New scooter blenny

I went to a fish store I like in Phoenix, a three hours drive, and bought this fish on impulse. I felt stupid when I brought it home and realized that it has the same requirements as a Mandarin. I have never intended to keep fish that are considered difficult. I should know better, because it's not the first time a bought fish without researching. Ten years ago I bought two pilot fish (they get to be about 3 feet). Anyway, I am determined to keep this fish alive and happy. Unfortunately, my tank is pretty new, just four months. It's a 180g with lots of rock. I have a ton of amphipods already, although I haven't noticed any copepods. I bought copepods online and put them into the tank after lights went out. I am considering culturing them in a separate tank (I don't have a refugium). Do they reproduce readily without too much difficulty? Another issue I have is that I have a sixline wrasse which competes for the same foods. The blenny was eating frozen food at the store, but I haven't had much luck targeting it with a turkey baster. Any tips would be appreciated.

 

You can culture your on pods, its extremely easy. I have a mandarin in my 40 gallon, and have no fuge, so I culture my own pods.
5 gallon home depot bucket, cheap heater, airstone, and some kitchen sponges. Thats it. throw in a little fish food and phyto/rotifers every once in a while, and your good to go

 

also, for frozen, try some brine and bloodworms. My mandarin eats both, and really loves the bloodworms. I turn all the pumps off, feed the rest of the fish in a different area to distract them, the target feed. Try to do it in the same area. As soon as I turn my pumps off my mandarin goes flying into its "dinner area"

 

ouch, im not here to scold you because it sounds like ya already know. try to find out exactly what the lfs is feeding. yeah you're right the wrasse will compete for similar food source so they both will reduce the pod population in a few days. a refugium is normally used to cultivate pods. pods will need to be sheltered with macroalgae(chaetomorpha) and live rock. wit supplemental feeding of phyto get them going. good luck

 

It took my blenny awhile to get used to the baster. You could try soaking the frozen in garlic extreme--they go nuts for that --also live brime shrimp or mysis work well to fatten them up until they get going in your tank. The blenny was my 1st fish with a 55 gallon tank. I panicked when I got home and found it was really a dragonette, and spent more money on keeping him alive then I want to admit. He has been in my tank for 11 months now and is fat and happy. It was a worth all the work I put into it.

 

scooter blennies are much easier to acclimate to frozen foods then mandarins. you should be alright but culturing your pods is a good idea. They also eat some bristle worms and flat worm so good alround!

I love these guys especialyl the red ones. i like the way they hide under the sand at night time.

 

How quickly do the pods reproduce? Do you just get a bucket of starter pods, throw them in the bucket, and they basically reproduce constantly? I've read the mandarin eats a great deal of pods.