Scooter Blenny FOTM - August '08

Discussion in 'Fish of the Month' started by omard, Aug 1, 2008.

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  1. omard

    omard Gnarly Old Codfish

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    (Sorry to be such a "FOTM Hog" - but just had to get this one up as soon as I could...anyone else have one to go...please submit also...)

    New fish. Has been in 5 gal. tank for 2 days now and doing great.

    Acts kind of like a Mandarin, always snooping about rock and sand looking for something tasty.



    [​IMG]

    Scooter Blenny

    (Synchiropus ocellatus)



    Latin Name: Synchiropus ocellatus

    Common Name: Scooter Blenny

    a.k.a.: Scooter Dragonet

    This popular fish can do well if provided with the proper environment. Keep in a tank containing plenty of live rock which can supply natural food. A growth of algae [HL="yellow"](even hair algae ia great)[/HL] is an ideal setting to culture the tiny arthropods these fish need to survive. Best not attempted in "sterile" setting such as a fish only tank. Do not keep with aggressive fishes. This species is rarely aggressive towards other bottom-dwelling fishes. Provide with a "live sand" bottom and plenty of hiding places Sizes Around 1.5"-2.5"
    Range in Nature Western Pacific Minimum Aquarium Size 20 Diet and Feeding Provide a reef tank or plenty of live rock. Offer prepared aquarium foods that will dissolve, but be sure not to overdo it. Ease of Care(5=easy, 1=difficult) Suitability ratingSuitability rating Reef Aquarium Compatibility Excellent


    The Scooter Blenny is also known as Scooter Dragonet or Ocellated Dragonet. It has a mottled brown and white body with red highlights. The male usually has brighter colors and a larger first dorsal fin.

    A 30 gallon or larger reef aquarium that has live sand substrate, docile inhabitants, and lots of live rock makes the ideal aquarium for the Scooter Blenny. More than one of its species may be kept; if so, it is best to introduce them all to the tank at the same time. The ratio should be 2 or 3 females per male. A 55 gallon or larger aquarium is required if more than one male is to be kept.

    A growth of algae (even hair algae ia great) is an ideal setting to culture the tiny arthropods these fish need to survive. Best not attempted in "sterile" setting such as a fish only tank. Do not keep with aggressive fishes. This species is rarely aggressive towards other bottom-dwelling fishes. Provide with a "live sand" bottom and plenty of hiding places

    The Scooter Blenny may be a difficult fish to keep due to its feeding habits. It will sift through the sand for food. Finely cut meaty foods and vitamin-enriched brine shrimp may be acceptable substitutes.




    References:

    Animal-world

    Marine Center

    SaltwaterFish

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    (addendum)

    Talking with LFS when shopping for new pico fish...he asked me if I wanted to consider a scooter blenny.

    I told him I had been looking at them for years but thought they were a pretty drab little fish. (kind of like above pic)

    LFS laughed and went to office and brought back magnifying glass...Blenny was up against glass, so I could get a good close look...

    What I saw was "shocking" to say the least...:eek:
    (pics from my tank yesterday)


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    Beautiful blue dots on head and red variegated fins...



    [​IMG]
    Awesome fin coloration...



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    Red veins and white spots on tail....


    Now this is the real kicker...


    [​IMG]
    (pic from LFS)


    Looks like that...eats hair algae...what more can I say... :confused:


    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2008
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  3. phorn

    phorn Bristle Worm

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  4. scubafan

    scubafan Plankton

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    Saint Louis, MO
    I own one to, and it is my favorite thing in the tank. :)
     
  5. BluePhish

    BluePhish Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    i have a maited pair of them. my favorite fish by far, i love my scooters.
    (my 2 yr old son also loves the scooters, cause they are always eye level) if i could only keep one thing from my tank it would be my scooters. i swear they try to communicate with me.LOL

    fyi they love moonlights , it is prime pod hunting time for them, and they like too mate under the moon lights also its truely awsome.

    got tons of pics ill post after im done with my sloppy joes..LOL


    ive been waiting for the scooters to be FOTM!!!;D
     
  6. BluePhish

    BluePhish Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    older pics so they are still a lil skinny , ill get some more updated pics ive had the male for a year and female for proly 5 months. both like most scooters were skinny when purchased but have made great recovery
    (alot like mandarins some dont always get so lucky).
     

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  7. amcarrig

    amcarrig Super Moderator

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    Great post omard....however...there are two things wrong with what was posted. Dragonettes do not eat hair algae. The article indicates that hair algae in the tank is good to have to culture its food (pods). Also, I've been unfortunate enough to have scooters die in my tanks and they never poisoned anything.

    The male's dorsal fin is impressive but the female's leaves much to be desired. Luckily, it makes scooters very easy to sex so getting a mated pair is not at all difficult. In fact, I've got a mated pair of red scooters in my tank, however, the male seems to have gone MIA recently so I'm not too sure that he's still around :(
     
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  9. BluePhish

    BluePhish Teardrop Maxima Clam

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    hey omard , i wouldnt really consider it a pico fish, it will go hungry quick with out lots of rock,a constant pod supply, or heavy supplemental feeding. and heavy feeding can be bad for a pico.

    may be able to keep in a 5gal but from my experience it would be a constant struggle. as well as i dont think they would be happy.


    even if the tail ,body looks fat, look under its belly between its two side fins, youll see a lil white section were youll be able to see if its belly is sunken or not.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2008
  10. omard

    omard Gnarly Old Codfish

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    Oops... you are right!!!!:-[

    So sorry....

    "Warning" is for my new boxfish....was downloading different info at same time and that got mixed in my scooter blenny page...:angry:

    As far as I know, a scooter blenny is no different dieing in tank than any other fish (except boxfish)

    Also do not know for sure a about hair algae, only what read...none in that tank...

    But FYI...my Jewel Damsel is mowing the stuff down in my Nano....go figure..:confused:
     
  11. eggerstout

    eggerstout Skunk Shrimp

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  12. schackmel

    schackmel Giant Squid

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    I used to have a male/female pair in my old tank. The male will actually "dance" for the female at night. He will get right up to her, his face turns purple and does this little dance. My youngest niece was there when I bought them, and when the LFS people was telling them about this, asked if "they would get married and have babies...was the dance them getting married?" Of course for a while I was constantly getting asked if they got married.
    My male was an odd little fish...he danced for the female a few times, however he LOVED to dance to his own reflection in the glass. He was a bit confused....might be why he went missing :confused:.
    When my tank becomes more established I want to get another pair as it was fun to watch