Tail Spot Blenny - Questions

[Insane Reefer]

This is Bogo, my new Tail Spot Blenny. He is a herbivorous blenny. I purchased him at LiveAquaria, a division of Dr Fosters & Smith. He is a very difficult blenny to find in the hobby, I was lucky to snag one

He arrived yesterday. He isn't eating yet, but I figure that is normal after his travels. His lung action seems good, about a "pump" every 3/4 of a second. He is in my 10G bug tank since I was unprepared for his arrival - he was supposedly not coming. He will be moved to my 8g Biocube Display after I am assured that he is eating and healthy, and I get my intakes covered so he can't slip through - he is only an inch long, maybe a tad longer.

I have kept damsels and seahorses before - both with pretty good success (though the seahorse story is sad). I've never had a blenny before, so I have a few questions that I hoped the blenny lovers would/could answer. And maybe sport a few tips or comments to help me be a good blenny keeper. I understand that different blenny species have different requirements, and what works for one blenny type might not work for others, even if they are also herbivores or whatever. There isn't much on the internet about the Tail Spot, not in terms of the hobby and care, so I ask you folks.

First off, this is from my husband. What are his "horns"? I think they are sensors like a cats whiskers, so when he is darting for a hidy-hole he knows he won't get stuck. What are the horns actually called? Looking for horns and blennies on google was unhelpful. :sad:

Next, I am concerned that he hasn't moved from the spot he landed in when I released him yesterday, 22 hours ago. He looks around and stuff, but hasn't physically moved from that spot - even with flash going off in his face. He will move up a quarter inch, or back, but he remains fixed on that position. The only things in the bug tank are a few frags that are growing out, lots and lots of bugs and half a dozen asst. snails. Nothing should be keeping him stationary like that. Every other fish I've had hid for a few hours, but was then exploring their new digs.

Feeding is my next question. I've read all about what to feed, and even posted about greens people have fed and were nutritious (spinach?) and got a laugh when someone posted Bananas - but he said all the fish in his tank eat the banana. I picked up some frozen "Emerald Entree" which is a omnivore food, but this blenny, while a herbivore is supposed to also eat meaty stuff once in a while. I picked up sheet nori, and have Mesclun growing outside (mix of salad greens). So I have the "what" covered, but the "how" is my important question. Do I just throw food in? In a nano, this can quickly lead up to problems with water quality. Is there a better way to feed? Use a ring or other device? I know about clips, but those are ugly - do I need to attach the sheets and leaves to something or can they float? Should I crumble the nori and shred the leaves? Will he find it? And how much food should I give him? Are we talking a square inch of leaf a day, more, or what? Should he be fed once or twice a day?

Finally, anything else you care to share would be awesome.

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

[ralphie16]

Thanks to Lee for this wonderful article. Have fun reading and learning!

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=785228

 

[Insane Reefer]

Great general article on food and diet, Ralphie, but I'm looking for information more specific to this fish.

Thanks though!

 

[rssjsb]

The good news is that these guys will eat nearly anything.

He's probably still stressed, but I'll bet he's eating pods at night. They never stop eating.

Once he's calmed down, he'll dart out of his hole for food. I would suggest getting some frozen mysis to entice him. A few pieces of emerald entree might work, too. Just drop a few little pieces in the water so that they'll drive by where he's hanging out.

Get a good flake food or small pellet and he'll be happy. I feed mine New Life Spectrum pellets for small fish as a staple and he loves them.

 

[Insane Reefer]

He is supposed to be a herbivore - not sure using meat to get him eating is a good idea - he should start eating what he is supposed to, but I have heard really good things about SPECTRUM, so I might pick some up. I feed pellets to the shrimp and hermits in the display, so it wouldn't go to waste...

He did start moving out a little last night - not much, nor far, but he isn't glued to that one spot now.

 

[Chasmodes]

Great fish!

All good advice above and a nice article too. Although they are supposed to be herbivores, tail spots and others of this genus will eat meaty foods once in awhile. Mysid shrimp, pods, brine shrimp and other prepared foods should keep him happy when offered. They should be happy grazing on your live rock for algae and pods in an established tank too in addition to any supplement that you find works well.

The "horns"are called cirri. Nobody seems to know really what they are for. Some have speculated that that they could be used with some sort of sensory functionality, while others have hypothesized that they are used in some sort of mating display (but I have yet to see any facts to back up the latter). Most blennies have cirri in some form or another. Some species have small nubs while others have multiple pairs of elaborate cirri, and some like the Molly Miller have a "hairy" mane of them. And finally, others don't have any at all (like the fang blennies and sabertoothed blennies). This is one mystery that science has yet to prove! At any rate, it helps ichthyologists and amateurs alike in species identification and at the same time gives them that unique character that other types of fish just don't seem to have!

Tail spots are very cool looking blennies with tons of personality. I really like their coloration too. Bogo will give you much pleasure I'm certain!

 

[Insane Reefer]

Thanks for the response, Kevin
I am hoping to get more info on this next bit:
Do I just throw food in? In a nano, this can quickly lead up to problems with water quality. Is there a better way to feed? Use a ring or other device? I know about clips, but those are ugly - do I need to attach the sheets and leaves to something or can they float? Should I crumble the nori and shred the leaves? Will he find it? And how much food should I give him? Are we talking a square inch of leaf a day, more, or what? Should he be fed once or twice a day?

Today he actively ate, but the meaty stuff that looks like what Liveaquaria fed him in holding - am hoping that I can wean him back onto leafy foods...

He is out more today too - keeps checking us out, doing a neat upright dance in the water, on the other side of a rock he likes. Sort of like the french in Monty Python, lol.

 

[danch]

Following this thread in anticipation of getting my own tailspot. Question for the experts - does this genera of blennie eat 'leavy' foods, or do they eat film/hair microalgae?

As far as meaty bits go, consider that when he does forage on algae, he'll be eating incidental pods.

Glad he's settling in for you.

 

[Insane Reefer]

For his evening feeding last night I only offered ground nori - after a moment, he darted out and I think he started eating it - he went after more than one piece at any rate.

I was just concerned that he would only eat the meaty foods as that is what "food" possibly now meant to him after holding, etc. (Liveaqauria used algae enriched shrimps to encourage wild caught blennys to eat). That would lead to a slower starvation, but starvation none the less - he is meant to eat green matter as his primary staple, not bugs (which are supposed to be a small part of his diet).

 

[Chasmodes]

There's an article on blennies of this genus in another magazine by Scott W. Michael (not sure if I can mention here but IR you can email or PM me about it), and he suggests feeding them frozen foods containing spirulina, but I wonder also if flakes may be acceptable once in a while. The type of algae that they prefer is microalgae (diatoms or unicellular algae), so grazing the substrate and live rock is the best bet. So, I'd suggest leaving some diatomacious algae on the glass for them. Another thing that you might do would be to culture algae on live rocks in your fuge or another tank, perhaps changing back and forth every now and then with a rock in your display tank to make sure that you have something new for them to graze on every now and then. If you have a good supply of natural algae, Mr. Michaels suggests feeding them once per day, if not then feed them as much as 3 times daily. Escenius stigmatura (tailspot) blennies are omnivores and in the wild have a varied diet, but the key component for them to remain healthy is a good supply of microalgae and other detritus. Mr. Michaels mentions that tailspots, like midas blennies, spend a lot of time feeding on zooplankton and to feed them three times daily (but also he states that the tailspot will feed on microalgae as well while the midas blennies typically do not). So, in my opinion, of all the mini sized blennies out there, you've picked the one with the most varied natural diet and should keep just fine. Enjoy, he'll be out and about more and more each day entertaining you!

 

[danch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10356713#post10356713 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Insane Reefer
For his evening feeding last night I only offered ground nori - after a moment, he darted out and I think he started eating it - he went after more than one piece at any rate.

I was just concerned that he would only eat the meaty foods as that is what "food" possibly now meant to him after holding, etc. (Liveaqauria used algae enriched shrimps to encourage wild caught blennys to eat). That would lead to a slower starvation, but starvation none the less - he is meant to eat green matter as his primary staple, not bugs (which are supposed to be a small part of his diet).

Cool, I'm with you.

 

[Insane Reefer]

Thanks again Kevin - You got Mail!
This morning someone was waiting for his food on top of "his" rock. His head went back and forth, watching me, as I went about my morning routine. When it was breakfast for Bogo, he ate what I offered, very quickly - quite the pig actually

I used my blender to grind the sheet nori into acceptable sized pieces, and added a little RO to moisten it. I placed it in a "form" and froze it into a seaweed puck.
Next I will make a blend with nori and spinach, and add a bit of vitamin to it.

Both of my tanks are almost pristine as far as algae goes
In the past with tanks, I've often had problems with algae. This time around, I almost can't grow it. I do get a deep emerald green growth, very, very short on the MMLR I make, the snails spend a lot of time eating that algae, but no growths here. I figured I'd have some by now, 6 months later, but no, not me, lol.

 

[Sk8r]

There is nothing this blenny won't eat once he settles in. He may 'freeze' for a day or two until he feels safe---then you won't be able to look at your tank without finding him.
He prefers algae off rocks, and your emerald green growth will do fine: put a raw but cured rock into your tank and you should have some algae for him.
Just a genetic note: I'm betting the cirri are a genetic 'tag-along', a little flourish on a gene that does something else survival-positive, but that also happens to produce these blenny eyelashes. Sometimes there is no great 'why,' just a 'well, that's unique.' They're not burrowers, so they're not distance gauges in that sense. Maybe they serve as curb-finders, as you'll see in the natural eating style of this blenny: they tend to bash forward and gnaw, being combtoothed blennies, and they get pretty wild and fast about it. Best guess,

 

[Insane Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10358718#post10358718 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
Just a genetic note: I'm betting the cirri are a genetic 'tag-along', a little flourish on a gene that does something else survival-positive...

Well the spot on the tail is supposed to be an "eye" to fool potential predators that the fish is either larger or an eel, which to me means the fish will hide in such a way as his tail is slightly visible - I've noted this behaviour, exp. at night. He drapes himself under "his" rock, with the spot of his tail in sight.
So I vote for sensors like whiskers - if the cirri brush, the blennys might not go further in to where they might get stuck.

 

[GoingPostal]

Mine ate algea off the glass and back, and nipped at longer algea on the rocks, once my clown goby taught him the joys of mysis, he stopped picking at algea quite a bit, they seem to eat everything, mine stopped displaying distress colors within two weeks of me having him, however he began spitting sand on my plate coral and had to be relocated.

 

[prugs]

These blennys have what appears to be large mouths. But they have to swallow their food whole. Best to feed small mysis. They will not eat large pieces of meaty foods (grab the food in their mouths & are not able to swallow, they spit it back out.). As far as nori sheet, they can tear off their own size pieces for consumption.

 

[Insane Reefer]

He rejects pieces of nori that are too large - ANY meaty bit, regardless of size, is never refused.
It is like having a turkey that likes to eat chicken, lol.

 

[Kinetic]

mine doesn't eat any prepared food, but he's always fat and pooping, so I guess he just grazes all day. Problem is my tank is pretty clean these days, especially after switching to RowaPhos to get rid of some phosphates. =/

I'll try putting in a bit of nori.

 

[Sk8r]

Their mouths, though they appear large, are combtoothed, meaning their dentition is a scraper, and they really cannot open large enough to swallow a pellet. Mine that I lost [sob] used to take a medium Formula One pellet and toss it, gnawing it smaller and smaller, but unable to swallow it, and as tailspots go, he was pretty large. My current one is a third his size, and only interests himself in algae.

 

[Insane Reefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10369266#post10369266 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
...used to take a medium Formula One pellet and toss it, gnawing it smaller and smaller, but unable to swallow it...

Mine is a little guy - maybe an inch, inch and a quarter if he stretches. I noticed him doing that with broccoli balls - the flower tips. He seems to get more out of the broccoli as a toy then as food. But he readily tries anything of appropriate size. I froze a bit of 'Nana (supposed to make it easy to grate) - going to offer that today and see if there is any interest - if so, I'll add that as a once a week treat.