Anyone with multiple blennies?

[MellowReefer]

Please let me know your successes and failures with mixing blennies. I love them but have never had two at one time. I have heard it's risky with certain types. I have a harptail blenny and would love to get a bicolor or midas.

[JoelA7]

I have a bicolor and a midas no issues ever.

[MellowReefer]

Thanks! Anyone else?

[o2manyfish]

I have 3 tailspots, 1 bicolor, 2 lawnmower, 1(At least) barnacle blennie, 1 Midas and had an Australian Orange Spotted.

My lawnmowers are huge and usually stay about 3' away from each other. Yesterday evening they were both sitting in the surge tank outlet pipe and then 1 was displaying for the other. So perhaps after many years they might be a pair.

Dave B

[MellowReefer]

I have 3 tailspots, 1 bicolor, 2 lawnmower, 1(At least) barnacle blennie, 1 Midas and had an Australian Orange Spotted.

My lawnmowers are huge and usually stay about 3' away from each other. Yesterday evening they were both sitting in the surge tank outlet pipe and then 1 was displaying for the other. So perhaps after many years they might be a pair.

Dave B

You have a really large tank though :) Might not work in smaller tanks.

But most of the problems I've heard about seem to involve a Starry Blenny not accepting another blenny.

[TreyK]

I have a midas and a tailspot together in my 60 cube. They seem to get along...

[MellowReefer]

Anyone else?

[running scott]

Had a tailspot, Midas, and a smiths in 168 gal. All got along great.

[el aguila]

There is a big difference when you consider some of the previously mentioned blennies. I have 4 tailspots in a 190 which are some of the more Peaceful blennies. 3 tend to hang out together perched high on a rock while the other has a hole on the opposite side of the tank.

[d-man]

Lawnmower, 2 tailspots, millers, and Midas. No issues at all

[A sea K]

Lawnmower, 2 tailspots, millers, and Midas. No issues at all

How large is your system?

[MellowReefer]

On a side note, its so great that they are now breeding in captivity many of the fang blennies (meiacanthus). I really like this one that ORA is breeding and I have seen for sale on DiversDen. This is the Kamohara blenny.

http://www.orafarm.com/images/products/fish/blennies/kamohara_lg.jpg

[jbvdhp]

On a side note, its so great that they are now breeding in captivity many of the fang blennies (meiacanthus). I really like this one that ORA is breeding and I have seen for sale on DiversDen. This is the Kamohara blenny.

http://www.orafarm.com/images/products/fish/blennies/kamohara_lg.jpg


I like those ones too!

[randomcory]

just pick up a Kamohara blenny, but how do you post pics on here? also how much are they going for on divers den

[MellowReefer]

This is the one I have. Harptail blenny. Captive bred. Very cute, swims all over the tank, gets along with all my fish, eats everything I feed.

http://www.orafarm.com/images/products/fish/blennies/harptail_lg.jpg

[MellowReefer]

Regarding the fang blennies (meiacanthus), I found an article by Advanced Aquarist that says "They are usually peaceful toward their own kind and others." If I decide to try it, I will update this thread :)

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/5/fish

[MellowReefer]

just pick up a Kamohara blenny, but how do you post pics on here? also how much are they going for on divers den

Cool, how is it's personality so far? I think the one on DD was about $40-60 but I can't remember exactly.

To post pics, you have to click on the icon with the mountain/sun and then copy the link of the pic you want to post and paste it in there. For posting your own photos, most people are using the site Photobucket, you can upload for free and then copy the link to each pic.

[MellowReefer]

Here's a fang blenny on DD right now. It's $60. I think it's my new favorite :)

http://www.liveaquaria.com/images/diversden/approved/0210151-130.jpg

[MellowReefer]

Captive-bred Smith blenny trio for $75! I wonder if they stick close together? Cute!

http://www.liveaquaria.com/images/diversden/approved/0112151-339ta.jpg

[randomcory]

thanks for the help mellow reefer

[randomcory]

he is very passive. also like to free swim just above the rocks

[Betta132]

I used to have a Smith blenny. Cute thing, but (despite the fangs) didn't stand up to my bully damsel in the slightest. Had to remove him. If not for the damsel, I'd definitely get another.

[MellowReefer]

I emailed someone at ORA and got a really nice and fast email back :) He said that adding another fang blenny to a tank where one is already established could be risky. He said people were successful adding several at the same time to a large tank. He said that it would be less risky to add a blenny from a different genus, but still not entirely without risk of fighting. I might try adding a midas.

[fearyaks]

I have one of the Kamoharas in my 105 with a Starry. No problems at all. It's a cool fish, swims around, hovers like a helicopter staring at something on the live rock, then attacks it, then moves on (I presume pod hunting or something)?

Here's a picture of it with my starry.
http://i.imgur.com/N0Jerep.jpg

[MellowReefer]

LOL I love that picture.

I had a Starry a few years back and unfortunately lost it to ich (lesson learned, quarantine everything!). But I loved that fish, so much personality. I've been thinking about getting another one. Since yours gets along with your fang blenny, hopefully I'll be lucky too.

[fearyaks]

Good luck. As always ymmv as some bennies can be total turds!

[MellowReefer]

Yes I have heard of a few cases where starry blennies got really aggressive, but most are peaceful, it seems like russian roulette with these guys. I read a few instances where they attacked tangs. I will try a small one and hope that being added after my other fish have been established a while will help too.

[Chasmodes]

I used to have a bicolor blenny and a molly miller together in the same tank with no issues. I think that the diets varied, so less competition for food maybe? The bicolor was my algae vacuum cleaner, while the molly miller preferred the meaty foods. The molly miller had a couple favorite perches, and would chase the bicolor off them but never attacked it. But that rarely happened. The bicolor had his own perches that the molly miller didn't care about.

[MellowReefer]

Thanks for sharing. I haven't gotten one yet, but I'm leaning towards the bicolor blenny or midas. Just waiting for my local fish guy to get one of them.

[rlpardue]

I keep a pair of Midas blennies that appear to be spawning. I had a pair of yellow eye com tooth blennies until one jumped. They were spawning too. I still have one of them. Some time ago, I added 5 Caribbean sailfin blennies. The two biggest males killed the other 3, as now they sit at opposite ends of the aquarium "flagging" at each other.

[Dustin Thompson]

I have a starry and a tailspot in a 57 together. Initially the tailspot was very curious, then the starry bullied him for a bit, but now they get along fine.

[McPuff]

I used to have a bicolor blenny and a molly miller together in the same tank with no issues. I think that the diets varied, so less competition for food maybe? The bicolor was my algae vacuum cleaner, while the molly miller preferred the meaty foods. The molly miller had a couple favorite perches, and would chase the bicolor off them but never attacked it. But that rarely happened. The bicolor had his own perches that the molly miller didn't care about.

The molly millers are hilarious! I think a tailspot and molly miller might be the combo I try! :0)

[gloup81]

i wasnt so lucky with a tiny bicolor and a small orange spot blenny , had the bicolor a month in quarantine and initially chased around the orange spotted when the later introduced in the system , a day later the orange spotted had taken over the perking sites and bashing the bicolor whenever tried to get away of the bottom of the tank , a week later mooved both in the 9g dt and the bicolor perished after ~48 hours , i had watched over the spotted at the lfs some times and was really cool along with a small goby , with the presence of another blenny his whole attitude is changed , its like hes on speed as he still hasnt realised the enemy is eliminated

[Sk8r]

Blennies can be like that. Two that I do know get along well are the starry and the tailspot.

[Reef Frog]

How do you guys feed the Blennies listed as "herbivores" and "omnivores"?

Will they accept algae pellets (sinking, floating?) or nori sheets? Frozen algae preparations? What species of naturally occurring algaes will they eat? GHA? How do you know if you have enough of the right species in the aquarium?

I'm not confident my 65g aquarium would produce enough of the algaes blennies find acceptable to keep them well fed. Oddly enough I did have a Tailspot for years and it seemed he came out to eat planktonic sized food like cyclopseeze with gusto along with the basslets & firefish. I had moderate algae at the time and did see my TSB occasionally & casually pick at rocks or furry glass, but I thought he was eating a small pod or crustacean. I never saw it go after string or any other kind of algae that I can recall. Is this normal?

So please tell me about how & what you feed your herbivore & omnivore blennies. TIA.

[ThRoewer]

My bicolors eat whatever gets thrown into the tank. They usually get their algae from the rocks and the glass. I caught the one in my 100 gallon tank also to take bites of some of my bright green corals (porites with Christmas tree worms and monti with green polyps) - likely thinks those are algae. He/she may get kicked out if this continues.

My fattest bicolor is the one who is still in a 10 gallon QT with a MarsAqua LED light. The algae on the glass grow so fast, he can't eat against that.

[GimpyFin]

Starry and Midas here. Midas eats mostly meaty stuff. Starry eats meaty stuff, pellets, seaweed, some stuff on rocks (Not hair algae, though) and most anything else I throw in. Starry also has the best personality and is still my favorite out of all the fish I have.