Scooter blenny difficultly level

HockeyRooster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 31, 2020
Messages
315
Reaction score
297
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am extremely sad to report that my 4 month old captive bred mandarin has gone missing and I’m sure she’s dead. She looked healthy and her stomach looked full most times. This is my own fault as I didn’t quarantine her-I’ve never done a quarantine tank (until now).

in previous tanks I had scooter blennies (one at a time) and they seemed fairly hearty.

my lfs has captive bred scooters in stock and now that I have a QT, I want one.

here are my questions:
1. Are scooters as difficult to keep as mandarins? (Because I’m tempted to get another mandarin if the answer is yes)

2. my QT has a healthy orchid dottyback in it (tiny and captive bred). Can I add a second fish to it? I know the lfs that has the scooter/mandarin keeps them separate from his non captive bred fish so it will be healthy (and he’s had them for two months now)

what should I do?
 

Maritimer

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 21, 2015
Messages
7,550
Reaction score
13,621
Location
SouthWestern Connecticut
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Mandarins are a challenge to quarantine - they're somewhat intolerant of copper, and of course the 'pods they feed on would be killed by the stuff. On the plus side, their heavy slime-coat makes them - though not immune - the opposite of an ich-magnet. Protozoal diseases seem to have a hard time anchoring on mandarins and other dragonets.

~B.
 
OP
OP
H

HockeyRooster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 31, 2020
Messages
315
Reaction score
297
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Mandarins are a challenge to quarantine - they're somewhat intolerant of copper, and of course the 'pods they feed on would be killed by the stuff. On the plus side, their heavy slime-coat makes them - though not immune - the opposite of an ich-magnet. Protozoal diseases seem to have a hard time anchoring on mandarins and other dragonets.

~B.
Thanks for the info. I won’t be medicating the QT though-not much access to meds in Canada and I will get a captive bred that is kept with only captives at the lfs. I plan to QT so I can ensure it eats and then put it into the DT.
 

vetteguy53081

Well known Member and monster tank lover
View Badges
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
90,815
Reaction score
200,022
Location
Wisconsin -
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
Scooter is a fish with personality and easy to care for. Scooter Blennies are the best introduction into the world of mandarins. The way they hop about the tank, pecking at rocks, sand and glass alike is always fun to watch. Better yet is when they take to the skies, letting out a big roar and flashing their flags at nearby fish or humans.
They spend a good portion of day looking for copeods to eat.
Scooter blennies are slow hunters whose diet consists of copepods and amphipods, nearly microscopic crustaceans such as brine shrimp that live in live rock and macro algae. Pods will repopulate themselves if given enough space and time. Also ask to see it eat at the store before buying one.
 
OP
OP
H

HockeyRooster

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 31, 2020
Messages
315
Reaction score
297
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Scooter is a fish with personality and easy to care for. Scooter Blennies are the best introduction into the world of mandarins. The way they hop about the tank, pecking at rocks, sand and glass alike is always fun to watch. Better yet is when they take to the skies, letting out a big roar and flashing their flags at nearby fish or humans.
They spend a good portion of day looking for copeods to eat.
Scooter blennies are slow hunters whose diet consists of copepods and amphipods, nearly microscopic crustaceans such as brine shrimp that live in live rock and macro algae. Pods will repopulate themselves if given enough space and time. Also ask to see it eat at the store before buying one.
Thanks. I love the way they move around the tank too!I emailed the lfs today that I’m likely going to pick one up near the end of the week or beginning of next. I’ve been culturing pods and adding them to the tank since before the mandarin died. I think I’ll hold the culture for an extra week and then put them into the QT. Hopefully I can watch it eat frozen as well and then into the DT it’ll go.
 

laverda

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Messages
2,890
Reaction score
2,161
Location
Anaheim
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Scooter blennies are generally much easier to keep than a mandarin. If they have been kept in separate systems from wild caught at the LFS, in theory they should not need to be QTed.

A big grip I have is when a LFS puts captive bred fish in with wild caught. Captive bred fish have little to no immunity to the diseases and parasites often found in these systems!
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top