Bicolor blenny diet

[ryan820]

Hey all,

Was wondering about the bicolor blenny diet. I find mine eating, or biting, at the rocks a lot in what I assume is him trying to forage for algae. I'm also keenly aware that he may also be looking for this algae on my clam who has not been well lately, and no, I presently do not believe he's attacking the clam for the taste of the clam, but that the clam does have a lot of algae on it. Of course I could be mistaken, and I hope that I am not!

Would adding something like nori seaweed (think sushi seaweed) be a prudent thing to put in the tank, say, on a clip or mag scraper? His main hole in the rocks is very near a calm area in the tank and I think he'd have easy access to it but I'd like the forums thoughts on this.

Thanks!

 

[Wicked Color]

Hes eating diatomes, many fish that we consider algae grazers are actually consuming the diatom film that covers the surface of the reef, including the algaes we think they are eating, when in fact its just a happy by-product of them grazing on the diatoms. (this is why many fish only eat the short hair algae and not the long stuff)
There will be no way to stop this behavior, its what they do, he probably will not eat any seaweed from a clip, (I have never seen any blenny do so)

 

[ryan820]

Oh I'm not trying to stop him from his current behavior, I'm just trying to make sure he's being well fed. He never seems to eat the flake food I use and doesn't even come out to. See the reef chili I add so I just want to supplement what he's already eating.

 

[Wicked Color]

Give him some PE mysis and he will eat it out of your hand.