Lawnmower Blenny Poll

[mike31154]

No idea what their lifespan (barring predation) is in the wild, but I've had 3 of these guys pretty much close to a year each. They all met a different demise and I've decided not to get another for the moment. Maybe when I get a larger tank, I might try another.

Here's how they met their maker in my system:

1. The first one was a good sized specimen, so no idea how old it might have been when I purchased the critter. A newb error on my part, I failed to put a screen intake on one of the larger AquaClear powerheads I had in the tank when I first started out. He got too close and I found him sucked onto the intake, quite dead. I think I had him just under a year;

2. This guy was about the same size as #1 and I recall the girl at the LFS commenting on what a lively speciment he was. She hadn't seen one quite as active. He was lively alright, so much so that I found him all dried up on the carpet one day. That took about a year as well I think.

3. I snagged a tiny juvenile as my third kick at the cat. Was actually amazed that he made it through the first few months due to the diminutive size. He had to constantly watch his back and stayed fairly close to the surface and corners until he grew enough to range most of the tank without fear. One thing I noticed was that once he was the same size as the other two adult specimens I had, he still had to steer clear of my female Maroon clownfish. Never saw her openly attack him, but she would feint at him to hurry him along if he got a little too close to her territory. Anyhow, this guy just stopped eating and starved. No idea why. I think I had this one the longest, just over a year.

Don't recall my Maroon clownfish giving the first two the daily feints as the last one, but in the case of Blenny 1, I reckon that's because the clown was fairly small at the time. Same idea for Blenny 2, never saw aggression, but maybe one day Mrs. Maroon decided to give chase and that's why he jumped. I dunno, I was certainly not around to witness that event, or I could have saved the guy. This is why I will wait to get a larger system before trying another LB, it will provide more room for avoidance of the clownfish pair.