Blenny nipping at corals

mrpergo · 12/25/2013, 05:21 PM

I have a Bicolor Blenny in a 75gal DT.
His tank mates are: 2 black/white Ocl. clowns, yellow watchman goby , One spot foxface & a Flame Angle.
The last couple of days I noticed my Green Star and my Green Toadstoole closed up. They are the top two corals in the tank. I started checking my parameters and while I was water checking I noticed the Blenny taking a bite out of the coral. Just like swimming by and dive in and take a vicious bite out of the coral. He usually rests on the Green Star and watches the Nori clip and he also sleeps next to the trunk of the toadstool.
Is there any way to deter this behavior ? These guys are fed twice a day and there is always Nori on the clip so nobodies hungry.
Any tips short of getting rid of him or will he out grow this habit?

CoralBeauty13 · 12/25/2013, 05:54 PM

Mine does that to a degree, I believe just looking for food. I've never seen him eat any Nori, at all, just pretty much munching on the rocks, and trunks of the leathers. He'll eat stray pellets, and I believe any pods he can find. Mine was a scavenger until I bought him a nice big barnacle to call home, and he pretty much spends his day in there if he's not out hunting. He'll rest on anything he lands on, but i've never seen him devour any of the corals. Could be hungry and hunting for food, if there isn't a nice abundance of alge for him to eat. He did however,take a nice chunk out of a piece that I had, but on further notice, that rock had lots of alge on it. He may grow out of it once he sees theres not much for him to enjoy.

mrpergo · 12/25/2013, 06:47 PM

I bought mine a barnacle too. He uses that as his safe haven when he angers the Flame Angel and she chases his silly *** in there........lol
I hope he gets out of the habit because he's a very cool fish with a lot of character.
Mine hits that Nori clip about the same as the Foxface and Angle do.

Mark9 · 12/26/2013, 12:05 PM

Straight from liveaquaria.

"They normally make a good addition to reef aquariums, but use caution in smaller set ups, or with smaller fleshy corals, as they have been know to pick at the mantles of clams, and at fleshy large polyp stony corals when underfed. In larger reef aquariums they rarely do damage to these corals or clams. "

He sounds hungry, feed him.

mrpergo · 12/26/2013, 12:25 PM

I know I went back and read that at Liveaquaria after he started doing it.
These guys eat twice a day plus have Nori on a clip, so unless I target feed just him it would really be over feeding the tank

12/25/2013, 05:21 PM	#1
mrpergo Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Hilton,N.Y. Posts: 398	Blenny nipping at corals I have a Bicolor Blenny in a 75gal DT. His tank mates are: 2 black/white Ocl. clowns, yellow watchman goby , One spot foxface & a Flame Angle. The last couple of days I noticed my Green Star and my Green Toadstoole closed up. They are the top two corals in the tank. I started checking my parameters and while I was water checking I noticed the Blenny taking a bite out of the coral. Just like swimming by and dive in and take a vicious bite out of the coral. He usually rests on the Green Star and watches the Nori clip and he also sleeps next to the trunk of the toadstool. Is there any way to deter this behavior ? These guys are fed twice a day and there is always Nori on the clip so nobodies hungry. Any tips short of getting rid of him or will he out grow this habit?

12/25/2013, 05:54 PM	#2
CoralBeauty13 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 597	Mine does that to a degree, I believe just looking for food. I've never seen him eat any Nori, at all, just pretty much munching on the rocks, and trunks of the leathers. He'll eat stray pellets, and I believe any pods he can find. Mine was a scavenger until I bought him a nice big barnacle to call home, and he pretty much spends his day in there if he's not out hunting. He'll rest on anything he lands on, but i've never seen him devour any of the corals. Could be hungry and hunting for food, if there isn't a nice abundance of alge for him to eat. He did however,take a nice chunk out of a piece that I had, but on further notice, that rock had lots of alge on it. He may grow out of it once he sees theres not much for him to enjoy.

12/25/2013, 06:47 PM	#3
mrpergo Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Hilton,N.Y. Posts: 398	I bought mine a barnacle too. He uses that as his safe haven when he angers the Flame Angel and she chases his silly *** in there........lol I hope he gets out of the habit because he's a very cool fish with a lot of character. Mine hits that Nori clip about the same as the Foxface and Angle do.

12/26/2013, 12:05 PM	#4
Mark9 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Atlanta Posts: 2,497	Straight from liveaquaria. "They normally make a good addition to reef aquariums, but use caution in smaller set ups, or with smaller fleshy corals, as they have been know to pick at the mantles of clams, and at fleshy large polyp stony corals when underfed. In larger reef aquariums they rarely do damage to these corals or clams. " He sounds hungry, feed him.

12/26/2013, 12:25 PM	#5
mrpergo Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Hilton,N.Y. Posts: 398	I know I went back and read that at Liveaquaria after he started doing it. These guys eat twice a day plus have Nori on a clip, so unless I target feed just him it would really be over feeding the tank