Blenny Thread

[bjolly]

I have a tailspot from liveaquaria. great little fish! it's always active and very personable!

[CrazyAggie05]

i got a bigger tailspot the other day from my LFS.... i couldnt resist getting another one after my 1st disappeared. this one is much more active, colorful, and gets long with the 6-line.... i couldnt be happier!

 

its actually pretty intersting, with the old tailspot, my 6 line would flare his fins and charge at him, but with this new one, my 6 line will swim right up to him and swim right on by, not even noticing or caring about the new guy... i dont get it lol

[burtnnator07]

I thought that I'd post about this new blenny that liveaquaria is carrying at the moment. It's called the bundoon blenny, Meiacanthus bundoon. It's pretty sweet looking although it's from the genus of blennies are are sometimes aggressive and carry a mildy venemous bite.

 

[spayne]

Here's a blenny that I don't see on the list. I haven't seen it anywhere else, quite honestly. I had to go to fish index to ID him. He's a dashed-line blenny. Quite the little character. I haven't discovered much info on his aside from the fact that he's a comb-toothed variety, will reach about 2.5 inches and my LFS said that the wholesaler labelled it as a "Mini Lawnmower Blenny". He's a quick little bugger, which explains the bad picture.

 

 

Stacy

[elimmel]

wow very nice blennies!

 

itching to add one to my 24G but holding back cos i already have a orange spotted goby (Amblyeleotris guttata) in it.

do you think a midas or bicolour or lawnmower will get along with the orange?

[ficklefins]

The picture is a bit dark but here is my bicolor

 

For all those who don't have homes for these fish, they love any tube style home you may be able to provide. He has taken over this sponge after it fell off my powerhead.

 

[fishnerd]

i made a thread about this guy a couple of weeks back...he looks sort of like a bi-color blenny but there's no cirri...also, his fins are all connected all the way 'round his body. great little guy, peaceful, curious, eats well. only thing is, no one knows what the heck kind of fish it is!

any id help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks!

[fras]

Lol, everyones blenny is called lenny

Some great shots, I particularly like that dashed lined blenny, the colours are fantastic!

 

Here's some more of my bicolour, the first one is taken at night while sleeping, the last one is most recent which shows a recently developed really nice green tinge to the lower fin - has anyone else noticed this? Also has anyone found a way of reliably sexing?

[burtnnator07]

Awesome pictures! I really like the second to last one where he is peeking out...so cute!

 

Moby-My Red Sea Mimic

[ficklefins]

Sebea,

 

I hope you don't mind me asking this question on your Blenny thread.

 

Have you seen any strange swimming patterns from your blenny? Or anything that may lead you to believe your blenny is male/female? Has anybody tried placing a mirror up to the side of the tank to see what actions your blenny take against an intruder? It would be great to find a way to pair blennies without the fear of them killing each other.

 

My bi-color will swing back and forth in the middle of the tank in a wide U type shape. Similar to the back and forth motion of a playground swing. He/she also defend his sponge home from almost anything by rushing the creature and swimming out of the way right before contact.

 

thx Sebea.

[Sebea]

Hi luceneck,

 

Thanks for sharing pics of your blenny!

 

Actually, I don't have a blenny as of yet, but I deffinetly plan on one in the future. I just wanted to see everyone else's.

 

Maybe someone else can answer your question. I really wouldn't know how to tell a male apart from a female. They are a really unique fish though, and they strike me as very territorial.

[fras]

Have you seen any strange swimming patterns from your blenny? Or anything that may lead you to believe your blenny is male/female? Has anybody tried placing a mirror up to the side of the tank to see what actions your blenny take against an intruder? It would be great to find a way to pair blennies without the fear of them killing each other.

 

My bi-color will swing back and forth in the middle of the tank in a wide U type shape. Similar to the back and forth motion of a playground swing. He/she also defend his sponge home from almost anything by rushing the creature and swimming out of the way right before contact.

 

thx Sebea.

 

At the risk of delving into fish porn...

 

If you look at the 4th photo down in my previous post, you can see a small genital papilla immediately in front of the anal fins. From everything I have read this makes my blenny a male, females apparently have a small triangular opening (very difficult to see). An added difficulty is that the papilla is not always there, when I took that photo I had just cleaned the aquarium sides of algea and my blenny was being aggressive towards his reflection. You might also notice the red cheeks which I found is another marker of a change in mood(perhaps stress related), and probably something that goes along with the papilla being visible.

 

I've also read that as with many fish the male has a longer dorsal fin, males are of a larger adult size and can shift in colour, but after seeing many photo's and quite a few different bicolour's in real life I find it very difficult to notice any real differences. My bicolour does subtely shift colour, but I don't think it's something I would notice in a specific comparison. As for the size thing, it's impossible to tell age in most cases.

 

Another added difficulty is of course that some of our blennies might not be sexually mature, I have no idea at what age they become so.

 

The mirror idea is probably a very good one to provoke a reaction and at the very least get an initial clue. It's so hard to sex blennies in your own time in your own aquarium, a person would look like some kind of fish pervert at the LFS trying to figure things out

[ficklefins]

At the risk of delving into fish porn...

 

If you look at the 4th photo down in my previous post, you can see a small genital papilla immediately in front of the anal fins. From everything I have read this makes my blenny a male, females apparently have a small triangular opening (very difficult to see). An added difficulty is that the papilla is not always there, when I took that photo I had just cleaned the aquarium sides of algea and my blenny was being aggressive towards his reflection. You might also notice the red cheeks which I found is another marker of a change in mood(perhaps stress related), and probably something that goes along with the papilla being visible.

 

I've also read that as with many fish the male has a longer dorsal fin, males are of a larger adult size and can shift in colour, but after seeing many photo's and quite a few different bicolour's in real life I find it very difficult to notice any real differences. My bicolour does subtely shift colour, but I don't think it's something I would notice in a specific comparison. As for the size thing, it's impossible to tell age in most cases.

 

Another added difficulty is of course that some of our blennies might not be sexually mature, I have no idea at what age they become so.

 

The mirror idea is probably a very good one to provoke a reaction and at the very least get an initial clue. It's so hard to sex blennies in your own time in your own aquarium, a person would look like some kind of fish pervert at the LFS trying to figure things out

 

 

Excellent post and Pics above. I didn't even notice that I posted the same question you did. I guess I got some naughty fish watching ahead of me.

[Fish Stick]

Here is a shot of my tailspot I got from liveaquaria.com on Friday. A day of hiding and now he is out perching, picking at LR and darting in and out of holes....money well spent!

 

[Caesar777]

I like my bundoon blenny. (Stock photo...Hmm, it's hard to find photos of them!)

 

[Fish Stick]

I like my bundoon blenny. (Stock photo...Hmm, it's hard to find photos of them!)

 

Can't you take a picture of it? It looks like a cool blenny.

[10" Red Devil]

Are those Tail-spot Blennys herbivores, omnivores, or carnivores?

 

Are they Agressive, semi-agressive?

 

Thanks!

[jafoca]

Tailspot and bicolor are very closly related I think, and so I will guess they are also naturally herbivores (but will eat other stuff if offered).

 

Both are considered non-aggressive except to similar fish, so add them to your tank first if you want one.

[FloorLord]

Tailspot and bicolor are very closly related I think, and so I will guess they are also naturally herbivores (but will eat other stuff if offered).

 

Both are considered non-aggressive except to similar fish, so add them to your tank first if you want one.

 

not really good advice.

They are generally aggresive, and most of the time, will nip @ Clams, or certain SPS. I have had to get rid of a Midas Blenny, and a Bi-Color for Clam-Nipping, not saying it happens in all cases, sure did for me.

D

[10" Red Devil]

not really good advice.

They are generally aggresive, and most of the time, will nip @ Clams, or certain SPS. I have had to get rid of a Midas Blenny, and a Bi-Color for Clam-Nipping, not saying it happens in all cases, sure did for me.

D

 

Thanks for that really helpful!

[spankey]

Awesome thread guys. SH your tail spot is killer lookin'... I have a bi-color in each tank I own (Two LOL). Any rate? Can you mix blennies? I mean could I keep a bi-color and a spoted tail together in the same tank? If not what other fish would you guys recomend for my lonley bi-color in my 12 gallon aquapod? He is the only fish in there and he is only about 2 inches long. Still tiny....

 

Thanks!

Spankey!

[jafoca]

I would not mix blennies in a small tank. The books I have read say that they are aggressive to similar shaped fish, and the tailspot is very closely related to the bicolor.

[FlyGTI]

Gotta resurrect this thread, because these pictures are so cool. Blennies have so much personality. I love mine (her name is Petunia). From what a trusted friend has told me, female bicolors are typically a little more muted in coloring than the males. Can anyone corroborate this?

 

Also, I'm really wanting to add a shrimp or two. In a 12g Aquapod, what's the consensus? Will they play nice?

[jafoca]

Yes, blennies get along fine with shrimp.

 

I will fight you, FloodLord, on your blenny agressiveness lable.

 

Blennies are known to nip at clam mantles and SPS, but it all depends on the blenny itself. This does not make them aggressive fish. Aggressive means mean to other fish, which the blenny is not. If you must give the blenny a lable it would have to be "Semi-Reef Safe" because it may or may not be compatable with all reef inhabitants.

[Pinner Reef]

As long as we're bringing this thread back I thought I'd add a picture of my Blenny. The general consensis is that it's name is a Flametail Blenny as opposed to a Bi-colored. What ever he is he's cool. He is the only fish and I couldn't be happier. He's got a game where he tries to swim upstream into the power head though he never gets very close LOL

Not the greatest photo though.

 

-Pinner