Bicolor blenny hiding and barely moving

[slobodan]

I have had my Bicolor Blenny for 1 year and 2 months, and this is the third (and, it seems, the last) time I've written here about it (flukes more than a year ago, then bristle work stings 5 months ago).

For the last month or two, Blenny seems a bit slower than before. It swims actively and eats well, but it was less “aggressive” while getting food.

But then, 2 days ago, it hid under the ricordea mushroom (not its normal hiding place) and started moving weirdly in the sand. It stayed behind the mushroom on the rock the whole day yesterday, barely moving. I spot-fed it, and it was eating, but it didn't move much.

Blenny moved to the back corner of the tank today. Then, after spot-feeding (see the first video), swim weirdly to the ricordea mushroom.

Other fish look great (2 clowns, royal gramma, mandarin, and watchman goby). All are there for more than a year, except mandarin, which is in the tank for 8 months. I added corals in the meantime.

Blenny wasn't juvenile when I got it, but I don't know how old it was (the fs had it for at least a few months). Probably not important info.

Params are stable. My PO4 and NO3 are a bit elevated but under control. Corals (including SPS) are thriving.

• KH (salifert) - 7.3
• Ca (salifert) - 480
• Mg (salifert) - 1280
• NO3 (salifert) - 25
• PO4 (hanna) - 0.10
• PH (sera) - 8.1-8.2

Videos:
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-

Does anyone know what happened to it, and can I do anything about it? Thanks, as always!


P.S., a bubble-tip anemone ate my small black storm clown in another Pico tank today

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I have had my Bicolor Blenny for 1 year and 2 months, and this is the third (and, it seems, the last) time I've written here about it (flukes more than a year ago, then bristle work stings 5 months ago).

For the last month or two, Blenny seems a bit slower than before. It swims actively and eats well, but it was less “aggressive” while getting food.

But then, 2 days ago, it hid under the ricordea mushroom (not its normal hiding place) and started moving weirdly in the sand. It stayed behind the mushroom on the rock the whole day yesterday, barely moving. I spot-fed it, and it was eating, but it didn't move much.

Blenny moved to the back corner of the tank today. Then, after spot-feeding (see the first video), swim weirdly to the ricordea mushroom.

Other fish look great (2 clowns, royal gramma, mandarin, and watchman goby). All are there for more than a year, except mandarin, which is in the tank for 8 months. I added corals in the meantime.

Blenny wasn't juvenile when I got it, but I don't know how old it was (the fs had it for at least a few months). Probably not important info.

Params are stable. My PO4 and NO3 are a bit elevated but under control. Corals (including SPS) are thriving.

• KH (salifert) - 7.3
• Ca (salifert) - 480
• Mg (salifert) - 1280
• NO3 (salifert) - 25
• PO4 (hanna) - 0.10
• PH (sera) - 8.1-8.2

Videos:
-
-

Does anyone know what happened to it, and can I do anything about it? Thanks, as always!


P.S., a bubble-tip anemone ate my small black storm clown in another Pico tank today

Sorry, I don’t have a clear diagnosis for you, certainly not anything really treatable.

Depending on how old it was when you got it, it could be age related.

All I can suggest is to continue to feed it like that.

That’s really odd that the anemone ate the clownfish. Were they recently introduced to each other?

 

[slobodan]

Thanks!

For the anemone and clown: yes, they are there for maybe 2 months. It was a juvenile clown, very active (e.g., active 2-3 hours before I saw it in the anemone), and the best fish I had so far (I could pet it during feeding time ). It never tried to host an anemone. I tried feeding it a bit closer to them (there are 5 of them in the tank now). I have no idea how it happened, I just saw its fin in an anemone:

 

[slobodan]

For Blenny, it was obvious that there was probably nothing I could do, but I asked to be sure. And I wanted to check whether it could affect other fish.

 

[W31Olds]

Have you added anything to your Tank recently? Coral inverts, snails , fish , etc? In the second Video, something is clearly irritating him in the head/gill area. How is his Respiration Rate?, If I had to guess, I would think he may have Flukes again.

 

[slobodan]

2 chalice frags 2 weeks ago, and a few acropora frags in the last month or so. That’s it in the last 3 months. With flukes, I think I would see at least some minor behavior with other fish (last time, the blenny started flashing, others followed in the next few days). Its respiration rate might be a bit faster, but not much compared to its normal rate. One eye looks a bit irritated, but it's hard to see anything else because it moves weirdly in the sand and quickly becomes covered with grains of sand. If you are referring to the head “shaking,” it only does so when it tries to move, since 2 days ago. For most of the day, it does not move much or shake its head at all.

 

[W31Olds]

Frags can bring in Parasites. Flukes would take some time to get going and reproduce so your other Fish may not be affected yet. Jay and Vette would be more of an experts on how some of these bottom dwellers act with Flukes. Normally you would see Scratching and Flashing but also elevated Respiration.
@Jay Hemdal
@vetteguy53081

 

[vetteguy53081]

2 chalice frags 2 weeks ago, and a few acropora frags in the last month or so. That’s it in the last 3 months. With flukes, I think I would see at least some minor behavior with other fish (last time, the blenny started flashing, others followed in the next few days). Its respiration rate might be a bit faster, but not much compared to its normal rate. One eye looks a bit irritated, but it's hard to see anything else because it moves weirdly in the sand and quickly becomes covered with grains of sand. If you are referring to the head “shaking,” it only does so when it tries to move, since 2 days ago. For most of the day, it does not move much or shake its head at all.

Chalice likely not an issue but I suspect intimidation from another tank mate. Any fish especially clown guarding an area and chasing it?
Fish also seems slightly thin. What foods are you feeding it?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Frags can bring in Parasites. Flukes would take some time to get going and reproduce so your other Fish may not be affected yet. Jay and Vette would be more of an experts on how some of these bottom dwellers act with Flukes. Normally you would see Scratching and Flashing but also elevated Respiration.
@Jay Hemdal
@vetteguy53081

With flukes, you will see scratching, scrapes on body, elevated breathing normal, yawning and loss of appetite as examples

 

[slobodan]

I don't see any of these signs.

For feeding, I often overfeed my tank, which is why my PO4 and NO3 are elevated. I feed them either frozen mysis or artemia almost daily, and also Vitalis Premium Marine flakes, Formula One and Two Ocean Nutritions pellets, and Avast Marine Reef Jerky occasionally. Plus, I add live copepods every two months. Blenny eats all of these. But as I said, it’s been a bit slower over the past few months (active, but not as fast during feeding time).

For aggression: one clown is only a bit aggressive towards the other one. They do not touch or chase the other fish. Gramma occasionally yawns at other fish (mostly clowns) when someone is too close to its cave (I see this once every few weeks). And watchman goby sometimes acts a bit more

 

[slobodan]

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081 my other tank is now fishless (10-12g with BTA, some zoas, snails, sexy shrimps, and emerald crab). Should I move Blenny there? I am a bit afraid that BTAs will eat it, but it's in a bad shape, and I’ll be away for a few days, and my display tank has a pistol shrimp, crabs, snails, other fish, and many corals (33g, Red Sea Max Nano G2 XL).

It's easier to spot feed it in a 10g.

 

[vetteguy53081]

@Jay Hemdal @vetteguy53081 my other tank is now fishless (10-12g with BTA, some zoas, snails, sexy shrimps, and emerald crab). Should I move Blenny there? I am a bit afraid that BTAs will eat it, but it's in a bad shape, and I’ll be away for a few days, and my display tank has a pistol shrimp, crabs, snails, other fish, and many corals (33g, Red Sea Max Nano G2 XL).

It's easier to spot feed it in a 10g.

While you can, I fear anemone may get a hold of it otherwise the tank would be considered sterile

 

[slobodan]

Update after one week: Blenny looks bad, it's leaning on the glass or corals. Sometimes it even flips on its back. However, it moves from the back of the tank to the front glass and back. And it eats well (it struggles to move, but it was eating even upside-down briefly today). No visible marks on its body.