QUICK HELP PLEASE

[mbender04]

Hi I am new to saltwater and I bought a scooter blenny a few days ago as my first fish. My tank levels are clear and safe but my blenny has all of a sudden stopped eating and for a while moving from one spot. I just checked on him again and he was flailing spasmodically in the same area he has been for a day. He started jerking and flipping around. I don't understand what could be wrong. He was perfectly healthy with dark colors and moving and eating a lot for the first two days now he's pale and lethargic. Any help??? Please I really love this fish. or call me at 210-781-5142...nevermind I'm afraid he didn't make it...will someone please help me to know what I did wrong.

[JimD]

Sounds like it could be oxygen depletion... Are you running a protein skimmer? Or do you have an O2 source?

[mbender04]

All I have is a powerhead and a powerfilter. I was told that was enough. Should I be using something more. I only have a 29 gal. so I had considered a protein skimmer a bit of a luxury item.

[JimD]

A protein skimmer serves two purposes, not only does it remove organics, its also a source of oxygen which is ,as you know, essential for sustaining life. What other inhabitants are in the tank? If you dont have a skimmer, I suggest an alternate source of O2 such as an airstone and also, more current in the tank especialy at the surface.

[mbender04]

I have seven dwarf hermits and three snails. I also have one gorg. and one Kenyan Tree. Not much going yet. I will use an airstone for now. Is there any particular one that is suggested for marine tanks?

[JimD]

Any generic stone will work. I personaly like the lime wood ones, they produce much finer bubbles and look cooler. You may want to begin researching skimmers for the future if you plan on housing fish.

[mbender04]

I don't actually plan on housing more than three or four fish. I wanted something simple. Thank you for your help. Also I would like some macro algae do you know of any aquatic stores that I can get some?

[JimD]

Post your location and Im sure youll get an answer for the macro. Also, tell us more about your system. Lighting, filtration, live rock, etc. etc.

[mbender04]

I'm in Universal City near S.A. I have a 29 gal. that I plan to keep minimally stocked. I have a Rena Smartfilter and 30lbs of live rock. I have very low lighting which I plan to upgrade slightly but not too much more. I only have your average 20 watt daylight from Coralife I believe. My tank is really in the beginning steps.

[erikharrison]

I have a berlin airlift style skimmer that sits in the tank. It will help you drastically. It runs off an airstone, and a ten gallon rated air pump. I'll sell everything to you except for the airstone for 15 dollars. All you will need is the airstone, limewood is preferred! call me 710-7026!

[tony]

mbender, im in selma (metro) near you as are lots of members here

i run a 30 cube and have a corralife superskimmer on it. it had its growing pains at first but now im not sure i would trade it for anything (well, maybe a deltec) and i often see them in the $50 range used.

i dont know anything about the berlin that erik is selling but it sounds very feasible (especially for $15)

btw, welcome to maast!!! (and sorry for your loss)

[Bill S]

If you need some macro, I have chaeto, caulerpa (a little razor, a LOT of feather) for the asking. Just call: 663.8079. Tonght would NOT be good. I'll also be happy to discuss your tank... I've been keeping SW for over 35 years.

[mbender04]

Thank you for your help. Thanks Eric for the skimmer. I'll have to do some adjusting to get it to fit.

[edawgm]

I have some feather macro that I got from bstreep. I am just down the road at Randolph. This stuff is growing like crazy in my refug. If you need a little to get started let me know. I am still waiting on my chaeto to grow out some more.

[Texreefer]

i have all the macro you want,, just pm me

[erikharrison]

no problem, once you get fish in there it will start skimming. for right now, pull it a little higher up so it doesnt wet-skim too much! Wet skim will pull some of the good bacteria out of the water. That's why I showed you how nasty it should look!

[Ping]

O2 could be the problem. How long has the tank been set up? Do you have sand and how deep? Do you have live rock and how old is it?

A power head and filter should provide enough O2.

What is you Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite levels. What is your pH? You Made need to slow down and let the tank age until these parameters are in the correct range.

[Stacy]

A skimmer is definitely a must have. I had a Berlin one like that once and it worked fine. It's a great deal.

Also, I made the same mistake of buying a scooter as my first fish b/c my son thought he was cute. They're in the same family as the mandarin dragonets and are very difficult to keep. They only eat live pods which are very scarce in a new set up. I've heard they should only be kept in large (over 55 g) well-established tanks, if at all. Someone else may have more advice about that, but I know ours starved a very slow, painful death b/c I hadn't researched him before I bought him. Hard lesson for me to learn :unsure

[erikharrison]

55g per each, no less. I trained my two mandies to eat bloodworms, which was a feat in of itself!

[mbender04]

I had read that about dragonets and had to convince my bf we couldn't have the mandarin at AA :) I didn't realize the scooter was quite the same and I really didn't realize he only ate pods. My lfs (go figure) told me frozen brine would work just fine which he did actually eat. I swear I watched him chasing them down. It was really cute. I only had him for two or three days though so I don't think he could have starved in my tank that quickly but maybe if thats the only thing he's ever been fed. My live rock, though, came from the same lfs. It came right out of their display tanks which had to have been there for months so it was already pretty loaded with critters and I witnessed him eating them up for the first day or two when he was still healthy. So right now I put an wooden airstone in and get the skimmer set up asap. I'm thinking that I will have to go with a canopy type lighting like the orbit or something similar because the crappy hood I have on there won't fit with the skimmer in place.

[erikharrison]

Depending on the brand, I would look for tops first. That skimmer will work, but they have much better. Essentially I was in the exact same spot you were. I was having problems and needed one right away. If you have a nano style tank with all the built in filtration etc, go to nanotuners.com and take a peek around on that site. The fact that your scooter was eating brine is awesome, except unless that is some packed brine "enriched" there is not much there for nutritional content. I trained mine to eat bloodworms, and they were fat and healthy! Glad you bought some well cured LR, although LFS prices on LR is through the roof. There are people on here that are constantly selling things, so keep your eyes open for what you need and you'll probably find it. Oh yeah, scooters are so cute! Gotta love em!

[mbender04]

No I have just a regular 29 gal tank. The top and hood that came with it won't allow that skimmer to fit. Do you or anyone else have any suggestions?

[MoonPie]

Really, the min reason you lost your scooter is due to the fact that you bought a scooter as your first fish. Most scooter blennies need an established tank because they eat the copapods that reproduce in your rockwork. Very seldom do scooters take to frozen foods and if they do, it doesn't seem to last long before they want pods. Your tank seems fine to me, but try not to add a scooter until your tank has been up for a few months and you have a healthy supply of pods.

[JimD]

"ours starved a very >slow<, painful death b/c I hadn't researched him before I bought him. Hard lesson for me to learn"
A fish will usualy not starve to death in three days, unless hes been starving already, which may be the case,, Im not convinced that this is what did him in..... However, the lack of oxygen will...

[mbender04]

That's what I believe too. I put an airstone in the tank for now until I can get the skimmer to fit.