Midas Blenny Opinions please

shuguley · 09/15/2008, 09:17 AM

I'm thinking about getting a Midas Blenny (If I can ever find one). I really like the bright yellow coloration and their eel-like swimming motion.
What are some opinions on this fish? Is it active? Easy to feed? Are there any Gobies that can be kept with it? (According to liveaquaria it may nip at gobeis/firefish)

joshkennedy07 · 09/15/2008, 09:30 AM

Very cool fish. Pretty easy to care for with good water quality. I had one for years with a purple and orange firefish. They're not an aggressive fish IME and they are very active. They have great personality. The only caution I would give is that they may nip at coral. I never had an issue with mine, but I was keeping softies and LPS at the time.

Amoore311 · 09/15/2008, 09:33 AM

I've not heard any problems of these ever nipping coral of any kind. I had one for almost a year in a 29 gallon with a watchman gobie, clown, and a sixline wrasse. I lost him once I transfered tanks, he jumped out of my 90 Gallon.

Was easily one of my favorite fish, but they can be difficult to find.

shuguley · 09/15/2008, 10:19 AM

Man, difficult to find is the truth. I have seen a couple for sale here and there but at the time I already had new fish in QT. Now that my QT is empty, I cannot find one for sale anywhere.

luntiz · 09/15/2008, 12:35 PM

Make sure you have a tight fitting lid, as mine jumped my tank after a 2 months.

siropa · 09/15/2008, 12:41 PM

I've got one in my 275. Awesome little fish. Mine has found a couple of holes in the live rock he likes to hang out in. It is fun to watch how fast he can go from swimming to backing into a hole.

I've got a mixed reef and i've never seen him pick at anything.

Bignasty1 · 09/15/2008, 02:49 PM

I had the lfs order me one, it took about 3 weeks for them to get it in. Mine has picked under a frogspawn coral as his hiding space. I find it pretty neat how they change colors.

tewkes · 09/15/2008, 03:33 PM

I've had one for alittle over a year. Awesome fish! He's a good citizen but if the clowns mess with him he puts them in their place. He has two spots where he chills at. For not having a swimbladder to keep him bouyant he is extremely active.
When I wanted to buy one no one had any, then ever since then it seems like the one store I go to always has at least 2 in stock.

shuguley · 09/15/2008, 04:25 PM

I asked one of my LFS about Midas Blennies last week and the guy said he didn't like them cause they are hard to keep alive. I was pretty confused when he said that, I wonder if he didn't know what I was talking about. Are they hard to keep alive?

siropa · 09/15/2008, 04:51 PM

I haven't done anything special to keep mine alive. i've had him for nearly a year now.

Gold Stripe · 09/15/2008, 06:13 PM

They are not hard to keep alive as long as you dont have any really aggressive fish. When they get stressed out they turn dark and dont eat but they tend to recover pretty quickly. As long as your tank isnt overstocked and you dont have anything that will constantly pick on him you should be fine.

rrcg50 · 09/15/2008, 07:17 PM

mine has been fine for over 10 months. my 6 line and red headed fairy wrasse all seemed to get along. no problems with coral nipping either sps dominated

Eric the half-bee · 09/15/2008, 08:15 PM

I've got 2 in my tank for 6 months now and they behave fine. I thought I had a male and female as the 2nd one I introduced had some blue coloring around the gills. However, it turned orange yellow once in the tank. Once in a while, the 2 will swim around each other but usually they stay on opposite sides.

bennietheblenny · 09/15/2008, 09:43 PM

Our whole family liked our Midas Blenny, he lasted about 3 1/2 years, he just died a couple months ago. We had no problems with him picking on anything in the tank and it was fun to watch him.
We are going to get another one, you should get one too!!!

Raibaru · 09/15/2008, 10:05 PM

I like mine a lot. The only real aggression I ever see from him is when someone swims by his hole when he's in it. He also lunges out of his hole at fish occasionally when feeding but it's not a big deal.

Never seen him nibble on coral. Occsionally I'll see him take a bite or 2 at glass, but I think overall these guys eat mostly meat. Never had any problem feeding mine either. He doesn't take well to pellets, but no problems with flakes or frozen foods.

Great fish and they come out of the rocks quite often but will quickly dart back in.

stiltman · 09/15/2008, 11:16 PM

Do blennies need a deep sand bed? I have a BC 14 and will be converting/upgrading my freshwater to a reef tank (110 gallon). Would it be ok to buy a small blenny and transfer it to the larger tank later?

shuguley · 09/16/2008, 06:09 PM

Thanks for all the replies! LiveAquaria's Divers Den just got in a Midas Blenny and I bought that sucker up FAST! These little guys are hard to find. The one I just bought is 4" long for $39. WOOT!

tewkes · 09/16/2008, 08:09 PM

That's a decent price. I paid about the same last year. If you don't mind, how much do they charge for shipping? I've been thinking of ordering something but wasn't sure how expensive the shipping was.

shuguley · 09/16/2008, 08:29 PM

Normally the shipping would have been $34.99, but I placed an order from liveaquaria's regular website at the same time, so they reduced shipping on my divers den order to $14.99. So essentially I am paying about $54.98 for the fish. That's a lot, but I just could not find these guys anywhere else, locally or online.

Details on all their shipping costs are here...
http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/g...ral_pagesid=28

tewkes · 09/16/2008, 08:43 PM

That's not bad at all. I'll have to take that into consideration next time I place an order through the regular site.

You won't be dissappointed my midas was the best addition to my tank so far. He's one of the only ones in my current tank that is worthy of going into the new bigger reef.

stanlalee · 09/16/2008, 11:23 PM

my local pet store has at least one all the time. Very cool fish. I dont particularly recommend them in small quarters (less than 55g) but they are pretty easy to care for.

SoLiD · 09/17/2008, 01:46 AM

Midas blennies are a very cool fish, but YES they are really hard to find. I waited over a year before I found one that was under $50. I have to admit that I had to save mine once when he jumped out the back of the tank. Luckily I was feeding when it happened. Also he used to hide at first but now he is almost always swimming in the middle of all the other fish. I've had him for 4 months now and he has been fine since he went floor surfing.

-SoLiD

OceanLover2 · 09/20/2008, 12:47 AM

My Midas Blenny is my very FAVORITE fish. He is like a little puppy, he is active all day and if I am near to the tank or have my hand in it he is always there. They will jump though so keep your tank covered. Mine likes to swim at the surface so he can see over the water.

Some Midas like to swim with a school of anthias. Very pretty sight.

OceanLover2 · 09/20/2008, 12:47 AM

My Midas Blenny is my very FAVORITE fish. He is like a little puppy, he is active all day and if I am near to the tank or have my hand in it he is always there. They will jump though so keep your tank covered. Mine likes to swim at the surface so he can see over the water.

Some Midas like to swim with a school of anthias. Very pretty sight.

OceanLover2 · 09/20/2008, 12:48 AM

My Midas Blenny is my very FAVORITE fish. He is like a little puppy, he is active all day and if I am near to the tank or have my hand in it he is always there. They will jump though so keep your tank covered. Mine likes to swim at the surface so he can see over the water.

Some Midas like to swim with a school of anthias. Very pretty sight.

09/15/2008, 09:17 AM	#1
shuguley Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Smiths Station, AL Posts: 536	Midas Blenny Opinions please I'm thinking about getting a Midas Blenny (If I can ever find one). I really like the bright yellow coloration and their eel-like swimming motion. What are some opinions on this fish? Is it active? Easy to feed? Are there any Gobies that can be kept with it? (According to liveaquaria it may nip at gobeis/firefish) __________________ 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Midas Blenny, Spotted Mandarin, Pistol Shrimp, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, Large CUC Corals: Xenia, Candy Cane, Zoas, Frogspawn, Brain, Bubble, Shrooms, Sun Current Tank Info: 55G Reef w/ 15G sump/fuge w/chaeto, Phosban Reactor w/GFO, AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer, 2 Koralia 3s, Nova Extreme T5HO 216W, 85lbs LR, 60lbs LS

09/15/2008, 09:33 AM	#3
Amoore311 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Ulster County, NY Posts: 2,521	I've not heard any problems of these ever nipping coral of any kind. I had one for almost a year in a 29 gallon with a watchman gobie, clown, and a sixline wrasse. I lost him once I transfered tanks, he jumped out of my 90 Gallon. Was easily one of my favorite fish, but they can be difficult to find. __________________ 30 Gallon FOWLR 2004-2006 90 Gallon LPS Reef 2006-2008 180 Gallon SPS Reef 2008-20012 100 Gallon Custom Rimless Mixed Reef 2012-2014 29 Gallon Biocube Reef! Current Current Tank Info: 29 Gallon Biocube, StevesLED Upgrade, Neptune Apex

09/15/2008, 10:19 AM	#4
shuguley Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Smiths Station, AL Posts: 536	Man, difficult to find is the truth. I have seen a couple for sale here and there but at the time I already had new fish in QT. Now that my QT is empty, I cannot find one for sale anywhere. __________________ 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Midas Blenny, Spotted Mandarin, Pistol Shrimp, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, Large CUC Corals: Xenia, Candy Cane, Zoas, Frogspawn, Brain, Bubble, Shrooms, Sun Current Tank Info: 55G Reef w/ 15G sump/fuge w/chaeto, Phosban Reactor w/GFO, AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer, 2 Koralia 3s, Nova Extreme T5HO 216W, 85lbs LR, 60lbs LS

09/15/2008, 12:35 PM	#5
luntiz Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 612	Make sure you have a tight fitting lid, as mine jumped my tank after a 2 months. __________________ 14,200gph and counting... I need more circulation!

09/15/2008, 12:41 PM	#6
siropa Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Neenah, WI Posts: 2,502	I've got one in my 275. Awesome little fish. Mine has found a couple of holes in the live rock he likes to hang out in. It is fun to watch how fast he can go from swimming to backing into a hole. I've got a mixed reef and i've never seen him pick at anything. __________________ See red house for pics. Current Tank Info: 275 reef, 75 FOWLR, 60g frag

09/15/2008, 09:30 AM	#2
joshkennedy07 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: California Posts: 248	Very cool fish. Pretty easy to care for with good water quality. I had one for years with a purple and orange firefish. They're not an aggressive fish IME and they are very active. They have great personality. The only caution I would give is that they may nip at coral. I never had an issue with mine, but I was keeping softies and LPS at the time.

09/15/2008, 02:49 PM	#7
Bignasty1 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: HSV Alabama Posts: 134	I had the lfs order me one, it took about 3 weeks for them to get it in. Mine has picked under a frogspawn coral as his hiding space. I find it pretty neat how they change colors.

09/15/2008, 03:33 PM	#8
tewkes Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 334	I've had one for alittle over a year. Awesome fish! He's a good citizen but if the clowns mess with him he puts them in their place. He has two spots where he chills at. For not having a swimbladder to keep him bouyant he is extremely active. When I wanted to buy one no one had any, then ever since then it seems like the one store I go to always has at least 2 in stock.

09/15/2008, 04:25 PM	#9
shuguley Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Smiths Station, AL Posts: 536	I asked one of my LFS about Midas Blennies last week and the guy said he didn't like them cause they are hard to keep alive. I was pretty confused when he said that, I wonder if he didn't know what I was talking about. Are they hard to keep alive? __________________ 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Midas Blenny, Spotted Mandarin, Pistol Shrimp, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, Large CUC Corals: Xenia, Candy Cane, Zoas, Frogspawn, Brain, Bubble, Shrooms, Sun Current Tank Info: 55G Reef w/ 15G sump/fuge w/chaeto, Phosban Reactor w/GFO, AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer, 2 Koralia 3s, Nova Extreme T5HO 216W, 85lbs LR, 60lbs LS

09/15/2008, 04:51 PM	#10
siropa Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Neenah, WI Posts: 2,502	I haven't done anything special to keep mine alive. i've had him for nearly a year now. __________________ See red house for pics. Current Tank Info: 275 reef, 75 FOWLR, 60g frag

09/15/2008, 06:13 PM	#11
Gold Stripe Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 977	They are not hard to keep alive as long as you dont have any really aggressive fish. When they get stressed out they turn dark and dont eat but they tend to recover pretty quickly. As long as your tank isnt overstocked and you dont have anything that will constantly pick on him you should be fine. __________________ I swear its the last coral I will buy honey ...... I promise!

09/15/2008, 07:17 PM	#12
rrcg50 Moved On Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: venice, fl Posts: 1,294	mine has been fine for over 10 months. my 6 line and red headed fairy wrasse all seemed to get along. no problems with coral nipping either sps dominated

09/15/2008, 08:15 PM	#13
Eric the half-bee Passer of gasses Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Space Coast, FL Posts: 837	I've got 2 in my tank for 6 months now and they behave fine. I thought I had a male and female as the 2nd one I introduced had some blue coloring around the gills. However, it turned orange yellow once in the tank. Once in a while, the 2 will swim around each other but usually they stay on opposite sides. __________________ MOLON LABE - King Leonidas I A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you have. – Barry Goldwater Current Tank Info: Semi agressive reef-400 gal.-8 tangs,2 rabbit fish,zebra moray,blue ribbon eel,Janss' pipe,pair bangaiis,wrasse,tomato clown,maroon clown

09/15/2008, 09:43 PM	#14
bennietheblenny Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 48	Our whole family liked our Midas Blenny, he lasted about 3 1/2 years, he just died a couple months ago. We had no problems with him picking on anything in the tank and it was fun to watch him. We are going to get another one, you should get one too!!!

09/15/2008, 10:05 PM	#15
Raibaru Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 979	I like mine a lot. The only real aggression I ever see from him is when someone swims by his hole when he's in it. He also lunges out of his hole at fish occasionally when feeding but it's not a big deal. Never seen him nibble on coral. Occsionally I'll see him take a bite or 2 at glass, but I think overall these guys eat mostly meat. Never had any problem feeding mine either. He doesn't take well to pellets, but no problems with flakes or frozen foods. Great fish and they come out of the rocks quite often but will quickly dart back in.

09/15/2008, 11:16 PM	#16
stiltman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 1,070	Do blennies need a deep sand bed? I have a BC 14 and will be converting/upgrading my freshwater to a reef tank (110 gallon). Would it be ok to buy a small blenny and transfer it to the larger tank later? __________________ "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken" - Colonel Sanders Current Tank Info: 75 w/ 20 sump

09/16/2008, 06:09 PM	#17
shuguley Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Smiths Station, AL Posts: 536	Thanks for all the replies! LiveAquaria's Divers Den just got in a Midas Blenny and I bought that sucker up FAST! These little guys are hard to find. The one I just bought is 4" long for $39. WOOT! __________________ 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Midas Blenny, Spotted Mandarin, Pistol Shrimp, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, Large CUC Corals: Xenia, Candy Cane, Zoas, Frogspawn, Brain, Bubble, Shrooms, Sun Current Tank Info: 55G Reef w/ 15G sump/fuge w/chaeto, Phosban Reactor w/GFO, AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer, 2 Koralia 3s, Nova Extreme T5HO 216W, 85lbs LR, 60lbs LS

09/16/2008, 08:09 PM	#18
tewkes Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 334	That's a decent price. I paid about the same last year. If you don't mind, how much do they charge for shipping? I've been thinking of ordering something but wasn't sure how expensive the shipping was.

09/16/2008, 08:29 PM	#19
shuguley Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Smiths Station, AL Posts: 536	Normally the shipping would have been $34.99, but I placed an order from liveaquaria's regular website at the same time, so they reduced shipping on my divers den order to $14.99. So essentially I am paying about $54.98 for the fish. That's a lot, but I just could not find these guys anywhere else, locally or online. Details on all their shipping costs are here... http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/g...ral_pagesid=28 __________________ 2 Ocellaris Clowns, Midas Blenny, Spotted Mandarin, Pistol Shrimp, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, Large CUC Corals: Xenia, Candy Cane, Zoas, Frogspawn, Brain, Bubble, Shrooms, Sun Current Tank Info: 55G Reef w/ 15G sump/fuge w/chaeto, Phosban Reactor w/GFO, AquaC Remora Protein Skimmer, 2 Koralia 3s, Nova Extreme T5HO 216W, 85lbs LR, 60lbs LS

09/16/2008, 08:43 PM	#20
tewkes Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Michigan Posts: 334	That's not bad at all. I'll have to take that into consideration next time I place an order through the regular site. You won't be dissappointed my midas was the best addition to my tank so far. He's one of the only ones in my current tank that is worthy of going into the new bigger reef.

09/16/2008, 11:23 PM	#21
stanlalee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: hampton roads, va Posts: 1,799	my local pet store has at least one all the time. Very cool fish. I dont particularly recommend them in small quarters (less than 55g) but they are pretty easy to care for.

09/17/2008, 01:46 AM	#22
SoLiD -=Snake=- Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Corpus Christi, TX Posts: 999	Midas blennies are a very cool fish, but YES they are really hard to find. I waited over a year before I found one that was under $50. I have to admit that I had to save mine once when he jumped out the back of the tank. Luckily I was feeding when it happened. Also he used to hide at first but now he is almost always swimming in the middle of all the other fish. I've had him for 4 months now and he has been fine since he went floor surfing. -SoLiD __________________ -David 40 Gallon Breeder on Steroids!!! Current Tank Info: Where you'll find an Acan and Orange Ricordea Garden in Bloom...

09/20/2008, 12:47 AM	#23
OceanLover2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 306	My Midas Blenny is my very FAVORITE fish. He is like a little puppy, he is active all day and if I am near to the tank or have my hand in it he is always there. They will jump though so keep your tank covered. Mine likes to swim at the surface so he can see over the water. Some Midas like to swim with a school of anthias. Very pretty sight. __________________ 90 and 140 gallon reef tanks with friendly fish (midas blennies, bs jawfish, colorful WRASSE, etc.) and softie corals (no acropora for me) Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef & 140 gallon reef

09/20/2008, 12:48 AM	#25
OceanLover2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 306	My Midas Blenny is my very FAVORITE fish. He is like a little puppy, he is active all day and if I am near to the tank or have my hand in it he is always there. They will jump though so keep your tank covered. Mine likes to swim at the surface so he can see over the water. Some Midas like to swim with a school of anthias. Very pretty sight. __________________ 90 and 140 gallon reef tanks with friendly fish (midas blennies, bs jawfish, colorful WRASSE, etc.) and softie corals (no acropora for me) Current Tank Info: 90 gallon reef & 140 gallon reef