Help, made a big mistake

Yeah, you have a stigmata blenny - highly prized, but in my experience hard to keep well fed (unlike lawnmower, starry,ect.. but similar to the orange spot blenny). Look into growing microalgae on some rocks in a fuge/separate tank to add to the tank to feed him.
 
I'll do that, thanks. I have a little hair algae growing on a rock in my 21g, I think I'm going to harvest it and see if I can grow it on purpose! I have a 5.5g full of rubble and small rocks, I'll toss some light over the tank, add some phosphate and nitrate and see if I can start a little algae farm. The more I read up on these fish, the luckier I feel to have found him. No way I'm giving this guy up without a fight :D
 
Yeah, pretty fish. Definitely think that last ID is spot on if I were to put money on it. Everything about them looks similar to me.
Don't beat yourself up ....we all have a weakness for pretty things. That's why we do this hobby!
 
Thanks guys :)
I left dulce and nori in the seaweed clip today and crossed my fingers. When I got home from work, the blenny (his name is Max, due to the state of my 'LFS only' credit card after purchasing him, lol) was sitting on top of the clip, guarding it from the angels. I'm not sure if he's discovered that there's food directly below him, or if he just likes sitting there. His belly looks less pinched than it did yesterday, and he's moving all over the tank biting at the rockwork. The caulerpa-covered rock is nearly bare, but I'm not sure if it was Max or the angels, or even the crabs that ate it.

Conefree - I think I got REALLY lucky finding this guy (not to mention super lucky that he's not a leopard blenny). The LFS employee who caught him for me said he hadn't seen one of these blennies come in for years. If your LFS will do special orders you might be able to get a blenny brought in with their next shipment, it's worth a try.
 
He is great looking. He looks like he will have a great personality. I'm tempted to try to find one myself. Your sand is beautiful. What kind is it?
 
Thanks! He already does have quite a little personality, he's a funny fish.

I got the sand at Home Depot, it's silica sand designed for use with pavers or for sandblasting. Dry in the bag it looks just like sugar; bright white, uniform sized grains, and incredibly clean. The brand I bought was Stone Mason, but there are lots of other sands that look similar and will work as well.
 
I bought this exact same fish a couple of days ago...he is identical to yours. My LFS had him labelled as a Rockhopper Blenny. Its so hard to get an ID on this fish...and I have been panicking that I have bought a Leopard Blenny...and searching all over the net for pics...I originally started looking for a proper ID because mine is very thin too...although I have PLENTY of algae for him to eat lol. Your pics and ID have me feeling a little better...awesome fish . I hope mine does ok cos it is easily the nicest looking Blenny I have seen. My LFS have them all the time btw, but they are not cheap.
 
@ Rokdog - You're right - as far as blennies go, these guys have a hefty pricetag. I paid $44 (Cdn) for Max, but he's well worth it. I left nori on a clip in the corner where he seems to like hanging out, and I'm not sure if he was eating it or not but he definitely looked chubbier when I got home from work yesterday and there's just about nothing on my rocks for him to eat. It might be worth a try to offer your blenny some nori or other dried seaweeds, see if he'll take that. It's heartbreaking to see these guys starved at the LFS, hopefully we can figure out a way to get them nice and fat :)

@ cplklegg - thanks! :D
 
Just an update... Max is getting fatter by the day. I'm leaving nori in the tank from lights on to lights off, but haven't seen him eat any. There are kiss marks on the glass (I've stopped using the Mag-Float on the side panes) and he's all over the rockwork like it's an all-you-can-eat buffet... I guess for him it is! None of the other fish are bothering him, he's fitting in really nicely. :D
 
LOL thanks Paintbug, I did ID him a while ago (see page 1 of this thread) but it's nice to have confirmation ;)
 
I too am a LFS employee (That marine bio degree finally paying off)

I’ve seen these in the store form time to time. Always labeled as Leopard Blenny and always labeled reef safe.

IMHO you DO have a leopard Blenny and Not the Exallis brevis.

That said, a good LFS employee should have mentioned the similarities to you as a way too ease your mind.

And a side note: “Jumping up and down” and “demanding” a manager is only going to work once. After that you’re flagged and good luck getting some good help from then on.

If you still have doubts. Go back and tell them pretty much what you told us in your post. Calmly and rationally. Most of us will do our best to keep our regulars happy.

And oh yeah. If you paid more than 30 for her you probably got fleeced.
 
I'm pretty sure s/he's a stigmata blenny (Cirripectes stigmaticus, but as long as s/he's reef safe I'm happy, whatever the species is. I would never jump up and down or demand a manager do anything, not my style and I don't think it's the minimum wage employee's job to make sure I know what I'm doing -- if this purchase had been a major mistake, I wouldn't have placed any blame on anyone other than myself. I don't have any doubts about this fish's reef-safety; it's clear s/he's a vegetarian now, there are 'kiss' marks all over my glass :)

I don't feel I got 'fleeced' at all, but yes, I did pay more than $30. S/he was priced at $49.99, I got $5 knocked off that and paid $44.88 (Cdn). I've never seen this type of blenny before, and was more than happy to pay what I did for such a gorgeous, personable fish.
 
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