empty barnacle cluster looking for a fish to occupy it, what should i choose?

[lilleahseafreak]

My bicolor blenny just died. in the 8 months my tank has been set up it has gone through 2 cases of ich (after first stocking my tank and after moving it) my blenny got the ich worst of all both times, after the second time he never really recovered and despite being treated died. now is barnacle condo lays empty...

i am looking into getting a new barnacle loving fish. Maybe something besides a bicolor blenny as now is a good time to try something new.

i also just set up another tank that has a barnacle and i hope to get a fish for there too.

What have you guys found that likes to hide in holes a lot and may adopt my barnacle cluster as their home?

By the way the tanks with barnacles are 23 gallons and 38 gallons. and the fish should readily eat frozen or better yet pellet food.

i miss mr. blenny. i liked him, i loved to see his head poking out of the barnacle and watch him keep house as he would spit out any sand that came in his home.

i could do another bicolor blenny but this is a good time to pick a new kind of fish and i also do not want to risk getting one that may nip at my corals, i was lucky with mr. blenny.

 

[cateyes]

i have a Yellow Watchman Gobie that makes hs home in a set of barnacles..
he is without a shrimp so i think that's why he chose them, kinds a readymade hole to call home. he defends them from any other fish that comes around. he's always poking his head out in the search of food and readily eats anything that drifts by...
he's just now really starting to come out a lot and rest on top of the barnacles.. he's a very cute fish, no problem with nipping anything except intruders!!

 

[lilleahseafreak]

cool, a yellow watchmen was one of the fish on my wish list too!

 

[SDguy]

I like midas blennies personally...colorful, active, and like holes. Flag blennies REALLY like barnacles...interesting, but not as colorful (family Chaenopsidae I believe).

 

[viceversabrd]

Royal grammas are extremely colorful, I have seen them living in barnacle clusters at the lfs all the time
viceversabrd

 

[viceversabrd]

Royal grammas are extremely colorful, I have seen them living in barnacle clusters at the lfs all the time
viceversabrd

 

[74nautique]

I use to have a orange spotted watchman goby live in my barnacles, he was cool.

 

[fishermania]

May I suggest a group of these. I have seen whole colonies of these guys in tanks before. It was pretty cool.

http://www.fishsupply.com/f2l00-00100.html

 

[Bret61081]

Id go with a midas blennie...mine is my pic to the left! Hes so cute...always out swimming around the tank...but if he get scared, he jets back to one of his 2 holes in the rocks! great little fish with lots of personality...I had a Barnacle Blennie...not the most attractive fish in the world...or active for that mannor...they are great for nano tanks(I had my in my 6G)...only really saw him when I feed the tank! my LFS gets in what are called Lightening blennies...they are really cool...look almost like a bicolor but more yellow and the tail looks almost like an eel...very cool little guys! let un know what you pick

 

[Wolverine]

I was also going to suggest the barnacle blenny. You never know if the others will adopt your cluster of barnacles. And they're cool little fish.

Dave

 

[rich99rich]

I've got a set of 5 barnacle blennies in my tank. 4 of them are all occupying one set of barnacles. The other one wandered off and is on the other end of the tank. These are funny little fish, just poking their heads out of the barnacles and darting out with lightning quick speed for food. I would highly recommend these guys, but make sure you buy at least 3 or 4 of them.

 

[brickmnjim]

A cheaper tough(very managable) fish the Yellow Tail Blue Damsel. I have 5 in my tank they are aggressive but , 1 I call Barnacle Bill. It will go in and out of these 2 seperate barnacle clusters allday long. He defends them from other fish and myself when cleaning its cool. They are a schooling fish but mine were $5 each. Just a thought, Jimbo

 

[nts9]

what better for your barnacle than a "barnacle blenny"?
Acanthmblemaria sp. crockeri showm on link
they're from the sea of cortez

 

[JENnKerry]

I have an azure damsel that loves to hide in barnacle shells. They are one of the most docile damsels. I've had him going on a year and he has never looked at another fish.