Fang Blennies Easy to Keep?

[falconut]

I've been trying to decide between a Stripped Blenny and a Green Canary Blenny. So, far neither ate at the LFS when I was there. But, they tell me they're both eatting. I prefer to see it for myself before buying anything. Here are generic web photos of the blennies I'm looking at:

http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y374/falconut/Striped_blenny2.jpg Striped Blenny
http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y374/falconut/GreenCanary.jpg Green Canary Blenny

Just wondering if they're a fairly easy fish to keep? I had a Stripped Blenny a while back, but it disappeared about a week after I got it. It was eatting.

If it matters, the Stripped is about 2" head to tail and the Canary is about 4" head to tail. Also, the Stripped is ORA. I assume from reading that they'd be fine on frozen mysis & brine and and assortment of pellets and flakes. I feed mostly frozen, with an occational assortment of flakes and pellets maybe a couple days a week.

Any advise, suggestions, experience would be appriciated.

[treylane]

Hopefully I'm the exception, but...

I've had several mature, wild specimens like your photo #2 refuse to eat anything despite a huge variety of offerings, and starve to death.

The ORA striped ones weren't "hard to keep" in any particular way, they ate well and didn't bother other fish/corals or anything, but they seemed to disappear despite apparent (?) good health inside a year.

[zachk]

My Striped Fang Blennies would eat any meaty foods and pellets. They are excellent jumpers, though.

[velvetelvis]

I've kept grammistes (striped) and oualanensis (canary--the yellow species w/o the black stripe) fangblennies, all captive-bred by either Sustainable Aquatics or ORA. IME, if you get healthy, captive-bred specimens, they do well. Just make sure to feed plenty of very small foods, because they have tiny mouths. And as has been stated, they may jump out of an uncovered tank. Otherwise, they're trouble-free and great reef inhabitants: active, pretty, harmless to all inverts, and not inclined to bother other fish unless they're attacked first.

[falconut]

treylane - Your experience with the Stripped sounds like the one I had. I never had a Canary, but the ones they have are wild.

zachk - I'm guessing that you lost yours to jumping? How long did you have it?

velvetelvis - The frozen mysis is rarely full whole pieces, usually there are plenty of pieces of shrimp. Plus when I feed flakes, I break some up smaller. So, I guess I'm good with my normal routine.

Is eatting the biggest issue with these guys? Aside from the jumping.

[Jeremy Blaze]

Same as above.

Striped kept with no problem, tried, canary and mozambiques, could not get them to eat. Wild caught, have not tried ORA.

[falconut]

Jeremy Blaze - Do you recall the size of the Stripped when you got it and how long you had it for?

[Jeremy Blaze]

2"-3". Had it over a year.

Death was my fault, it was hanging out in the output of a hot mag filter, and I removed the filter from the tank, without realizing the fish was in it. It turned to fish jerky :(.

This was about 8 years ago, it was definatly wild caught, found it at a little hole in the wall shop, first time I had ever seen one.

Lived in a 75 gallon mixed reef.

[falconut]

Thanks Jeremy Blaze, that's about the size of the ones at the LFS. Did you notice if yours grew any over that time?

[Jeremy Blaze]

Not much. I think 3-3.5" is probably max. Never seen a bigger one. Mine gained weight but not a lot of length.

[velvetelvis]

The frozen mysis is rarely full whole pieces, usually there are plenty of pieces of shrimp. Plus when I feed flakes, I break some up smaller. So, I guess I'm good with my normal routine.

Is eatting the biggest issue with these guys? Aside from the jumping.

That sounds good. I also highly recommend cyclop-eeze; not only is the size perfect, but it also stays suspended in the water column, where they prefer to feed anyway. Mine loved it.

[falconut]

I picked up the Green Canary Blenny today. He was eatting live bloodworms and they told me he's been there about 2 weeks and he's also eatting pellets. The Stripped Blenny was just too small and he wouldn't eat even the blackworms.

He colored up nice in QT. I'm happy with the choice, here's a picture of him:

http://i1031.photobucket.com/albums/y374/falconut/Reef%20Tank/mini-Canary1.jpg

[OrionN]

The Green Canary Blenny is available at my LFS on sale for 15 dollars right now. They got three and I got the fattest one yesterday. He is doing well in my tank. I want to get the other two to get a harem (they have them in separate tank). Anybody with experience with this? (keep in group).
They should be easy to breed but difficult to sex. From what I read two male will fight but one male and a group of females are OK.

[Nembo]

I've kept the striped one.Not overly coloured but a very nice looking fish.Mine had a tint of blue to it also.Downside is I found it to be a very nervous fish.My tank contains all slow movers but it would still tend to dart around and was very easily spooked.It jumped out of the tank on several occasions through small gaps as my tank is covered.I finally lost it because it jumped out the back of the tank between the tank and the wall and I couldn't retrieve it.It never ate flakes but liked frozen Mysis and brineshrimp.

[snappenin]

I just released a canary blenny after acclimating it. It immediately spun around a ate two feather dusters I have been in love with. Did I miss something? I thought they were fine with inverts.

[davocean]

ooh, fangs are not good w/ many inverts, say goodbye to snails and possibly shrimp, among other things.
I had one that ate...too many things I did not want it to.

[snappenin]

Ugh. So frustrating. I am willing to accept responsibility for not doing enough research. However, my LFS is useless. I ran out and got a small tank to quarantine him. He goes back in the morning.

[davocean]

Ugh. So frustrating. I am willing to accept responsibility for not doing enough research. However, my LFS is useless. I ran out and got a small tank to quarantine him. He goes back in the morning.

Well if it makes you feel any better that was how I learned as well some time ago.
I found out there is a good reason they call it a FANG
I think from memory(it's been a while) that they even have somewhat of a toxic bite.
All I know is on intro it went straight over to a couple snails and just bit them, didn't even eat, just killed two, maybe to eat later I guess.
I was looking for a yellow assesor at the time, told by the guy these are pretty similar...NOT!

[snappenin]

Well if it makes you feel any better that was how I learned as well some time ago.
I found out there is a good reason they call it a FANG
I think from memory(it's been a while) that they even have somewhat of a toxic bite.
All I know is on intro it went straight over to a couple snails and just bit them, didn't even eat, just killed two, maybe to eat later I guess.
I was looking for a yellow assesor at the time, told by the guy these are pretty similar...NOT!

No, it doesn't make me feel better, just bad for you too, lol. Somehow my feathers did make it and I segregated him before there were casualties. He went back today. Unfortunately he is not the first I have returned due to ding dongs giving me horrible info at my LFS. They offered me 25% off my next few fish but I declined. I went with my first coral (a St. Thomas shroom) instead. Hopefully it doesn't become a man eating coral tonight as that has been my luck, lol. My fish and inverts are all peacefully coexisting now and I think it's time to leave well enough alone.

[CL72]

Stripes blenny attack inverts? I pick one up today and it's in my QT now,I got nervous when I read venomous but I m more nervous when I see it pecking on the nassarius snails....couldn't really find info about this fish...my 60g has cleaner shrimps in it, I would appreciate more info since you guys kept this fish.thanks

[SDguy]

My fang blennies never bothered inverts. They can be delicate/difficult to feed, if they are wild caught. I had Meiacanthus oualanensis and Meiacanthus atrodorsalis.

[Moort82]

Eating inverts is something new for me too and goes completely against my experience of them. I don't think they are any different to any of the small blennies in terms of reef safety but with the added advantage that they won't nibble your corals.
The fang in their name is due to the large slightly venemous fangs which they use only for defense against predators not because they hunt your cuc, at least in my experience but i haven't kept that many species long term (worked in a lfs).
The ones i did keep including the wild were better with frozen foods than dried foods but never had a problem maintaining them or getting them feeding apart from a couple of Meiacanthus atrodorsalis who i think had a hard time shipping. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of them.

[CL72]

Thanks guys. I just noticed part of a hermit in a rock,not sure if it killed a hermit or another hermit molted...I sure hope it doesn't bother the invert..it is just beautiful

[davocean]

Maybe I got a bad egg, but as soon as I dropped it in tank it went straight over and bit not one, but two snails.

[Moort82]

Maybe I got a bad egg, but as soon as I dropped it in tank it went straight over and bit not one, but two snails.

There is normally an exception to every rule but i must say i didn't keep most of them for very long so maybe my experience isn't completely accurate.

[falconut]

I didn't have any issues with the Green Canary going after any snails or hermits. But, it disappeared after a few weeks to a month. Haven't tried one again since.