scooter or lawnmower?

[NCreefwannabe]

Ok so I went to buy a chromis, but they sold out, so I got what was said to be a scooter blenny, but he looks dead on like a lawnmower blenny. Color is the same, fins are the same, even the same little things on his head.

So this given, im 99% sure I have a lawnmower blenny. He's hiding out in a hole in the rocks, and comes out every so often. Is this normal? And what should I feed since I dont really have algae for him to feed on.

I have nori strips, prime reef frozen, and formula one flake.

Would some frozen or flake spirinula be best or something else?

 

[Chasmodes]

Do you have a picture?

First off, based on your description, you seem to be correct that this fish is most likely some sort of blenny and not a scooter blenny (dragonette). Blennies hide in holes and observe their surroundings, scooters don't but will move through holes looking for food. Blennies are alert and watch intently with their keen eyes of anything that floats or swims by. Scooters are kind of oblivious. Also, they have that same flutter that mandarins have in their movements. Blennies perch on the pectoral fins, scooters perch on the pelvic fins and flutter their pectoral fins.

Now, that doesn't mean that your LFS is totally wrong. Common names do exist that are different than what we use some times. I've saw a web site that listed "scooter blennies" but they weren't the dragonettes that we all have come to know. They were a few species of combtoothed blennies I think. The preferred diet depends on the species. Some combtoothes are herbivores and others are carnivores. The truth is that most are omnivores with a preference of either meat or greens. For example, if your fish is indeed a lawnmower, it will eat hair algae and other types of algae most of the time but most will eat mysis shrimp, brine shrimp or other chopped sea food too. For us to ID it a picture would be the ticket:thumbsup:

If I can find that web site again then perhaps I can quote it...

 

[The steven liu]

It's incredably silly if any store lable a lawnmower a scooter because not only they have totally body shape, the scooter isn't even a blenny! Anyways, it the fish has a sharp snout it is a scooter and if it has a wide mouth it is a blenny. Lawnmower blenny will graze on your rock and even glasses so be prepared to have a lot of algae to feed him. You can't try the algae clip but I havn't have success with blennies with that. Be aware that they can harras clams if you have any.

 

[NCreefwannabe]

I dont have much algae, but some diatoms on the glass lol. Unless they scrape coraline. I dont have hair algae, I just thought he was cute, and he was in my list of fish to get.

From what you guys said, hes definately not a scooter. He sits inside my LR in diferent holes watching me!! He eats flake so far, I made sure he ate at the pet store. Im trying to get a pic of him, but I rarely see his body, mostly only his head and eyes lol.

 

[Chasmodes]

If it's a lawnmower or a veggie eating blenny, you should see him come out once in awhile and peck at the glass or rock. Sounds to me like it's not a lawnmower...

Maybe this will help you ID him:

Does his face look like this?

Lawnmower Blenny - Salarias fasciatus

Or similar to this?

Combtooth Blenny - Hypsoblennius sp.?

Notice the lawnmower blenny has fleshy appendages on his jaw, also the mouth extends as wide as his head giving him that lawnmower power while the other blenny is more of an omnivore/carnivore type...

I can't wait to see your picture of him!

 

[NCreefwannabe]

haha i borrowed a camera from a friend, and it died by the time I found him... Hopefully I can find him tomorrow.

and he does eat flake, I watched him come out to grab a peice earlier!!

 

[NCreefwannabe]

well the camera had to go back for a few days lol. I didnt get a picture of him, but I did ee him eat flake last night and this morning. He jets out like lightning eats and go back to his hole... Hopefully he'll become less shy. Since its his first few dys in, ill give him a break lol.

But I did get a really good look at him. He looks more like the combtooth. But his color and everything else is dead on the lawnmower. He doesnt have the little things on his jaw either.

So even If I dont figure out what he is, oh well, he seems happy with tons of hiding spots, and hes been eating since day 1 so Im happy if he's happy!!!

 

[JER-Z]

all "scooter blennies" i have seen in stores move around the sand in a start and stop motion. I imagine thats why they call them scooter blennies

 

[NCreefwannabe]

well Ive came to the concluion he isnt a scootersince day 1. that and he doesnt go around looking for pods clued me off as well as his colors are all wrong for every scooter Ive seen.