What are the best blennies for a new reefer?

[Zionas]

Hi all, I am looking to add a blenny to my tank as among the first fish. I would like your suggestions on which species are best. Should be easy to care for, easy to feed.

The tank is a 6' 180, and will be a relatively peaceful tank.

How long do Blennies usually live for?


I'm currently looking into Salarias, Ecsenius, and Meiacanthus.

 

[Sk8r]

Blennies and gobies are caught as adults generally and you have no way of knowing how old they are. The combtooths are not generally argumentative with each other or anybody. The Starry, the Tailspot, all good. They are one of two classes: combtooth (peaceful, eating algae off the rocks) and fanged, which includes some more colorful types and some nippy and downright bad behavior: they live by taking bites of other fishes, aided in some instances by a numbing venom. The fanged type take repeated daily feedings. Personally, I steer clear of all the fanged types because of their nippy habits. To find pics and specs on any fish, type, eg, salarias blenny (name and type) into your search engine. Some of the combtooths sport big dorsal fins on the males, which they will show off periodically.

 

[Zionas]

Where I am the Shrimp Gobies usually go from 1.5-2” and sometimes the blennies also come in as larger juveniles.

I heard the Salarias are hard to wean onto prepared foods, but the Starry > Lawnmower in terms of adaptability?

I would like to do:

x1 Bicolor

x1 Midas

x1 Lawnmower / Starry

 

[Zionas]

My main concern with Salarias spp. is that I heard they can refuse all prepared foods and just starve to death without algae growth in the tank.

 

[Sk8r]

You need some algae growth and film algae to support a lawnmower or starry. A Tailspot will live on the same food as damsels. The Tailspot is tiny, but very cute in behaviors. He will not be shy at feeding time.

 

[Zionas]

You need some algae growth and film algae to support a lawnmower or starry. A Tailspot will live on the same food as damsels. The Tailspot is tiny, but very cute in behaviors. He will not be shy at feeding time.

Thanks for the info. Would a Tailspot / Bicolor have a hard time getting along with shrimp Gobies and Hawkfish? Would keeping it together with a Midas and a Lawnmower / Starry be a bad idea?

 

[Zionas]

Wonder if this list would be problematic for a 180:

x4 Scissortail Dartfish

x4 Pajama Cardinalfish

x1 Yellow Watchman Goby

x1 Orange Spotted Goby

x1 Yellow Coris Wrasse

x1 Melanurus Wrasse

x1 Red Lined Wrasse

x1 Flame Hawkfish

x1 Long Nose Hawkfish

x2 Ocellaris Clownfish

x1 Bicolor Blenny

x1 Midas Blenny

x1 Lawnmower / Starry Blenny

x2-3 Yellow Pyramid Butterflyfish

x1 One Spot Foxface

 

[Sk8r]

Not eventually re many, but ask about multiple wrasses. I don't know that type. The midas is a fanged blenny, but to judge by the number out there, must be better mannered than the bite -and run lot. Again, not sure about 2 hawkfishes. I found them a case of moveable decor: they do nothing but sit on your corals. Skip the foxface: he'll eat the blennies food, they grow 10" long and turn killer not out of meanness, but panic in narrow spaces. Save the butterfly for last addition.

 

[Zionas]

The Midas I am talking about is the E. midas, same genus as the Tailspot, Bicolor, Linear etc.

I’m going to stick to just one Hawkfish then, Flame or Longnose.

Would mixing two Ecsenius blennies work out though?

The wrasses are all smaller Halichoeres species and Hunter (evolved) says it’s okay to mix Halichoeres species as long as it’s the more peaceful ones.


This is my new list:

x4 Scissortail Dartfish

x4 Pajama Cardinalfish

x1 Yellow Canary Wrasse

x1 Red Lined Wrasse

x1 Melanurus Wrasse

x1 Bi-Color Blenny (they’re more common where I am than the Tailspot)

x1 Midas Blenny

x1 Yellow Watchman Goby

x1 Orange Spotted Goby

x2 Ocellaris Clownfish

x2 Yellow Pyramid Butterflyfish