Rhino Blenny - KP Aquatics

[BringingThatDottyback]

Hi All!

Looking at making an order from KP Aquatics and I am tempted by their rhino blenny, however I cant find much info online about the species in captivity. Tank is a 55 gallon reef that will mostly be hardy SPS like birdsnest and montipora. Just has a few frags in it so far. Already has a green chromis and flame hawkfish in it. Long term I want to add a haliocheres wrasse/dottyback or gramma/pair of clownfish as well.

Questions are

1. How did it play with others?
2. What did you feed it?
3. Did it ever nip at coral?
4. Any behavioral quirks?

 

[i cant think]

Hi All!

Looking at making an order from KP Aquatics and I am tempted by their rhino blenny, however I cant find much info online about the species in captivity. Tank is a 55 gallon reef that will mostly be hardy SPS like birdsnest and montipora. Just has a few frags in it so far. Already has a green chromis and flame hawkfish in it. Long term I want to add a haliocheres wrasse/dottyback or gramma/pair of clownfish as well.

Questions are

1. How did it play with others?
2. What did you feed it?
3. Did it ever nip at coral?
4. Any behavioral quirks?

So far this is what I have found on this fish:
“The Rhino Blenny is a peaceful tank member, they get a long with all fish! They are also considered not reef safe for they will eat fleshy corals. They should be fed frozen or live brine shrimp and other frozen foods. We typically find the Rhino Blenny is more common in the colder months.”

 

[BringingThatDottyback]

Just posting this info for anybody else considering. It's a really cool little fish. No sign of interest in my LPS. But all I have is hammer and favia. Very interesting movement, kind of slithers and crawls like a reptile more then a fish. Ate some frozen food I've put in but mostly ignores food and just hunts pods all over the tank.

Only issue is it seems to like living inside a colony of zoas. Picture for reference

 

[redfishbluefish]

Check out this thread:

Rhino Blenny!!!!​

 

[bnord]

just acquired one from KP and added to a 15 peninsula.

It appears to be a full size adult.

As stated it is a stalker/slitherer camouflaging itself well in the rocks. A fairly poddy tank, it is hitting the substrate with great deliberation.

Just now, while watching it, a TINY pistol shrimp came out with a sand push and the rhino nailed it with intent to consume, but missed.

of interest pistol in clicking like crazy from its lair

So not just a pod stalker.

Concern: I also added a tiny striped goby at same time and have not seen it. It was tiny, might be hiding or just didn't make it. But this rhino is a hunter Also have a I have a pom pom in this tank - so wondering if this is a long term nano inhabitant...

any one all insight welcome

Cool looks and behaviors though... a ver...

 

[bnord]

just acquired one from KP and added to a 15 peninsula.

It appears to be a full size adult.

As stated it is a stalker/slitherer camouflaging itself well in the rocks. A fairly poddy tank, it is hitting the substrate with great deliberation.

Just now, while watching it, a TINY pistol shrimp came out with a sand push and the rhino nailed it with intent to consume, but missed.

of interest pistol in clicking like crazy from its lair

So not just a pod stalker.

Concern: I also added a tiny striped goby at same time and have not seen it. It was tiny, might be hiding or just didn't make it. But this rhino is a hunter Also have a I have a pom pom in this tank - so wondering if this is a long term nano inhabitant...

any one all insight welcome

Cool looks and behaviors though... a ver...

further to the above, still think this blenny is cool, but added a pair of CB yellow striped gobies that, in my opinion, were of suitable size, and I was wrong (drat) - apparently they can snarf down fairly sized tube shaped fish.
Going to relocate him from my 15 to the jungle of the 180

 

[bnord]

interesting update.... after deciding that this rhino was not going to be suitable in the 15g WB peninsula, as I want more small fish in there, I moved it to a 90 lagoon with all bigger fish and LOTS of places to hide.

needless to say, 45 days without a sighting, didn't know if it was in cryptic hog heaven or passed on for some unknown reason.

This tank also has 2 hitchhiked pistols and so bought a yellow watchman goby, QT'd it and added it to the lagoon, where it went to rock immediately and lost sight of it

30- 40 minutes later was checking on it and here is the 1.5 times bigger rhino slowly creeping/drifting (against a steady flow) like a slow motion leaf, corralling the goby into the front corner glass.

Lucky I was able to quickly net the watchman out. Wish I had the phone for a video - but it was in the other room trying to log on to Mobius (grimace)

So, this blenny is a stone cold killer - and still very cool, but beware, brother, beware...

 

[BringingThatDottyback]

interesting update.... after deciding that this rhino was not going to be suitable in the 15g WB peninsula, as I want more small fish in there, I moved it to a 90 lagoon with all bigger fish and LOTS of places to hide.

needless to say, 45 days without a sighting, didn't know if it was in cryptic hog heaven or passed on for some unknown reason.

This tank also has 2 hitchhiked pistols and so bought a yellow watchman goby, QT'd it and added it to the lagoon, where it went to rock immediately and lost sight of it

30- 40 minutes later was checking on it and here is the 1.5 times bigger rhino slowly creeping/drifting (against a steady flow) like a slow motion leaf, corralling the goby into the front corner glass.

Lucky I was able to quickly net the watchman out. Wish I had the phone for a video - but it was in the other room trying to log on to Mobius (grimace)

So, this blenny is a stone cold killer - and still very cool, but beware, brother, beware...

That's really interesting. I never saw any behavior like that from mine. It just dissapeared one day and I have not seen it since.

 

[bnord]

That's really interesting. I never saw any behavior like that from mine. It just dissapeared one day and I have not seen it since.

after I moved it to the 90 lagoon, I see it every 3-4 weeks, but it seems to be alive and stalking