More than 1 Scooter Blenny in a 55??

[SubRosa]

All Dragonets are not equal when it comes to ease of feeding.Your Scooter Blenny is a Dragonet just like Mandarins. And as far as feeding Mandarins it depends on the species you're talking about. Synchiropus splendidus, the Green or Blue Mandarin will normally need a healthy population of pods since they rarely eat frozen. S. picturatus, the Spotted Mandarin on the other hand almost always take frozen Mysis with very little training. S. stellatus, your Red Scooter is more like a splendidus and will probably need a lifetime supply of pods. Your common Scooter, S. ocellatus is the easiest of them all to get to take prepared foods. As far as aggression Amphi is right, as long as you're talking different species the odds of a problem are remote. If you want to be 100% sure of avoiding aggression determine the sex of your Scooter and if it's male get a female Mandarin. If it's a female it won't matter. They're easy to sex, just look at the anterior dorsal fin. Males will have an extension of one of the spines.

 

[Amphiprion]

All Dragonets are not equal when it comes to ease of feeding.Your Scooter Blenny is a Dragonet just like Mandarins. And as far as feeding Mandarins it depends on the species you're talking about. Synchiropus splendidus, the Green or Blue Mandarin will normally need a healthy population of pods since they rarely eat frozen. S. picturatus, the Spotted Mandarin on the other hand almost always take frozen Mysis with very little training. S. stellatus, your Red Scooter is more like a splendidus and will probably need a lifetime supply of pods. Your common Scooter, S. ocellatus is the easiest of them all to get to take prepared foods. As far as aggression Amphi is right, as long as you're talking different species the odds of a problem are remote. If you want to be 100% sure of avoiding aggression determine the sex of your Scooter and if it's male get a female Mandarin. If it's a female it won't matter. They're easy to sex, just look at the anterior dorsal fin. Males will have an extension of one of the spines.

This is definitely true, but my worry is that if any other individuals of different, more finicky species were to be added, the other would have already outcompeted them.

 

[SubRosa]

Agreed. The op should go for a Spotted if he really needs another Dragonet.

 

[DoctaQ]

i happen to think that red scooters are very easy to train/get eating
they quickly associate food with pipettes or forceps and its easy street from there, i had one in a 15, it was small and skinny when i got it, now its big, i ended up giving it away because it picked food out from my coral and i thought that my bioload was too high.
this is what he looked like when i got him sry for tiny pic

my thread has a couple pics of him a little later
for the record, he did eat frozen and pellets
i say, if you can get them eating frozen or pellets, you can keep them, i fed twice a day though and specifically to him, turned flow off, and fed right to his face

 

[gfigs911]

Ok so the general consensus seems to be that the red scooter would be easier to maintain in my current setup. how much more difficulty would come with a mandarin instead?

 

[SubRosa]

i happen to think that red scooters are very easy to train/get eating
they quickly associate food with pipettes or forceps and its easy street from there, i had one in a 15, it was small and skinny when i got it, now its big, i ended up giving it away because it picked food out from my coral and i thought that my bioload was too high.
this is what he looked like when i got him sry for tiny pic

my thread has a couple pics of him a little later
for the record, he did eat frozen and pellets
i say, if you can get them eating frozen or pellets, you can keep them, i fed twice a day though and specifically to him, turned flow off, and fed right to his face

And I've sold Green Mandarins that ate pellets. But if you count on that you'll be disappointed alot more than you're satisfied. It's all about the odds.

 

[SubRosa]

A Spotted Mandarin will be the least trouble ime.

 

[Ace25]

Just wanted to agree with the others in this thread.. the scooters are easier than mandarins to get trained on prepared foods, better odds at least, but as far as mandarins the spotted is the easiest of those.