the HOT skimmer I do have is only rated for a 60g tank and I am running almost 100g with the new sump. Euro-reef CS-80 or ASM G3, both would have the gate valve mod. The ER is $50 cheaper but the G3 is rated for a larger tank. I am going to have this tank for at least 2 years so it's not like I am going to be upgrading in the near future... Boy, talk about thread drift... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Lawnmower blennies are notorious for withering away and dying in some tanks and thriving with a potbelly in others. As others have said, I wish I had the answer. Remember that Nori is algae that is very high in phosphates. It makes sense that if you put too much Nori (algae) in your tank, you end up getting a problem algae outbreak. How long had your lawnmower been in that tank? If it is a relatively new addition, the constant cleaning and starving seems indicative of a stomach parasite. If that is the case, there isn't a whole lot you can do. I say go with the Euroreef. Skimmer tank recommendations are flaky at best IMO and I love my ER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinvines Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 The LMB came with the tank and was probably there for 2 years. Since you saw what the tank looked like and how much rock was in it, I think it is safe to assume he had plenty of algae to munch on. Do you think my removing 60#s of rock has caused this, John? Maybe someone with a bigger tank and higher rock load would like him? I am not looking to get rid of him, but if he is going to die unless he moves to a better tank, then that is what should happen. How to catch the sucker though... Dylan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Have you tried feeding it mysis? We had 2 LWB in our seahorse tank and they were ravenous eaters. They seem to enjoy the mysis we were feeding the seahorses. We got this blennies from Horizon Pets......and Steve fed them mysis, every single one of the blennies looked plump and eating well. Give it try and see if it likes it or not. Just a suggestion- Cindy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinvines Posted June 12, 2006 Author Share Posted June 12, 2006 I am amazed at how many people have problems with this fish! THanks for the suggestion, Cindy. I am going to try and fatten him back up with something and we really enjoy him in the tank. The way he swims is unique - like a dragon at Chinese New Year and he has lots of character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 I don't think that the 60lb rock difference would do anything to the fish but the way you're keeping up with the tank might. This tank was very neglected before Dylan got it and there was PLENTY of nuisance algae/cyano. You've been doing regular water changes, ditched the old nutrient laden sandbed and if effect, put effort into this tank. It could be that he's become stressed from the move or that there simply isn't as much algae in your tank. Moving him will only stress him more so I say you try to remedy the problem in tank. Keep up the nori feedings and if I remember correctly your tank came with formula 2 flake food. Try feeding him that as it is a blend specially made for herbivorous fish. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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