Red Scooter Blenny QT Question

[muttley000]

I have a this little guy in QT, he's about 1.5 inches long. I know what I'm in for feeding him, my fuge is packed with pods, and I have a separate 20 gallon cycling that will be a sand and rock only for extra pod production. I did a freshwater dip for 5 minutes before putting him in QT Monday. I am putting frozen Mysids in for him but he just picks. I have moved a piece of LR in for him and I see he is picking at it also. I'm worried about him for the entire 6 weeks I like to QT. He's looking good and I am considering another freshwater dip with Methylyne Blue for 10 minutes and then in the display. Any experiences or thoughts that may help me?

 

[small alien]

Dragonettes are fairly disease resistant. I'd only medicate if you see actual symptoms. Scooters are the easiest dragonettes to wean to frozen. Try nutramar ova prawn roe. And keep trying the mysis. Make sure you turn off the flow for a while so it has time to eat. I've had 6 scooters at various times and they all ate frozen readily.

 

[muttley000]

Dragonettes are fairly disease resistant. I'd only medicate if you see actual symptoms. Scooters are the easiest dragonettes to wean to frozen. Try nutramar ova prawn roe. And keep trying the mysis. Make sure you turn off the flow for a while so it has time to eat. I've had 6 scooters at various times and they all ate frozen readily.

Thanks for the input, I'll consider not treating! He is a really neat little guy.

Any thoughts on finishing the QT or speeding things up? I am pretty anal about QT but am thinking this may be an exception

 

[jasonrp104]

As uncomfortable as I am saying it, I'd skip the QT if it looks healthy. My scooter is easily the most trouble free fish I've ever had.

BTW:Mine loves the frozen Marine Cuisine. He still picks at the liverock all day but he goes NUTS at feeding times.

 

[small alien]

With a scooter, I would QT for observation and food training only for 3-5 days. If all's well, into the DT.

 

[Danny07204]

One of my favorite fish, but never did well in my tanks. Good luck!!

 

[GvineReefer]

I probably put my scooter in my display way too early, before a pod population was present. I was a super newb at the time and had no clue what to feed him. No QT, just straight into the display. But, he has never had a problem and seems fat and happy. I've never done any special feeding for him, so I'm assuming he's eating the frozen mysis/brine, as well as the pods that now have a population in my tank. As others have said, probably my most problem free fish that I own. I'd go ahead and throw him in the DT if he's eating.

 

[Moort82]

I'm a bit split here. I wouldn't worry about qt as they are pretty disease resistant due to their thick mucus coating. I put mine straight in the display but when i add a partner i'm thinking of qt just to get it onto frozen earlier. It is a good opourtunity to do so and Matt Pederson suggests something similar with mandarins, where you take this chance to wean them. I'd personally go this route as a little work now should mean its easier in the long run. If you put it in a tank with lots of pods, its less likely to switch to substitutes imo.

 

[TripleT]

I'd QT him for 6 weeks. There's no reason not to.

He'll be living in there with no stress, getting used to you, new surroundings, water, and you'll get to experiment with a variety of foods.

Mine took to small pellets immediately. New Life Spectrum for small fish (looks like ground coffee) and a couple of other brands that were slightly larger.

I've also seen mine nab chopped mysis, if it floats past him. But his main diet seems to be pods and pellets.

They like to bury themselves at night, so I'd add some sand to your QT. Just don't transfer the sand to your display tank in the QT has been medicated.

Here's mine, settled in for the night:

 

[muttley000]

I have decided to leave him in QT, I just wont be able to sleep at night if I dont get him eating pellets while I have the chance. Thanks for the tip on the sand, I won't medicate unless I see something that I need to treat, and after a week of observation, I don't think it's likely I will. He did take some frozen mysis this morning, still shows no interest in the new life spectrum which is what I am hoping to make his main diet. If he starts to thin out, I will put him in the display immediatly. Thanks for all of the input, I'll let you all know how it went.

 

[small alien]

None of mine have ever taken pellets. I wouldn't hold your breath on that. If you're really going for pellets, I'd try soaking them in the juice of a frozen food it is eating like the mysis. Mine eat frozen mysis, cyclops and prawn roe.

 

[muttley000]

Update

Update

Well, The little guy has made it to the display. He is on a murderous rampage on the bugs in my tank I never got him to take the new life spectrum pellets, but he does like frozen mysis and rod's food. He did seem to get a little thin in the QT, but his belly if full now! My only worry is getting him back to frozen after the pods are gone. I hope to have him eat frozen regularly and have the pods for during the 12+ hours a day I am gone at work.

 

[TripleT]

Well, The little guy has made it to the display. He is on a murderous rampage on the bugs in my tank I never got him to take the new life spectrum pellets, but he does like frozen mysis and rod's food. He did seem to get a little thin in the QT, but his belly if full now! My only worry is getting him back to frozen after the pods are gone. I hope to have him eat frozen regularly and have the pods for during the 12+ hours a day I am gone at work.

This is unacceptable. Where are the pics of the little dude in his new home?

If you think he's not getting enough to eat in a couple of weeks, the Kent Sea Squirt or a turkey baster for target feeding might come in handy.

 

[Sk8r]

I never qt a dragonet and have never had any trouble in over 20 years of reefing...I have only had a few, since they are longlived, and generally healthy, and I've kept both mandys and scooters. They're just bulletproof except for fights with each other.

 

[TripleT]

I never qt a dragonet and have never had any trouble in over 20 years of reefing...I have only had a few, since they are longlived, and generally healthy, and I've kept both mandys and scooters. They're just bulletproof except for fights with each other.

So it's okay to not QT dragonets?

 

[Sk8r]

in my book, yes. A mandy has a slime coat so thick they feel like a handful of warm Jell-o, and I don't know what a scooter feels like, but they never seem to get it either. Fish that burrow in the sandbed or spend all their time crawling on it tend to have more natural defenses against ich than most---far, far more than the thin-skinned tangs, who are reef-margin high-speed swimmers. Our tanks 'make' them live closer to the sand than they would ever tend to---which brings them into contact with the parasite.
In short, your odds are pretty good a dragonet will not come down with ich or carry it, more to the point, because they are just too gooey. I've thought I was wrong now and again---but it turned out to be sand grains sticking to them every single time.

 

[Sk8r]

Just a note: set up a 20 g fuge for that guy and he will grow plump. I keep both a mandy and scooter well-fed in a 54 by using a packed 20g fuge. My favorite fish.

 

[TripleT]

in my book, yes. A mandy has a slime coat so thick they feel like a handful of warm Jell-o, and I don't know what a scooter feels like, but they never seem to get it either. Fish that burrow in the sandbed or spend all their time crawling on it tend to have more natural defenses against ich than most---far, far more than the thin-skinned tangs, who are reef-margin high-speed swimmers. Our tanks 'make' them live closer to the sand than they would ever tend to---which brings them into contact with the parasite.
In short, your odds are pretty good a dragonet will not come down with ich or carry it, more to the point, because they are just too gooey. I've thought I was wrong now and again---but it turned out to be sand grains sticking to them every single time.

Ich may be a common problem, but there are worse things than ich that QT will help keep out of your tank.