Anyone keep a Bluestripe Fang Blenny before?

[livinlifeinBKK]

So I was looking for a fish for my nano today and a particular one caught my eye that I didn't recognize right off...asked the owner of the store and was simply told it was a goby. It was pretty busy in there so I couldn't get much time to talk to the guy but did ask for the specific species of goby and he said a Bluestripe. I would've appreciated him mentioned the words Fang Blenny after that but I could tell how busy he was so decided a beautiful goby would be a nice and easy first resident....got home diid a little research and found it's actually a Bluestripe Fang Blenny which is why I'm reaching out to you guys here...ever kept one before? What diet do you feed it? I just don't want him nipping at other future tank residents if at all possible. Diet ideas? Words of wisdom?
*EDIT...the owner simply called it a Mimic Goby

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

@i cant think saw another thread and you seemed to know about similar species...can you chime in?

 

[Tamberav]

I believe they will take prepared foods. Not sure about mixing with other fish though.

Got a photo? They are cool looking.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I believe they will take prepared foods. Not sure about mixing with other fish though.

Got a photo? They are cool looking.

Its nightime here now and while he's actually visible halfway tucked inside a crevice, I don't wanna use flash to take a pic on his first day in the tank...he is beautiful though...he has a black belly, blue stripe and an orangish dorsal fin...I'll try to remember to snap a pic tomorrow for you

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I believe they will take prepared foods. Not sure about mixing with other fish though.

Got a photo? They are cool looking.

 

[Tamberav]

Beautiful. Would definitely make a good species nano tank

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

@Tamberav yeah, this is in Coral Magazine and while they'll accept prepared foods, they'll also nip at scales of other fish apparently so I've gotta be careful what else I put in there with him...I'll try to keep him well fed and see how things go. Besides, this nano is primarily gonna be coral/invert...only a few fish but I'll be sure to keep an eye out!

 

[damsels are not mean]

Well most fang blennies use their fangs for defense against larger predators, they are generally peaceful. This is one of the species that pretends to be a cleaner and actually is a parasite to other fish in the wild. I am not sure if it parasitizes smaller fish (like the things we would keep in our tanks) or just larger fish that come for a cleaning. That is a risk I suppose. They are very pretty and I only know this because I was considering this species myself.

You can look at the meiacanthus blennies which include all the other fang blennies. Similar behavior (minus eating other fish scales) unfortunately they don't have that beautiful blue coloration. Could try a neon dottyback? Those can be mean in a small tank though.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Well most fang blennies use their fangs for defense against larger predators, they are generally peaceful. This is one of the species that pretends to be a cleaner and actually is a parasite to other fish in the wild. I am not sure if it parasitizes smaller fish (like the things we would keep in our tanks) or just larger fish that come for a cleaning. That is a risk I suppose. They are very pretty and I only know this because I was considering this species myself.

You can look at the meiacanthus blennies which include all the other fang blennies. Similar behavior (minus eating other fish scales) unfortunately they don't have that beautiful blue coloration. Could try a neon dottyback? Those can be mean in a small tank though.

For now he's the only resident in the tank...if he does turn into a pain though I'll either put him in a 5 gallon I have alone or put him in a bigger tank. Im gonna try to keep him well fed and with species that are slightly bigger more pelagic swimmers so less likely to be become prey. Nature is nature though and if the fish don't seem to be harassed or actually sustain much of any pain from him I might let the mini ecosystem do as it does. (Of course I'd never let parasitism exceed reasonable boundaries or allow anything cruel to go on) shops here would never take him back or offer any sort of trade...

 

[damsels are not mean]

For now he's the only resident in the tank...if he does turn into a pain though I'll either put him in a 5 gallon I have alone or put him in a bigger tank. Im gonna try to keep him well fed and with species that are slightly bigger more pelagic swimmers so less likely to be become prey. Nature is nature though and if the fish don't seem to be harassed or actually sustain much of any pain from him I might let the mini ecosystem do as it does. (Of course I'd never let parasitism exceed reasonable boundaries or allow anything cruel to go on) shops here would never take him back or offer any sort of trade...

The bite is painless like a mosquito so if it doesn't cause them much actual damage it's probably not a big deal. Also it's possible they only parasitize really big fish like groupers and trevalles and so on that come to the cleaning station. Small fish don't seem to want cleaning as often in my experience.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

The bite is painless like a mosquito so if it doesn't cause them much actual damage it's probably not a big deal. Also it's possible they only parasitize really big fish like groupers and trevalles and so on that come to the cleaning station. Small fish don't seem to want cleaning as often in my experience.

I'm excited to give him a try! I'm going to try to feed mysis as recommend in Coral Magazine but not sure if he'll catch on very easily

 

[JumboShrimp]

This is my Fang Blenny, from my 20-gallon AIO. He eats flake, small pellets, Mysis, Brine, fish eggs— pretty much everything but Nori; hope that helps.

 

[14 foot reef]

I kept one for about 8 years in my 850 gallon reef, I loved this fish, at some point he ended up missing.
Great fish !!!!

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I kept one for about 8 years in my 850 gallon reef, I loved this fish, at some point he ended up missing.
Great fish !!!!

A Bluestripe or other species?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

This is my Fang Blenny, from my 20-gallon AIO. He eats flake, small pellets, Mysis, Brine, fish eggs— pretty much everything but Nori; hope that helps.

From what I read in Coral, the forktail guys are the peaceful fang blennies...the bluestripes and a few others are parasitic in nature...you got a beauty there btw!

 

[14 foot reef]

A Bluestripe or other species?

The Bluestripe -

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

The Bluestripe -

It was in with a bunch of other fish the same size but it instantly caught my eye!

 

[i cant think]

They take to prepared foods quite regularly however, I don’t find a great nutritional diet in just prepared foods. These are a more active species of blenny and will prefer a larger tank in the long run. The species Im most knowledgeable on is Meiacanthus grammistes, the striped fang blenny. The venom consists of a neuropeptide also seen in cone snail venom, a lipase similar to the one used by certain species of scorpions and an opioid peptide. Blennies use it to stun predators. The venom seen in Meiacanthus reduces the blood pressure of the predator, relaxing its jaws so the blenny can escape. I don’t know if this species has the venom in meiacanthus however it is known to potentially nip at fish scales.

Sorry for the late reply, got sucked into a game of Monopoly for 4 hours haha.

 

[Mr_Knightley]

These can be trouble when housed with other fish, especially larger ones. They get to about 2-3" and will occasionally feed on scales, fins, and slime coats of other fish. Though it may do perfectly fine, I would be very wary of it since it can seriously stress out your other fish.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

These can be trouble when housed with other fish, especially larger ones. They get to about 2-3" and will occasionally feed on scales, fins, and slime coats of other fish. Though it may do perfectly fine, I would be very wary of it since it can seriously stress out your other fish.

I don't plan on putting any larger fish in the tank and right now he's the only resident...I read up on him in Coral Magazine last night after bringing him home (honestly, despite his beauty I may have passed on him if the store owner knew or had informed me of his wild eating habits...I wasn't actually told his real name, when I asked about him all I got was that he was a goby. When I asked further to find out what kind of goby the most detailed info I could get was Mimic Goby) personally I though the fish was actually a type of wrasse since that's what he actually mimics and I assumed the shore owner was just confused because it was busy and I could tell he was preoccupied with a few things