Don't know how I ever lived without...

ZLTFUL · 08/30/2007, 11:29 AM

...a lawn mower blenny in my tank.

This guy is just ridiculously cool. He is fun to watch and is VERY interactive. So now I have 3 fish in my tank and all 3 of them have GREAT personalities and are very interactive.
No pics yet but I can assure you I will get them.

This leaves me with only 1 more fish to add to the tank. I am torn between a Bi-Color Psuedochromis or a Flame Hawkfish but am kind of nervous about having a hawkfish with my peppermints...
I love my shrimp.
Or maybe a Purple Firefish...instead of a Hawkfish. Probably one of my favorite fish but not one of my top choices...

So far it's:
False Perc Clown named Nelly(Wish I had a mated pair but all of the false percs I see are similar sized...)She is a handful when it comes feeding time as she nails my fingers as I am trying to put the pinch of food into the water...
Pygmy Angel named Bill...very active fish and likes to chase his reflection around the tank sometimes...
Lawnmower Blenny named Blinky...My favorite of the fish. But he is still a LITTLE bit skittish...

2 Peppermint Shrimp...Pimpy McShrimp and Shrimpy McShrimp
1 Emerald Crab...Grabby Claw McGraw
Several assorted Hermits...the Kamikaze Squad...they all trip over them selves jumping off the rock and heading for the sand when food get put into the tank. A riot to watch.
Nassarius Snails...The Undead Army...Only have 3 left so I am goin to order some more as these are by far my favorite snail.
2 GIANT Mexican Turbo Snales...Useless pieces of crap. I hate these things and they will die within a month I am sure
several Astrea and Ceriths. Need more of these guys.

The great news is, I finally have alot of Coralline forming all over the tank.
The bad news....I am in some kind of perpetual Diatom bloom which has me cleaning the glass everyday cause the snales can't keep up. And my 'trates will NOT drop below 20 no matter what I try. Hopefully, once the sump and fuge are set up and attached, we can get some macro algae to work on that...maybe even some mangroves as they are cooler to look at...
I have a nice wad of hair algae in my hang on sump but it hasn't infested the tank at all for at least a month now. I think that is a positive plus my Angel likes to swim up to the "waterfall" and nip at stuff hiding in the algae that hangs out of there....

I am excited. I am still totally clueless and have a LONG way to go but this stuff is great. Before this tank I only had some freshwater experience and it was truly boring in comparison. Now I am finding new and amazing things every day...Great stuff.

tibbs2 · 08/30/2007, 12:25 PM

Well, I have a flame hawkfish and he is quite fun to watch. I don't have any shrimp in my tank anymore which is the only reason I added him. I had a lawnmower blenny but he dissappeared one day. Don't know why...

I would put a a nori clip in your tank. The blenny loved to eat nori and he would sit on the clip most of the time.

If your nassarius snails are dieing they may not have enough food. I think i started with 8 for my 75 gallon and I'm down to 1 now. This one has lived for several years now and I think there wasn't enough food for the others to survive.

Turbo snails are the best eaters of algae but they don't last long because they are from sub-tropical waters. I originally bought 8 astrea snails and they are still alive and doing good but my turbos ususally didn't last for more than 3 or 4 months.

ZLTFUL · 08/30/2007, 12:50 PM

I haven't put a nori clip in for a while but I still have a bunch that I got when I got the tank. I thik I will throw a piece in this afternoon and see what happens...

So far Blinky seems pretty active and happy with his new digs.

Nanemene · 08/31/2007, 08:05 PM

Watch out for that lawnmower JUMPING. Mine disappeared too. I found him behind a nearby bookcase months later. They jump as a rule, not an exception.

ZLTFUL · 08/31/2007, 10:55 PM

Fortunately for me, I was aware of this and have eggcrate over all of the opening in my hood...

08/30/2007, 11:29 AM	#1
ZLTFUL Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: NE of DSM, IA Posts: 400	Don't know how I ever lived without... ...a lawn mower blenny in my tank. This guy is just ridiculously cool. He is fun to watch and is VERY interactive. So now I have 3 fish in my tank and all 3 of them have GREAT personalities and are very interactive. No pics yet but I can assure you I will get them. This leaves me with only 1 more fish to add to the tank. I am torn between a Bi-Color Psuedochromis or a Flame Hawkfish but am kind of nervous about having a hawkfish with my peppermints... I love my shrimp. Or maybe a Purple Firefish...instead of a Hawkfish. Probably one of my favorite fish but not one of my top choices... So far it's: False Perc Clown named Nelly(Wish I had a mated pair but all of the false percs I see are similar sized...)She is a handful when it comes feeding time as she nails my fingers as I am trying to put the pinch of food into the water... Pygmy Angel named Bill...very active fish and likes to chase his reflection around the tank sometimes... Lawnmower Blenny named Blinky...My favorite of the fish. But he is still a LITTLE bit skittish... 2 Peppermint Shrimp...Pimpy McShrimp and Shrimpy McShrimp 1 Emerald Crab...Grabby Claw McGraw Several assorted Hermits...the Kamikaze Squad...they all trip over them selves jumping off the rock and heading for the sand when food get put into the tank. A riot to watch. Nassarius Snails...The Undead Army...Only have 3 left so I am goin to order some more as these are by far my favorite snail. 2 GIANT Mexican Turbo Snales...Useless pieces of crap. I hate these things and they will die within a month I am sure several Astrea and Ceriths. Need more of these guys. The great news is, I finally have alot of Coralline forming all over the tank. The bad news....I am in some kind of perpetual Diatom bloom which has me cleaning the glass everyday cause the snales can't keep up. And my 'trates will NOT drop below 20 no matter what I try. Hopefully, once the sump and fuge are set up and attached, we can get some macro algae to work on that...maybe even some mangroves as they are cooler to look at... I have a nice wad of hair algae in my hang on sump but it hasn't infested the tank at all for at least a month now. I think that is a positive plus my Angel likes to swim up to the "waterfall" and nip at stuff hiding in the algae that hangs out of there.... I am excited. I am still totally clueless and have a LONG way to go but this stuff is great. Before this tank I only had some freshwater experience and it was truly boring in comparison. Now I am finding new and amazing things every day...Great stuff.

08/30/2007, 12:25 PM	#2
tibbs2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: IA Posts: 1,422	Well, I have a flame hawkfish and he is quite fun to watch. I don't have any shrimp in my tank anymore which is the only reason I added him. I had a lawnmower blenny but he dissappeared one day. Don't know why... I would put a a nori clip in your tank. The blenny loved to eat nori and he would sit on the clip most of the time. If your nassarius snails are dieing they may not have enough food. I think i started with 8 for my 75 gallon and I'm down to 1 now. This one has lived for several years now and I think there wasn't enough food for the others to survive. Turbo snails are the best eaters of algae but they don't last long because they are from sub-tropical waters. I originally bought 8 astrea snails and they are still alive and doing good but my turbos ususally didn't last for more than 3 or 4 months.

08/30/2007, 12:50 PM	#3
ZLTFUL Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: NE of DSM, IA Posts: 400	I haven't put a nori clip in for a while but I still have a bunch that I got when I got the tank. I thik I will throw a piece in this afternoon and see what happens... So far Blinky seems pretty active and happy with his new digs.

08/31/2007, 08:05 PM	#4
Nanemene Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 254	Watch out for that lawnmower JUMPING. Mine disappeared too. I found him behind a nearby bookcase months later. They jump as a rule, not an exception.

08/31/2007, 10:55 PM	#5
ZLTFUL Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: NE of DSM, IA Posts: 400	Fortunately for me, I was aware of this and have eggcrate over all of the opening in my hood...