green wolf eel blenny

[desertwitch]

I posted this yesterday and have yet to receive a reply. Has anyone had any luck with other forums or sources? I found the green eel blenny in the overflow today; probably from being chased by the brown eel blenny. I really could use some advice.

How can I differentiate between male and female wolf eel blennys (Congrogadus subducens)? I'd been told (perhaps erroneously) that the one I've had in my tank for 6 months is a female - it's mostly brown, not a spot of green on her. The same person also told me the males are more green. Tonight I introduced a green-colored one who is a bit smaller than the resident blenny. There was some strange behavior at first. The resident blenny turned sideways and kept rubbing on the newcomer. Both would sort of "shiver" occasionally. I'm wondering if that is them just establishing a heirarchy or if it's courting behavior? The resident blenny followed the new one about for quite a while, and is now chasing and biting at it. Is the newcomer in danger? I have a 130g reef tank with lots of rock for hiding. Any info on these fascinating creatures is greatly appreciated. I've only been in this hobby about a year.

 

[dfs/la2]

desertwitch,

Thank you for your question. The Green Wolf Eel Blenny is sexually dichromatic. This means that there are definite color differences between genders. The males are green, while the females are a gray/brown with a pinkish hue that may vary in intensity.

You friend was correct in this information. The behavior that you are seeing is likely to be courtship behavior

Reefkeeping Online Magazine did an in depth article on the care and breeding of this species that you may find interesting. The article can be found here.

Tina
LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster and Smith

 

[desertwitch]

Tina - thank you so much for your reply! No one else seemed to know about this. I really appreciate it! I can always count on LiveAquaria to know the answers!!!!