Feeding Pholidichthys leucotaenia (The Convict Blenny) - 05/06/08
Eric,
<<Hello Petar>>
Please help me with http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pholodichthyidae.htm.
<<Ah yes, Pholidichthys leucotaenia…the Convict Blenny. I kept a trio of these in a reef tank when I was stationed in the UK…wonderful fish! (Hmm, perhaps it’s time for another trio…)>>
I got them very small with only one silver line in their back.
<<Indeed…their juvenile markings>>
How to feed them and with what type of food?
<<Though mine were a bit secretive, they were never shy about showing up for feedings. They will eat most any prepared foods (flake, pellets), and will also take frozen foods very well (mysis shrimp, fortified brine shrimp, blood worms)>>
I am supposing that this stripe will be split later?
<<Yes…as they mature their markings will become broken and will take on a more “striped” appearance. Eric Russell>>
BR /Petar

Why are my fish dying in QT?   2/1/06
Well I just had another fish die in QT. A Randall's goby.  It was 4 weeks along.  It died over night.
<This is too long to quarantine Amblygobius... or most small gobies, blennies... the stress, starvation is way worse than the small risk of disease introduction after a week or two>
My QT setup is a 20G with 2 Aquaclear HOB filters; a 30G and a 20G. So I have lots of filtration. I set the bacteria population with BioSpira. I have used this in the past with good results. Tank has been used for 3 fish now and was bleached out in between fish. Well rinsed out. Other 3 fish lived and are in the display. Temp control through a titanium htr with controller. Separate digital thermometer to keep tabs. I also have a ph probe constantly on to monitor ph. Lighting by a 96W VHO. Couple pieces of PVC for caves. Using Copper Power proactively just for the last 2 fish.
<Not always a wise precaution...>
I seem to have this issue with fish getting in distress at about the 3-4 week mark.
<... opinions vary (to put this euphemistically)... but I am a big fan of two week limits here...>
I do WC every week and siphon out every couple days. My problems seem to coincide with algae growth starting. The past 3 fish that lived flasher wrasse, labouti wrasse and royal Gramma) also seemed to be in some distress about this time. I did 100% WC and they pulled through. The fish start hanging out at the top of the tank near the most water turbulence. This time the goby went back down and seemed to be ok. Not breathing heavily. No visible spots etc. He did stop eating that I could see about a week ago. He's never been a big eater but he could have eaten when I wasn't looking. He did eat earlier in the QT.
My theory is oxygen deprivation and the fish are having trouble breathing. I do scrub the algae out but seems if anything to make it worse. I have added an airstone in the past not this time) but doesn't seem to help. Since the fish die overnight I'm thinking this lends more credence to the O2 theory since with lights out the algae won't be contributing O2. But I'm not sure what would be sucking up the O2? The water while not as crystal clear as starting wasn't too bad. I had done a 30% WC day before and cleaned out the filters. I never measured any NH3, temp 78C ph 8.3 SG 1.026.
I have done lots of reading on QT and the things that seem to trip up are ph, SG, NH3 due to inadequate biological filter. I have not run across any accounts of the fish having issues breathing without visible signs. Not at the 4 week mark.
Any ideas? I'm tired of losing fish. I lost others when my QT was a 10G in similar fashion. This is the first I've lost since moving up but all the fish seemed to have trouble 3-4 wks in. Sorry for the long email.
Thanks,
Phil
<No worries... please see my articles on quarantine... especially for the sorts of fishes you list, two weeks is about the "magical breaking point" for getting more value than damage. Bob Fenner>

The Little Blenny That Was
Hi, I have an eel question for ya. I recently bought a so called engineer goby, but I knew better. I am pretty sure its an eel, but you never know. It looks just like a tessellated moray eel, but with little pectoral fins located behind the gills, but doesn't have a nasty mouth like a moray. Instead has a blunt round mouth like a nicer eel species. I am totally confused with this one. 
<Please see here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/blennioids.htm  
sounds like Pholodichthys...> 
It also looks similar to a snake eel I saw online, but the eel pictured was spotted. Mine is black with milky yellow patterns all over it, like the tessellated, but not spotted. I also heard that some blennies look like that. Maybe it was sold as a blenny, just misidentified blenny? 
<Tis a blennioid... Ofttimes called an engineer blenny/goby/eel...> 
I don't know what it is. I just need to know to properly care for it. Also it doesn't have scales, but doesn't look really leathery like my snowflake eel. It just looks to nice to be an eel. It also doesn't hide all the time like an eel . I'm beginning to think maybe it is a blenny or snake eel. I just need to know what it is. Sorry for no photo, my camera is out of commission right now. Please just give your best guess or refer me to a good eel and goby picture site if you also have no clue. I've looked and looked on the net with no positive id. Thanks a bunch for your time, and sorry for such a long message. You guys are the best on the net! I have learned so much from your FAQs. Thank you sooo much for your site, everyone I know who does saltwater knows who you guys are and what you do for the saltwater enthusiast. I'd be lost with out your site. Thanks again, Alison Moore of Lake Stevens, Washington 
<This monotypic species is one of my favorite marine aquarium fishes... very hardy and undemanding. Bob Fenner>

Re: eel question 
Hi Bob, unfortunately my guy isn't a engineer blenny/ lawnmower blenny/ algae blenny. I've had those great little guys but that's not my guy. He totally looks exactly like a tessellated eel baby or possibly a chain eel baby. 
<Might be... do you have images you could send along?...> 
He/she is about 1 foot long or more, thin like an eel, and shaped like an eel, and has a main color of black with yellowish coloring on him that are like yellow spots that run into one another. 
<Take a look through Fishbase.org and the common names you have... and on to the Google images from their pix...> 
He has little pectoral fins right behind the gills that are tiny in comparison with his body. 
<Stop! This is NOT an anquilliform fish... not a true eel, not a moray... they lack pectoral and pelvic fins...> 
He also oscillates like an eel and acts/ looks like an eel. I'm pretty good about identifying marine fish and corals, being in the hobby for 4+ years now, and I've had eels before, but this one has me stumped. I'll just try and get my camera up and running to send a picture. Whatever he is he sure is pretty and is a great addition. Thanks for all your help. Sincerely, Alison 
<Ahh, do send along those pix. Bob Fenner>

Blenny ID and help 11/13/03
My local LFS have just received a few Orangespotted blennies (Istiblennius chrysospilos). They look very nice but I have tried to find information on the on WetWebMedia and searched the web with no success (just a few not very good pictures).
<I wonder if we are talking about the same fish... I suspect you have not found much info for having been given an incorrect species name (and genus!). I believe you are looking for Blenniella  chrysospilos (note the correct genus and the "r" in the species name). Do peek at the page for this fish on fishbase.org and see if it is one in the same:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=6047&genusname=Blenniella&speciesname=chrysospilos
I would like to know more about this species before putting one in my tank.  
<much info on fishbase about its habitat, feeding, etc.>
Are you familiar with this fish ?  
<alas no... a lovely fish though. Do search more armed with the updated name>
Best regards Magnus Petersson (Sweden)
<kindly, Anthony>

Too LITTLE Algae?? II
>Thanks Marina ...
>>You're welcome.
>I do intend to setup a refugium but in the meantime I will force feed greenery to Dr. Blenny and the Sally Lightfoots, until or if they are removed.
>>That is the best option.  Do I make you Nori, baby??
>Another brilliant option that just occurred to me is to quit cleaning the back blue acrylic panel of algae, and let it build up and grow food for these guys.
>>Simple and brilliant.  Yep.
>Great .... SLC
>>Yes.  Marina

Pikeblennys
Dear WWM:
<Howdy>
While reading The Conscientious Marine Aquarist I stumbled upon the Yellow-Throated Pikeblenny (Chaenopsis schmitti). I cant find any info on them or where I could purchase one. Do you have any info?
<Have never seen this species offered in captivity. The genus Chaenopsis is hard to collect (darts back into tubes in which it lives) and doesn't ship well. Fishbase.org and Googleimages didn't even have a pic! http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=25532&genusname=Chaenopsis&speciesname=schmitti
Bob Fenner>
Thank for All your Help
Bob Najdek

Lawnmower blenny
I just got a new lawnmower blenny.  what would you suggest feeding it?  he is uninterested in Nori so far, but i have only had him for two days.  thank you for any help!!  <Most of these fish never except prepared foods and just eat the naturally growing algae.  If your tank doesn’t have enough algae growth in it he will probably slowly starve.  I have heard of a few cases where people have gotten theirs to eat prepared foods and you are on the right track so keep trying.  Cody>

Convict (Eel-blennies) eating crabs? (Pholodichthyids vs. decapods>
Dear Bob,
My convicts have grown a great deal in 18 months from the 1 1/2 inch babies that I acquired. The largest is 9 inches! 
<Wow, that's huge!>
They live peacefully in a "basement" they have dug beneath the live rock structure sticking their heads out like eels and coming out only twice a day to feed on "sinking shrimp pellets." They also get quite a few copepods from the refugium. They never bother any other fish.
<Generally a fantastically easygoing species>
Several weeks ago, I put in a 2 inch Mithrax crab and have not seen it since, day or night. Also missing is a coral banded shrimp. The only other fish of any size are the yellow tang (3 inches) and the sleeper goby (5 inches). Could the peaceful convicts be eating these animals? 
<Yes... particularly if they were in a molted/molting phase>
They have a large mouth but don't seem aggressive enough to catch anything. I won't be putting in anymore crabs but am curious about the convicts - they are my most interesting and favorite fish.
<But opportunistic feeders on crustaceans, worms... Bob Fenner>
The second refugium is under construction. I must get the oolitic sand by internet. Do you folks have a formula to tell how many pounds are required to get 6 inches deep in a tank 36 x 12??
I await with interest Anthony's explanation of "the downside of Caulerpa".
Howard

Blenny mixing, Fish Compatibility
WWMCrew, Happy 4th of July! Thanks for the outstanding site. A very quick question. Can I mix a 3" orangespot blenny (Ophioblennius chrysospilos) with a 1" red scooter blenny (Neosynchiropus ocellatus) in a 90 gallon reef tank with other small, peaceful fish; firefish, yellow assessor, pair of true Percs, six-line wrasse. The red scooter would be the new addition.
<Yes, they should all be fine together.>
Thanks in advance for your response. Craig
<You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Biotopes
Hello Anthony
Thanks for the quick reply, I assume you don't sleep much (time difference).
<you assumed correct <G>>
I know there is little written about the biotopes I'm interested in. so I probably need to some experimenting of my own as you suggested. 
<that will be so very exciting!>
I already had plans for 7 empty 170 l(45 g) and a 5 7Ol(20 g) tanks. I'm trying to buy a house so this plans will have to wait. but 2 tanks have been set up for the Amblygobius rainfordi and I'm going to try and cultivate some copepods. 
<excellent... be sure to keep a good mass of macroalgae or seagrass to encourage them... fine silty/muddy substrate for the grasses may also help>
to feed the soft corals in my cave/reef tank. and I'm trying to raise the fry of Blennius pavo (or whatever name it listens to the systematics never seem to agree) is a Mediterranean species). 
<my friend Dr Sallie Boggs may be able to help if you have questions... she favors blennies and gobies and has spent much time in the Mediterranean: alotafish@attbi.com>
cause in summer they spawn every 2 weeks. and until now I couldn't keep them alive for longer than 3 weeks. my previous attempts to cultivate copepods weren't successful as I wasn't able to obtain a sufficient quantity to actually use the pods as food. and as I am a firm believer in obtaining knowledge prior to start anything I try to read everything there is to find.
<very wise and admirable!>
so here is my question: do you know off a manual for copepod culture cause the literature I read only gave results of production methods and not describing the methods.
<sure...talk to the folks at Florida Aqua Farms. They have written a manual about plankton culture and they sell kits for many species (although I'm not sure of copepods specifically). Reach at http://www.florida-aqua-farms.com/ >
thanks for your time
<best regards, Anthony Calfo>

Lawnmower blenny
I have my lawnmower blenny in copper treatment (treating for ich) with other fish. Anyhow, the other fish eat everything that I feed it. However, I'm wondering how do you feed a lawnmower blenny? 
<Almost exclusively algae>
Usually he's grazing on live rock, but since there are no calcareous material in the tank, I doubt he's getting anything. Do they eat macroalgae? 
<Perhaps yours will... you could try attaching it to a "rock" that won't affect the copper, water chemistry>
I don't seem to ever remember him eating Nori that was clipped on the tank. Will a strand of Caulerpa from the main tank entice him? Thanks
<Worth trying. Otherwise, I would shorten its quarantine/treatment time to one week, freshwater dip it per the protocols posted on WetWebMedia.com and place it in a new live-rock tank setting (not in the previously infested one). Bob Fenner>
Jim

Lawnmower Blenny
OK, I read all of the FAQ's on the lawnmower blennies page and still need to find out what to do.
My lawnmower blenny has been fine in our tank for the last month. It is a 55 gal reef that has tons of hair algae in it. The blenny did a lot of mowing until last week. Now he is thin and doesn't seem to be eating at all. I rarely see him anymore and he doesn't hang out in his usual spot next to the Atlantic Condy.
Water is OK, nitrates are a little high at 10 ppm, nitrites = 0, PH is 8.2, ammonia = 0.
<Your water quality ok pretty good.>
Tankmates are a Banggai cardinal, a yellow damsel, a mandarin dragonet, and the aforementioned anemone.
What should I feed the dragonet? (It seems to be OK at the moment) and do you have any suggestions for the blenny?
<You can find all about the Mandarins required care under the FAQ file on them. Suffice to say, very few eat anything other than live food. For the blenny, I would try Nori and various macroalgae; Caulerpa, Ulva, Dictyota, Gracilaria, Fauchea , etc. Check out your LFS or the various e-tailers.>
Also, I can't seem to keep snails alive (Turbos) I put them in and within a week they're dead. The well water here in Alaska is very mineral rich and has a lot of iron in it. I'm doing a water change this week with RO water, but I don't want to stress this thin blenny and kill him. Any suggestions?
<Two things, iron is not too terrible for inverts but copper and aluminum are just plain deadly. And secondly, rapid changes in salinity will kill snails too. They should be drip acclimated when you first get them. -Steven Pro>
HELP!!! Chuck

Blenny
<Anthony Calfo with the follow up>
Steve, is it possible to have a lawnmower blenny without substrate in my quarantine tank?
<yes... there are many algae discs and wafers to substitute for natural algae during QT. Even frozen greenstuffs and dried laver (Nori seaweed)>
What types of soft corals are easy to take care of?
<Sarcophyton and Sinularia leather species (brown are hardiest by far), most corallimorphs (mushrooms) and Zoanthids (button polyps)>
How many yellow tangs can you have in a 45 Gallon tank and a 17 gallon quarantine tank?
<absolutely one maximum... many people would argue that a 45 gallon is too small for an adult tang of any kind. More than one would be rather inappropriate in the long run>
Thanks
<best regards, Anthony>

Eel Blenny
Hi there,
Let me first just say I'm an immense fan of your book "the conscientious<sp?> marine aquarist". It started me off right in marine keeping and I've since sold it to many customers as the pivotal beginners book.
<Ah, a pleasure to finally meet you>
My name's Brian and I work down at Pet Kingdom in Point Loma.
<Oh! I actually helped build this retail site many years back... not for Bill Bennett (still an/the owner?) by Dick Hotchkiss and Cliff Koeningstein... wow, this is some time back (late sixties) when it was first named... Sports Arena Tropical...>
I picked up a Curios Wormfish/Eel blenny <Gunnelichthys Curiosus> and he's residing now in my tank. 
<Neat>
I was curious if you had any info on this guy as I've been unable to find any source of info out and about on the online forums. 
<http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.cfm?ID=12677 on fishbase... not much known as far as I know re this groups practical aquarium husbandry>
We've got one at our store that has a huge belly despite not having eaten anything we've seen, and I doubt it's an internal parasite due to the length of time he's been at the store. Same goes for the guy in my tank, looks well fed despite not feeding him anything directly. He mostly stays hidden except when I move a piece of rock. Hate to bug you over such a trivial thing, but I'm really trying to gather some more information on him.
<Never a bother. Do hope these fish are in circumstances (few competitors, much live rock, perhaps refugiums attached to their systems... where live foods are making themselves available>
The attached pic is him in the QT tank, his new home has a 00 grade aragonite substrate for him to bury in. Thanks again, and love the book.
<This one looks to be very healthy. Thank you. Bob Fenner>

Blenny or dragonet
Hi again
is this fish a blenny or a dragonet.
<It is a callionymid... a dragonet... which unfortunately is often called a "blenny"... common names are often confusing. Please read here on our site: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/gobioidmars.htm
As you will see, this family/group is more closely related to the gobies...>
It was sold under scooter blenny but I
understand that's vague. What will it eat, a person at the LFS said it would
eat brine shrimp but lots of my diatoms have disappeared over night (not sure
if fish is the cause), do dragonets eat critters in the sand
<Mmm, yes... this is the principal source of "in tank" nutrition... won't live indefinitely on brine shrimp...>
but I only have a
single piece of live rock so I may have to take it back if that's what it is,
<You likely would be better off returning this fish>
also it has a large sail like dorsal fin in front of the smaller dorsal fin
which flares up occasionally. you also helped me identify a small tube worm
in the rock. do you think it will grow larger and a calcareous tube?
<Some species do, most do not. Also of pertinence are your local "growing" conditions. Bob Fenner>
thank u a lot

Re: Daily Email out Fishpix
Bob:
Nice photo. This is one of the few clinids I have been able to get on film
underwater. I prefer not to call these blennies, but I know this common
name sticks for many of them. We should try to get the divers and
aquarists into using clinid as a common name.
<Agreed Dr. Jack... as with Spadefish for ephippids instead of Bats... and how many dozens of families of fishes include "Basses"? Let's not go there for sure. Be chatting. Bob Fenner>
Aloha, Jack

Blenny / Goby / Angel Compatibility
Hi Bob,
I want to thank you for answering my dwarf angel question. It is great
to see someone who is willing to share their time and expertise with
others to advance a hobby.
<Glad to be of service>
Here's my question: I want a tank where everyone gets along, or at
least tries to; The Tank of Tranquility. 
<Mmm, more like a mini-sea of detente... Natural environments are only seemingly peaceful at times>
I have a 300 gallon tank with
a lot of live rock, live sand, and a plenum. The footprint is 96 x 24
inches. It has 5 big cleaner shrimp, some hermit crabs, and some
emerald crabs. I have a bicolor blenny. I want to add a lawnmower
blenny, a orangespot blenny, a dragon goby, a neon goby, a mustache
jawfish, and either a blackfinned shrimp goby or a spottail shrimp
goby. We read a lot about certain blennies and gobies not caring for
fish with similar body shapes, colors, drivers license numbers, or what
not. Do you think these guys would get along with each other and their
backboneless tank mates? If not, who do you suppose the trouble maker
would be?
<The fishes should all get along okay together... but the shrimps may be consumed by some of the new fishes... particularly the Jawfish>
By the way, the bicolor blenny and the flame angel spend * a lot * of
time swimming along side-by-side literally touching. What do you think
those two are up to?
<Being pals in my/our anthropomorphic view. This between-species behavior is quite common... in the wild as well as captivity. Bob Fenner>
Thanks so much,
Dale M.

Feeding scooter blenny and starfish
I bob,
<Howdy>
I have a 40 gallon reef tank. I put in a scooter blenny two months ago after the tank had been establishing itself for 6 months. He/she now looks quite emaciated, since I haven't been feeding him, thinking that scavenging would be enough. What is the most convenient food for the scooter? 
<A healthy culture of in fauna (critters like worms and crustaceans) living in a large enough system (a forty is small) with live rock and/or a living sump/refugium... without too much in the way of competitors for these foodstuffs...>
I put in some frozen brine shrimp today, which he paid no attention to. 
<Try other live foods, even of freshwater origin... placed near the front of the animal... and consider adding live rock, a sump... possibly trading this fish to someone with a suitable reef setting...>
I also just introduced a small Archaster starfish, will the starfish need to be fed? with what? 
<Not likely if the tank isn't overly cleaned...>
When putting in the frozen foods, does the tanks circulation or the protein skimmer need to be turned off?
<Possibly a good idea to cycle off the filter pumps for about fifteen minutes... best done with timers so you don't forget to turn them back on>
If I do need to feed the starfish could I get away with just putting the food in the tank, rather than placing it right near him as you suggest on the website? 
<Yes... the Archaster is a detritus feeder. Bob Fenner>
thank you
regards B. brown

Red lip blenny
Hello Bob,
Happy new year! I know it's a bit late. I have a question about red lip blennies. My tank has lots of grape and feather Caulerpa growing and I wanted to know if a red lip blenny would eat these macroalgae?
<Maybe... it's best harvested by hand>
Do they eat red slime algae? 
<No>
Sorry but I have to ask one more question pertaining to Live Rock. I know the rule is about 1-2 lbs per gallon but I have about 70 lbs. in a 90 gal tank with about 150 lbs of sand. I know this isn't going to be enough for filtration but could I succeed by stocking with less fish. 
<Certainly>
If so how many would you suggest? Thanks again for your help.
Peter
<A couple or three "medium size" types or about twice that in smaller, less metabolic species... Bob Fenner>