Midas safe with Algae or Starry Blenny?

carb850

New member
I have a Midas Blenny in my 120G reef and wondering if it would be safe to add another Blenny such as the Algae or Starry?
 
Not a blenny expert by any means, but in a tank that size I would guess that you could probably get away with another blenny as long as they have ample grazing territories. They will occupy the same niche so some aggression/competition should be expected.

Do you have a lot of algal growth?
How much rock do you have?

My advice would be to pick a different species of fish to save yourself the pain in the arse and potential moralities..
 
The Midas is an omnivore but he rarely touches any algae at all. That leave me with only a Tang to control algae in my tank. So, I'm starting to see some GHA pop up and figured a herbivore Blenny would help out.
 
If the midas isn't grazing much then you may not have as much potential for competition with another blenny.
Hair algae is a pain! Lowering phosphates and nutrients in general will keep the algal growth down, and is often a better solution than adding another herbivore. Lots of fishes are touted as being the cure all for algae, but this rarely a reality. If I remember correctly, some species of rabbitfish will graze on hair algae, but this is a random thought (plus they have poisonous spines).

If you can, tackle the patches of algae with a toothbrush/wire brush out of the tank and give them a good rinse in tank water before returning to the DT. This is a pain, but you can scrub the rock much more thoroughly than any fish can.
 
Removing the rock would be a last resort. I am already trying to take steps to control phosphates and nitrates though. I have a light bioload already and wanted to add another Blenny anyhow, this Algae just got me thinkign more about it. That is why I wondered about their compability.

Does it matter if the Midas is a Ecsenius species while the Starry is a Salarias?
 
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