Is There Any Truly Reef-Safe Blenny?

[Pseudodiego]

Hello everyone,

I love blennies, but after having a tailspot blenny decimate some of my SPS corals, I did some digging and realized I’m not the only one. After checking the forums, there are multiple posts about blennies—tailspots, bicolors, midas, pictus, and others—nipping at or outright eating corals.

So my question is: is there any blenny that’s truly reef-safe? Or are all blennies more accurately described as “reef-safe with caution”?

Thanks.

 

[SOGavity]

I've never had a problem with blennies personally. I've had both Black Yellow-Tail Blenny, Lawn Mower Blenny, and a Striped Blenny with no issues.

 

[slingfox]

I had a lawnmower blend which didn’t seem to do anything harmful to corals in my mixed reef.

 

[mcarroll]

I did some digging[...]

I think you may need to dig deeper on those stories to assess what was the matter with their situation that caused them to nip corals.

"Anything is possible" but that's not normal blenny behavior IMO. Maybe starving blenny behavior? Or something else...

 

[Pseudodiego]

I think you may need to dig deeper on those stories to assess what was the matter with their situation that caused them to nip corals.

"Anything is possible" but that's not normal blenny behavior IMO. Maybe starving blenny behavior? Or something else...

Mine was certainly not starving, I feed frozen 3-4 times a day.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...-with-this-otherwise-great-little-fish.98549/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lawnmower-blenny-eating-sps.15263/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tailspot-blenny-eating-zoas.995321/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/black-sailfin-blenny-eating-sps.871208/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bicolor-blenny-eating-corals.556054/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/bicolor-blenny-nipping-at-corals.831907/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-do-i-stop-my-blenny-from-killing-this-coral.924865/

 

[mcarroll]

A bunch of anecdotes for the most part...not much to learn in those cases. The one that was detailed enough to draw any real conclusions, the OP admitted the tank was too bare.

I will say this: Blennies are not for everyone. :)

 

[Mebbid]

Starry Blenny is the best blenny.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Starry Blenny is the best blenny.

That would be the blenny I would get in my tank!

 

[Biokabe]

Starry Blenny is the best blenny.

But how is that possible, when Midas Blenny exists?

 

[areefer01]

In my opinion @mcarroll said it best above - A bunch of anecdotes.

It doesn't mean it doesn't or hasn't happened but I'm not sure I would say it is the norm or assume that will be your experience. I mean I have personally kep 3 Forktail Blennies in my mixed reef with no SPS harm at all.

Fish are odd in that we can't interview them before we purchase. So we really don't know what their MO is. We do our research, create a mitigation plan in case something doesn't go has planned, then make our decision to purchase or not.

Also I'll just add that it is of my opinion that sometimes natural foraging behavior can be mistaken for eating corals. A nip here, tuck there, is not a big deal. It is natural.

One more thing - feed more often if there is a concern. Often times, my opinion again, is that we feed so little or small portions because we are scared of nutrients. Don't be scared. Feed your fish. Smaller portions but more frequently. A well feed fish is a happy fish who will be less aggressive and less prone to tasting things you dont' want it to. In my experience anyway.

TL; DR - don't be afraid of blennies. Homework, mitigation plan, decide. Enjoy.

 

[56longroof]

I have a harptail and algea blenny. Both are model citizens. In fact the harptail and copperband are the only two fish that seem to interact when Im working on the tank. Everything else hides.

 

[mh0ward]

Another “anecdote” here… it took a bit for me to finally realize why I wasn’t able to keep any euphyllia. Occasionally I would see a polyp floating around but wouldn’t know why, and then one day my bicolor blenny decided to nip a couple torches in front of me…. Then he would do it more often in front of me until they would eventually bailout. For me it was mostly euphyllia and anything near his hole (in my case that was firework clove polyps). He was definitely fat and happy, I fed a variety of frozen and occasionally flake every 3 hours - 9am, noon, 3pm, and 6pm every day.

 

[Liam's tank]

Starry Blenny is the best blenny.

I have a Starry Blenny in my 25 gallon & he's a model citizen. A good 4 inches long now.

 

[logibear]

Love my starry blenny too. Haven’t seen him/her even give a coral a second glance other than to take a seat on a plating Monty. As a bonus I really think he looks like grumpy cat

 

[gabelex14]

A bunch of anecdotes for the most part...not much to learn in those cases. The one that was detailed enough to draw any real conclusions, the OP admitted the tank was too bare.

I will say this: Blennies are not for everyone. :)

I mean the majority of what we do is anecdotal, so that's really a non sequitur.

 

[lieberca]

I've kept a variety of bennies over the last 40 years, and can't recall any of them systematically munching corals. As previous posters have said, there might be an odd case for any fish behavior, but I wouldn't shy away from adding another blenny. Especially tailspots and starries--two of my favorites

 

[StartingATank]

Never had issues with my midas blenny. But then again, I never really had trouble with my fish other than my damsels being absolute jerks to each other...... Guess I'm just lucky.

 

[mook1178]

Starry Blenny is the best blenny.

Mine is awesome. he does not nip at corals but he will sleep in them. He is a favorite in my tank. So much personality

 

[commod0re]

Never seen my tail spot eating corals, although I did catch him spitting sand all over a mushroom once. He is fed very well though and he gets a good variety of nutrients both meaty and green, as well as plenty of live algae and biofilm

IMO the type(s) of nutrition offered being species appropriate is as important as quantity when determining how well fed an animal is… also not every individual is the exact same guy so some variation in behavior is to be expected

 

[serval]

I have a Molly Miller blenny and it definitely likes to scrape its mouth on scolys and on acans, so I don’t keep those corals. He decimated two bunches of Fireworks polyps so those are also off my list. Other than those issues he’s a helpful and curious addition.