Scooter Blenny barely moving

[Harrison Gordon]

I've had my adorable scooter blenny since September, and he's always been so active!
All of the sudden for the past couple days he's barely moved an inch, and is breathing very lightly. I can even touch him without getting much of a reaction. He shows no visible signs of illness, and the tank params are good--everyone else and corals are happy.
I wonder if my ornate leopard wrasse, who I've had for almost a month now, has been eating all the copepods and now the scooter is starving?

What do you think? I can't let him go!

Thanks!

 

[Mjrenz]

@4FordFamily @ngoodermuth @Frtdrmrose7 @HotRocks

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

I've had my adorable scooter blenny since September, and he's always been so active!
All of the sudden for the past couple days he's barely moved an inch, and is breathing very lightly. I can even touch him without getting much of a reaction. He shows no visible signs of illness, and the tank params are good--everyone else and corals are happy.
I wonder if my ornate leopard wrasse, who I've had for almost a month now, has been eating all the copepods and now the scooter is starving?

What do you think? I can't let him go!

Thanks!

Are you feeding anything in an attempt to supplement him? Are you dosing pods? What size tank is he in?

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Are you feeding anything in an attempt to supplement him? Are you dosing pods? What size tank is he in?

I guess I should be more specific, what size tank, how much live rock is in it, how old is the tank?

 

[Harrison Gordon]

Are you feeding anything in an attempt to supplement him?

Every morning I feed flakes and PE pellets. Evenings I feed a mix of spirulina-enriched brine shrimp and one of those all-encompassing frozen blends. The tank is a little over a year old with a nice deep sand bed and lots of live rock, I thought I would be alright and I kept and eye on the little guy always concerned there wouldn't be enough pods. and one day, he just was like "I'm done!" .I've seen on other threads to maybe take him out into a large container and try to feed him directly with the brine shrimp. But I wouldn't want to do anything to stress him out and he barely seems alive enough to eat. He appears skinny, I really think its gotta be the food.

 

[Harrison Gordon]

Oh and it is 75g

I am leaving for a 5 day trip Friday, and am calling my LFS to take care of the tank then. If I can't get the guy to eat I'll ask them to bring pods w/them, but it could be until Monday that they come and I don't know if he has that long.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Oh and it is 75g

I am leaving for a 5 day trip Friday, and am calling my LFS to take care of the tank then. If I can't get the guy to eat I'll ask them to bring pods w/them, but it could be until Monday that they come and I don't know if he has that long.

If he’s skinny I think you need pods sooner than later tbh. That’s the problem most run into with mandarins and dragonettes. I strongly suspect your leopard has outcompeted him for pods if not decimated the pod population already. These guys require so much food to survive it doesn’t take long for this to happen.

 

[Harrison Gordon]

Ah! I was worried about that. I don't suppose, especially since I don't have fuge, that I could hope to keep the both of them alive without constantly replenishing.......

Also, I just removed him from the tank in a container and gave him a squirt of my frozen food mix....not even a nibble. He's just breathing heavily now, so I doubt anything is better at all.

My only chance of getting pods before Monday would be if the LFS had an opening Friday; in that case it would be solely for them to bring me pods, as I'm about 45 minutes away and don't have time to go there. It would have to be really worth it for me to do this since they would need to come again once I leave. Hmmmm

 

[Mjrenz]

Ah! I was worried about that. I don't suppose, especially since I don't have fuge, that I could hope to keep the both of them alive without constantly replenishing.......

Also, I just removed him from the tank in a container and gave him a squirt of my frozen food mix....not even a nibble. He's just breathing heavily now, so I doubt anything is better at all.

My only chance of getting pods before Monday would be if the LFS had an opening Friday; in that case it would be solely for them to bring me pods, as I'm about 45 minutes away and don't have time to go there. It would have to be really worth it for me to do this since they would need to come again once I leave. Hmmmm

Some petco's carry pods, I've gotten them there before

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Ah! I was worried about that. I don't suppose, especially since I don't have fuge, that I could hope to keep the both of them alive without constantly replenishing.......

Also, I just removed him from the tank in a container and gave him a squirt of my frozen food mix....not even a nibble. He's just breathing heavily now, so I doubt anything is better at all.

My only chance of getting pods before Monday would be if the LFS had an opening Friday; in that case it would be solely for them to bring me pods, as I'm about 45 minutes away and don't have time to go there. It would have to be really worth it for me to do this since they would need to come again once I leave. Hmmmm

Some people with Mandarins who feed mysis have said they have to feed 5-6 times a day to keep up with the metabolism of these fish and that’s why they need huge pod populations. They never stop eating pods they are like hummingbirds. If your Blenny survives I would recommend finding a setup more suitable for him unless you can continually add pods. I know it’s not what you want to hear but might be what’s needed.

 

[Harrison Gordon]

Ugh. Well, I',m gonna contact my LFS tomorrow and see what they suggest. After all, they know I have a scooter and then they sold me the wrasse saying he'd be good in my tank and good with all the others. If petco or a nearer LFS has pods I will try to get em, but obviously my tank is no longer sustainable for two fish that love pods, even though the wrasse eats the frozen and the seaweed clip.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Ugh. Well, I',m gonna contact my LFS tomorrow and see what they suggest. After all, they know I have a scooter and then they sold me the wrasse saying he'd be good in my tank and good with all the others. If petco or a nearer LFS has pods I will try to get em, but obviously my tank is no longer sustainable for two fish that love pods, even though the wrasse eats the frozen and the seaweed clip.

I have two Wrasse in my 150 and I have a refugium and I’m pretty sure I don’t have the pod population for a Mandarin/dragonette. I feed my tank twice daily because my wrasse are hunting pods every minute they are out of the sand.

 

[4FordFamily]

I agree it sounds like starvation. A photo would be helpful here to confirm that.

 

[Harrison Gordon]

Lights out so had to use flash. Can do another photo tonorrow

 

[ngoodermuth]

Goodness yes, he’s very thin... I don’t want to be grim, but he might be past the point of no return Even if you had a bottle of pods in your hand right now...

I have tried to keep dragonets in “smaller” tanks using all of the crazy methods out there- and it just doesn’t work. These guys should be rated 100+ gallons in my opinion... it’s sad that they say 30g at almost every LFS out there because probably a vast majority end up starving because of misinformation

I know this pain all too well, I’m sorry...

 

[Harrison Gordon]

I'm honestly not surprised you'd say that. But at least last night he had a little energy in him when I took him out, I just hope I can get him food before said point of no return.

I do think if I were to just drop some pods in the tank he would still starve but that if I got some in a container with him that he could have I slight chance.

I just wish I noticed this sooner, but I guess when I am busy if he is just sitting out in the sand it doesn't look strange. A few days ago when the lights were off I had seen him like this and I just thought he was asleep. Unfortunately it wasn't until last night that I noticed he was in the same place and I was like oh my god!

Well I will try my best but that's not my only problem--my friend who usually feeds my fish while I'm away stepped on a rusty nail......

Thank you all for your feedback and insight. I hope sincerely that my little guy will make it through.

 

[Jet Sled]

Hopefully he pulls through for ya!! I love scooter's. Mine is an absolute pig he eats everything flake,pellet,rods,mysis you name it. He will swim in the water column with all the other fish and chow down. Attacks pieces of clam as big as his head. If you ever get another one in the future see if the fish store will throw some frozen in there to see if they grub down prior to purchase.

 

[ngoodermuth]

I’ll be hopeful for the little guy, do you have a sump with a refugium? If so, I’d throw him in there until your pods show up. Maybe, there’s still some pods in there for him.

 

[Harrison Gordon]

Unfortunately no fuge. But yeah, the store said he was eating frozen food.....I never actually saw him eat it in my tank but he was looking healthy until this week. Calling places today to see who has pods.

 

[Harrison Gordon]

Well I got home and he is still stationary, in the corner, looking frail. No one in the area has pods so I called the LFS who said it would be 75 to deliver them to me tonight. The guy agreed with me that it would not be worth it, in that there's only a slim chance he would eat it anyways. He also thinks it sounds more like an internal parasite because he should've eaten the food ive been feeding especially if he starving, especially if I put him in a little container filled with the food. I'm not decided on which I think it would be, since this is timed soon after ive gotten the wrasse.

They're coming Tuesday and I asked that they do the best they can to help him get better or otherwise take care of him.

Thanks guys!