Cool!
Well, if they’re eating the rotifers, then you’re off to a good start. Generally the main thing to watch for at this stage is a bottleneck where the young start dying off - these usually happen after a few days (day three post hatch seems to be one of the most common bottleneck days for fish that hatch with a yolk they can feed off of - if the rots and phyto don’t provide the proper nutrition for these guys, you might see a die off sometime around here). Some fish run into multiple bottlenecks, including some that happen around/after 2-3 weeks post hatch, so you really need to keep an eye on how things are going. Bottlenecks typically occur because the food the fry is eating isn’t nutritious enough for them, or they’re not interested in eating the food offered, or the food isn’t the proper size for them to eat.
Offering phyto in addition to the rots is a good idea - you may need to be prepared with pods or some Artemia to offer them too as they grow, and you may need to try a couple different phytos (to my knowledge, no one has successfully raised these guys or other members if their genus yet, so I don’t know for sure what all they’ll need - exciting stuff!)
Above all, if you do run into a bottleneck and lose this batch, don’t get too disappointed by it - this happens frequently in trying to breed a new species (even to the professionals), and every attempt gets one step closer to success.
Now, on a sidenote: what are you feeding the broodstock (parents)? Did you have any difficulties pairing them? Was the spawning triggered by something (such as an uptick in temperature)? - you’re right in the middle of their natural breeding season, so I’m wondering if it is tank related or internal clock related, etc. Also, what phyto are you planning to offer the young? Is it the same phyto you’re enriching the rots with?
On a final note, as far as experiences raising blennies goes, I can’t find much about people trying to breed these specific guys, but here’s a thread about an attempt at raising Starry Blennies (Salarias rasmosus):
I have a pair of Salarias ramosus that spawn regularly in my display tank. They lay in a 1” PVC tube with a 45° elbow on one side and a 90° elbow on the other. Their clutches are huge, upwards of a few thousand. I feed LRS reef frenzy, a DIY soft pellet food, and live copepods 5x daily. Just...
www.reef2reef.com
And this is the only info I can find on Algae Blennies specifically (I have no idea if it’s accurate or not- I couldn’t find any journals of anyone attempting to breed them):
A Lawnmower Blenny is an excellent algae-eater. But is that all there to know about this species? Read our care guide to discover pertinent facts and tips.
badmanstropicalfish.com
“
– Post Breeding Care
It’s best to remove the adult fish from the breeding tank once the eggs hatch, as they’re likely to eat them. As herbivores, the fry will feed on algae and biofilm. You can ensure they receive
enough nutrition by turning to commercially sold algae formulas.”
Good luck!
