Tailspot blenny w/an odd new habit?

[Lyss]

I love my Marvin (the Martian) and he's been a great reef citizen. He gets along well w/my clownfish pair, picks at the rocks everywhere, eats a lot, (poops a lot)...

Lately he's begun what seems like an odd habit of pecking on the female clown, and less often on the male as well. He'll just cruise up to her and gently peck at her dorsal fin like he pecks on rocks. She doesn't seem to care one bit and just kinda swims there while he does it. Doesn't look like aggression, or attacking.

Has anyone else observed this sort of behavior from a tailspot blenny before? I'm like, what is this all about now.

 

[alton]

I have both clowns and tailspot with no interaction

 

[Tchung23]

cleaning your clowns??

 

[Lyss]

cleaning your clowns??

Cleaner blenny haha. He's an interesting fellow, that's for sure.

 

[mann1139]

Is the blenny defending its 'territory'?

Is there a pattern for when it happens, like just before feeding time?

 

[Lyss]

That doesn’t appear to be the case, but I couldn’t rule it out. It’s not like she swims over near his home and he does it—more like she’ll be minding her own business swimming in the front of the tank w/her partner and the blenny cruises up and nips, then swims with them some, then cruises away. I’ve seen him do it to the male, too, but more often the female.

I did wonder if he wants them to move for whatever reason, but honestly, IDK. Happens pretty randomly.

Also these three are the only fish in a 20g tank. All three were juvenile when added, blenny first then a week later the clowns — they were just babies. I would feel comfortable saying they’re all kinda bonded.

 

[Lyss]

Well, now I’m even more uncertain about this behavior w/the clowns.

Last night he seemed agitated, popping in and out of his barnacles, and I thought it was b/c a trochus snail was paying him a visit — he usually nips at and pushes snails and hermits away from his spot. But he kept popping out and looking at another rock overhang behind his spot.

I just put a strawberry conch in the other day and it was on the rock under the overhang where the blenny was looking, doing its thing. While I was watching he swam over and viciously attacked it! I moved the conch back to the sand but the blenny was eyeing it for a long time.

The behavior w/the clowns is different, but that does make me wonder if there’s maybe some rivalry I haven’t picked up on. IDK

I do know he hates that conch!

 

[i cant think]

I do know he hates that conch!

Haha, as for the answer to why I do not know. It may be something to do with THAT specific rock or maybe feeding aggression though.

 

[Lyss]

Haha, as for the answer to why I do not know. It may be something to do with THAT specific rock or maybe feeding aggression though.

I think it is the rock. I’ve noticed him swimming over there and nipping on that rock the past few days. He may just be at the point where’s he’s comfortable in the tank and considers more than just his official spot to be his — newcomers beware…