ejaustin Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Three blennies hitched a ride back to Austin with me following the collection trip. They're doing amazingly well in my tiny tank. I noticed last night that Big Blenny has a small white spot at each corner of his mouth. They look like he needs to swallow the milk in his mouth. No other white spots on him. Just now I noticed Bubba Blenny (the middle-sized one) has white something just behind his gill on the right side of his head, just above the pectoral fin. It doesn't look like a milk drop though. It almost looks like a scale came loose and turned white, except that these guys don't have scales. Honestly, I think he got a little flat piece of the sand stuck to his mucous and I expect it will probably be gone the next time I look at him. No other white spots on him. Baby Blennie is spotless. But all this got me to wondering if I should put Sam or Les (cleaner shrimp) into the QT with them. Are the fish likely to like it? Would I be putting the shrimp in harm's way (thinking more disease than attack here)? The blennies do breathe much faster than King Joey (a growing damsel), but I'm thinking that's probably because of their size. They don't look distressed to me. When I approach the tank, they usually hide, but in a few seconds I catch them peeking around the corner at me, which seems like a good sign. What do y'all think? To shrimp or not to shrimp? ej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedude Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 There is no real definitive study that shows that cleaner shrimp actually rid a fish of external parasites. I would just leave them be and make sure they're getting a varied diet. Most of these gobies live in algae beds so I would assume that they eat some kind of algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejaustin Posted July 22, 2006 Author Share Posted July 22, 2006 Yeah, I've been putting dried algae in for them. I haven't actually seen any of them eat, but the algae is disappearing on a regular basis and, like I said, each of them still seems to have good energy. Thanks for the input. Sorry to hear about your shrimp. ej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinvines Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Do your blennies look anything like this, ej? This particular one was collected in the Gulf and is supposedly a Mollie Miller blenny. "She" has tons of spots on her, around the mouth and gills especially, that make her look like she is breaking out with parasites. So long as the spots are bilateral I think you are ok. Even if it is a solo spot, I wouldn't be too concerned unless it stopped eating. Mine scared me badly a few weeks ago and was fine after a few days. I am so glad I didn't tear the tank down trying to get a QT started. As for what they eat, mine is a huge pig. It loves nori - so much that it rides it like a magic carpet on the clip, but it also eats Form 2 flake, mysis and cylopeeze now. It has the most character in my tank and is almost like a dog begging for attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejaustin Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 Yes, I think that is my guy! They are very inquisitive and funny to watch. So far, they still seem fine to me. ej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigbird123 Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 Mine is one of the most enjoyable and charasmatic in my tank. He eats anything I put in the tank. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejaustin Posted July 23, 2006 Author Share Posted July 23, 2006 Well, I let them fast overnight so I could try to catch them eating. Definitely saw Baby Blenny and Big Blenny eat (flake food). I didn't see Bubba Blenny eat, but he was underneath the other side of the rock and they are pretty quick, so he might have gotten a bite or two while I was out of sight. ej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinvines Posted July 24, 2006 Share Posted July 24, 2006 Try a clip of nori. If you don't know about it, just go to your HEB in the asian foods section and you should be able to pick up a 10 gram pack for under $3. I feed 1/4 of a sheet 5 of 7 days in the morning and my algae eaters love it. An asian foods market would have an even larger selection of seaweeds like kombu and other noris but I have just used the stuff from the HEB in my neighborhood. To answer your orignal question, I seriously doubt those blennies would eat a cleaner shrimp. I wouldn't put them in to clean your fish, though. I have two cleaners and seven fish the only fish I ever getting a good once over is my lawn mower blenny. The cleaners wave their "whiskers" around constantly trying to encourage the fish to come by but the LMB is the only one who takes them up on it. They actually will jump out at the fish if say my tang glides by to close. They must be frustrated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejaustin Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 Well, Saturday the Blenny Brothers will have been with me for 3 weeks. They're not crazy about flake food or mysis, but they chow down on the seaweed I put in for them. They all seem to be well and have good energy. When will it be time to try them in the tank with everyone else? (In good conscience, can't call it "the big tank"). ej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austinvines Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 How large is your main tank? As for aggression, mine has been fairly docile but all the tank mates have been together for 2 years so while I have seen the MM blenny go after the LMB, it was pretty tame and the LMB just scooted out of the way. No fights to speak of. Were you keeping them apart for a QT? If so, you may want to increase the time period to at least for weeks, and I know some people keep them in isolation for 6 weeks. How tiny is the tank they are in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejaustin Posted August 4, 2006 Author Share Posted August 4, 2006 They are all together in the QT, which is 1.5 gallons. (I thought about using a bucket for QT but wouldn't be able to see them well in a bucket.) I put in one small piece of live rock with them, and they've each picked a favorite hiding spot. When I move them to the main tank, I'll move the rock first and place them near the rock so they can find it. My "main" tank is 29 gallons. Current residents are 1 Neon Velvet Damsel, 1 Royal Gramma, 1 Emerald Crab, 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, and a few little hermits and some snails. I only caught one blenny, but the people who were introducing me to collecting sort of insisted I take 3 because usually they don't all make it. I think 3 more fish, even little blennies, are more than I need. Maybe I should just put one in the 29 gallon and see if one of the LFS will take the other 2. My concerns about moving the blennies into the main tank are 1. Bridgette (emerald crab) will catch them napping. 2. Joey (damsel) who thinks he's king will harass them (although they are very good at hiding). Joey is still a juvenile and they are too big for him to eat, I think. I don't think Emma (royal gramma) will care unless they get too close to her house. Her rock has a little algae on it that might be tempting to the blennies because I don't have much other algae in the tank. (I add seaweed for Bridgette on a regular basis so she won't starve.) I don't think the shrimp will bother them because they are too big for the shrimp to eat. They are all small. The smallest one is probably an inch or maybe less. The largest is maybe 1.5 inches or so. ej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ejaustin Posted August 6, 2006 Author Share Posted August 6, 2006 Well, I've moved the blennies into the 29 gal tank and everyone seems to be fine. Joey and Emma seem only slightly aware that there are any newcomers in the tank. The blennies all seem to be taking the move well. Their breathing, posture, and movement are relaxed. They are trying out various hidey-holes. Baby Blenny seems to be the most adventurous and has done the most exploring. ej Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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