Hi Everyone,
I lost one of my favorite fish today, my midas blenny. He went from active, healthy and eating, to breathing heavy and dying on the sand bend in less than 24 hours.
Unfortunately, it seems like others have had similar experiences. It also seems like when these fish go downhill, they go downhill fast. I had the fish for about a year, and *poof* overnight he was gone. My other fish, two clowns, two yasha gobies, and three lime green banded gobies are all fine. Even my acropora are fine.
Excluding those who've lost the fish a few days or even weeks after adding to their tank or QT, I was hoping to source some anecdotal knowledge from the community to see if we can figure out some commonality and help others keep these fish in the future. These fish are clealy sensitive to something that a lot of reefers keep in their tanks.
If you have had a similar experience with a Midas Blenny, post here with your best guess of what happened. Below is some additional information about my specific situation.
Thanks Everyone!
_________________________________
I keep a 20 gallon tank well stocked with acropora, LPS, and zoathains. I run carbon periodically mixed with GFO. I dose two part to keep Alk levels between 8-9dkh. I also dose carbon in the form of Nopox. I feed very heavy 2-3 times a day, and add Reef Chili a few times a week. However, my nitrates are always below 5ppm.
The blenny typically perched on a monti shelf next to my desk. Last night he was swimming and eating until lights off. This morning I noticed he was not actively swimming and breathing heavy. He got progressively more latharic through out the day and died by the evening. I dropped the body in some fresh water and was able to rule out flukes. There were no noticable signs of injury or infection.
I am wondering if due to their curious nature, midas blennys are prone to sticking their heads in corals that might sting or poison them. The day before he died, I cleaned out some pulsing xenia and ball aneones. Other than that there were no significant changes to water parameters, diet, or other additions. I am wondering if he caught a piece of floating debris and that is what did him in. He was only 3-4 inches so I don't think he died of old age.
I lost one of my favorite fish today, my midas blenny. He went from active, healthy and eating, to breathing heavy and dying on the sand bend in less than 24 hours.
Unfortunately, it seems like others have had similar experiences. It also seems like when these fish go downhill, they go downhill fast. I had the fish for about a year, and *poof* overnight he was gone. My other fish, two clowns, two yasha gobies, and three lime green banded gobies are all fine. Even my acropora are fine.
Excluding those who've lost the fish a few days or even weeks after adding to their tank or QT, I was hoping to source some anecdotal knowledge from the community to see if we can figure out some commonality and help others keep these fish in the future. These fish are clealy sensitive to something that a lot of reefers keep in their tanks.
If you have had a similar experience with a Midas Blenny, post here with your best guess of what happened. Below is some additional information about my specific situation.
Thanks Everyone!
_________________________________
I keep a 20 gallon tank well stocked with acropora, LPS, and zoathains. I run carbon periodically mixed with GFO. I dose two part to keep Alk levels between 8-9dkh. I also dose carbon in the form of Nopox. I feed very heavy 2-3 times a day, and add Reef Chili a few times a week. However, my nitrates are always below 5ppm.
The blenny typically perched on a monti shelf next to my desk. Last night he was swimming and eating until lights off. This morning I noticed he was not actively swimming and breathing heavy. He got progressively more latharic through out the day and died by the evening. I dropped the body in some fresh water and was able to rule out flukes. There were no noticable signs of injury or infection.
I am wondering if due to their curious nature, midas blennys are prone to sticking their heads in corals that might sting or poison them. The day before he died, I cleaned out some pulsing xenia and ball aneones. Other than that there were no significant changes to water parameters, diet, or other additions. I am wondering if he caught a piece of floating debris and that is what did him in. He was only 3-4 inches so I don't think he died of old age.