Tail Spot Blenny - Need Feeding Advice

[greenskull]

I just received an Ecsenius Stigmatura through mail order and it has a sunken in stomach. Even though it's active and looks to be scraping film/algae off the surface of things in the tank right now, it won't accept any prepared foods. It's only been 3 days, so do you think I'm being overly concerned?
I've read about others here having luck with feeding them.... wondering how long it may be before it eats prepared food. I really need to fatten him up.
Thanks for any advice!

 

[rholguin]

I got one in earlier this week in the same condtion. My tank has been rup and running for some time now so all it would do is pick at the rocks. Just today I saw it eating but looks good and healthy. No more sunken stomach. So if its at least picking it should be ok. Good luck.

 

[Sk8r]

FOrmula 2 sinking pellet, micro size; or smash some up with a hammer. Also grind up some krill or feed cyclopeeze and frozen mysis. This blenny happily eats things other than algae---in fact I've not seen mine even going after algae, and I've had him for years. The starry needs algae: the tailspot, much more a browser among whatever's out there.

 

[NatureNerd]

Most also like ON Formula Two flakes. Mine, see avatar, loves the flakes, barely eats the pellets. Picks at rocks all day long and eats anything but the flakes are his favorite.

 

[dave540]

you can let your glass get dirty. Tailspots will will go nuts cleaning the film off your glass.

 

[greenskull]

rholguin: Well, that's good to hear. Please post back when you get him to eat prepared food and I'll do the same.

Sk8r: Wow, you're lucky! Mine would not go after the frozen cyclopeze or mysis I offered. Have some ON Prime Reef and Formula One flakes I also tried without luck..... will have to get some Formula Two. Funny that yours doesn't touch algae. Too bad mine won't take advantage of getting the chance to be spoiled too, haha!!

NatureNerd & dave540: As I type this mine is going to town on some algae encrusted chaeto and attacking a floating thermometer with brown film..... looks like he'll probably do fine even if he never eats what I throw in there.

Thanks for the replies, everybody. :thumbsup:

 

[OodleyBoodely]

I finally got a lawnmower blenny to start taking prepared foods by using algae wafers placed on the rocks he frequently scraped on. Once he tried them he loved them and would swim around with a wafer in his mouth, flipping it around as he ate it. It was easy then, to get him to accept other foods. You might have some success with this too. Try wedging a few in cracks or press onto flat rocks and see if he takes to them.

 

[Lynnmw1208]

how long ago did you wait to see if he would eat? sometimes it takes a couple days. I didn't see mine for 3 days before he came out. I didn't do anything special really, I just fed NLS pellets and he saw the other fish going for them so he ate them too. he really loves picking algae off the rocks and diatoms off the sand though. he will occasionally eat floating nori that the tang rips off. you do need smaller pellets tho, I had luck with NLS finicky fish formula as they are a bit smaller than 1mm

 

[greenskull]

Not really too worried now, since he managed to grab a bite of mysis and has cleaned off the algae growth on a mag float and diatoms off a thermometer.... no need for snails with this particular fish!

Now if I can get my Yellow Watchman Goby and his Tiger Shrimp to come out from behind the rocks during feeding time (have been target feeding them, maybe a mistake?) and to get my Yellow Wrasse cured of his jet lag (keeping completely different hours), everything will be great.
Thanks again to folks sharing their experience with this wonderful fish. :beer: