Anyone ever keep a Tessellated Blenny?

[happyhourhero]

I have always wanted one of these guys but have never seen them available for sale. I made a post on my reef club about some free mushrooms I needed to give away and someone said they would take them. He was just getting back into the hobby and I decided to prepare him 5-6 different free frags just to pay it forward from people helping me out early on.

Turns out he is a diver and i told him about this blenny I always wanted and said if you ever see one to grab it for me. Turns out, he is a super awesome guy and he collected one for me and another for him. So I was just curious if anyone here has ever kept one.

Here is a pro photographer pic of one that is not mine.

Here is mine hiding behind the overflow being lit with my iphone flashlight, using an iphone camera.

And here his is taken with a phone.

Mine has been hiding for a few days but last night i saw it cruising the rocks after lights out so I am hoping it will move from behind the overflow and establish a hole in the rocks somewhere.

 

[Eva Rose]

I don't know about this blenny but he is gorgeous! Congrats and please give us updates!

 

[eatbreakfast]

I don't know about this fish. There is very little info on it, except that they utilize barnacles to hide in.

Definitely keep us updated. I am very interested in finding out more about this fish.

 

[happyhourhero]

So my Goby ate the first one but my diver buddy went out and collected a few more. I added one to my frag tank that is very tiny .5" and a larger 2" specimen to my display tank. He put a larger one in his DT as well. We shall see how this time goes. I hope that this one establishes a home in my DT away from the goby. I observed nocturnal behavior in the few days the last one was in my tank. It would cruise around the rocks after lights out. The problem is the goby enjoys the darkness too. There are no aggressive fish in my frag tank so as long as i can get that one to eat, i may have a better shot there.

These are collected off of sponge and barnacle clusters so if this attempt fails, I will see if he will scrape off a larger chunk of the barnacle substrate and set that up in the frag tank.

 

[Chrisfish]

What an awesome Blenny, I hope they survive this time. Please keep us posted.

 

[happyhourhero]

Here is one of the new ones in my friend's tank.

 

[happyhourhero]

Got a halfway decent pic.

 

[Broadfield]

Man, that thing is epic looking!

 

[steve&mari]

Beautiful fish and cool to have something so unique. Keep us updated please.

 

[Chasmodes]

Any updates? Can't wait to hear some good news about these guys.

 

[happyhourhero]

Any updates? Can't wait to hear some good news about these guys.

The tiny one in the frag tank is doing well. Eats well. The ones in the display make it a day, sometimes 2 and i never see them again.

I dont know for sure what happens to them. I think my Goby eats them but not sure because there are tiny molly millers in there that it should eat as well but it doesnt and the tessellated are extremely fast. Maybe they find holes in the rocks and hide out and I just never see them.

The one in the frag tank is out and about a lot though so I really dont know.

I am glad to see you here. I spend way more time here than RC. Their site is archaic.

 

[recess62]

I hate to be a buzz kill. However collecting these from the wild without knowing how to take care of them only to have them die is just wrong. Imho

Ok. Ready for the flamin

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Cool little fish. I hope you can figure out how to keep them alright in the display. I've actually never heard of a goby eating another fish, so that seems odd. What kind of goby does that??

 

[happyhourhero]

Seriously man? I have a valid saltwater license in Florida. I keep multiple species of local blennys and have been trying his one which is an INVASIVE species but is almost never avail in the hobby and there are no commercial collectors that I know of. I have had 2 disappear. They may still be in there, I don't really know.

Take your criticisms down to your lfs. I promise they kill off many more fish than I do.

 

[happyhourhero]

Cool little fish. I hope you can figure out how to keep them alright in the display. I've actually never heard of a goby eating another fish, so that seems odd. What kind of goby does that??

It is a frillfin goby.

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/3837

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

It is a frillfin goby.

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/3837

Ha! That's another one I have never seen!

Keep us posted on that blenny. I may be interested in getting one once I've researched them a bit more. I wonder if there's a way to purchase them on the west coast.

 

[recess62]

Seriously man? I have a valid saltwater license in Florida. I keep multiple species of local blennys and have been trying his one which is an INVASIVE species but is almost never avail in the hobby and there are no commercial collectors that I know of. I have had 2 disappear. They may still be in there, I don't really know.

Take your criticisms down to your lfs. I promise they kill off many more fish than I do.

I stand corrected. An invasive species should be eliminated. I spend a lot of time underwater around the reefs in Cozumel and kill every Lion fish I encounter

Don't take my comments as criticism. I was only expressing my opinion which is what I thought these forums were about.

Sorry if I offended

Happy reefing

 

[DeniseAndy]

Seriously man? I have a valid saltwater license in Florida. I keep multiple species of local blennys and have been trying his one which is an INVASIVE species but is almost never avail in the hobby and there are no commercial collectors that I know of. I have had 2 disappear. They may still be in there, I don't really know.

Take your criticisms down to your lfs. I promise they kill off many more fish than I do.

That is really cool that you can collect and work on keeping the fish. Knowing first hand where it is collected is a great step up from most of us. Especially if it is invasive. The natural inhabitants will thank you. I think as long as you are following rules and working to better the hobby and the ecosystem, should be no issues from people. Any other cool guys you have gotten and work with. I would love to see some pics.

 

[happyhourhero]

I stand corrected. An invasive species should be eliminated. I spend a lot of time underwater around the reefs in Cozumel and kill every Lion fish I encounter

Don't take my comments as criticism. I was only expressing my opinion which is what I thought these forums were about.

Sorry if I offended

Happy reefing

I should not have been so snappy. Props on killing the lions. Those guys are bad news. Here especially.

 

[Chasmodes]

I am glad to see you here. I spend way more time here than RC.

I've been lurking here a lot over the years, finally decided it was time to start posting. I am not going to post anything about my tank until it has water in it, then I'll catch up on the build. In the other forum, I kinda feel like I'm letting folks down because the build is taking so very long. It's kind of painful, but it is what it is.

As far as your blennies go, these guys love to hide and will spend a lot of time hiding and ambushing their prey. They could care less about being visible to the tank owner. Rather, all they care about is survival, eating, cover, growing, mating, and pooping. Hopefully, they'll show up later when they outgrow their current hiding spot. I hope that's what it's all about anyway, and that they aren't killer goby victims. The Hypsoblennius genus is so cool and personable, and they have a pretty tough demeanor, so as long as they don't seek cover in the gobies mouth, they should be able to hold their own. I'll never own one, so I'll have to live through your thread! Best of luck!!!

Then again, when my tank is finished, I'll have blennies that are not common in many tanks across the world, maybe my own Hypsoblennius (hentz), that I can share here.