Midas Blenny ok?

Sonam · Dec 2, 2019

Greetings all,

We have two Midas blennies. One large one in our 125 gallon system and a new one we purchased recently in a 32 gallon biocube.

Initially the new one was so thin and small it was nearly transparent. It has nearly doubled in size but is much darker in color than the one in the main system. The original Midas blenny we have had for years. Our concern is that the new blenny is dark in color because he is either sick or stressed. There are some fire fish it appears to have spats with.

Is this fish in danger (sorry for the snow - blew off the rocks before snapping the photo - not a bright move)? Should we move him?

MixedFruitBasket · Dec 2, 2019

Is the other fish next to him your Midas blenny? Cause if it is that’s a yellow coris wrasse. The blenny in that photo does not look sick. It could be a female as well they tend to be less bright. Not sure if there is a color difference in that species.

MixedFruitBasket · Dec 2, 2019

Found this photo of a Midas blenny online. Looks a lot like yours. Pretty sure your guy is fine.

Sonam · Dec 2, 2019

Oh hallelujah do you think? I had a feeling they were different genders.

Sonam · Dec 2, 2019

So - do you think it’s a female? I would really love a mated pair? What do you think?

MixedFruitBasket · Dec 3, 2019

No idea. It could also be immature going by your description when you got it. You’ll just have to wait and see. Not sure if any specific info on the species and mating behaviors.

pcon · Dec 3, 2019

Midas blennies can change colors to blend in with anthias. That's the purple colorform pictured, If I am recalling correctly the nuptial colors are different, colored head pale body.

Sonam · Dec 3, 2019

Hi All,
Thanks for your responses.
What happens when you put two Midas blennies together in the same tank? Ours are gold and the smaller one is purple. Any way to tell if that’s a gender difference.
We have a breeder box to put one in to see if they get along in the tank - is that a way to test it?

pcon · Dec 3, 2019

The accounts of the few people I have read about trying to breed Ecsenius and Salarias blennies had no success housing a pair long term. Even starting with collected pairs, or sexed bonded pairs, after one mating season they became mortal enemies. One account included a pair who had recently mated and laid eggs in a 300 gallon tank and one week later the larger male killed the female, and was seriously injured in the fighting. The purple coloration is not indicative of gender, it is a mimicry defense used to shoal with lyretail anthias. If you are going to attempt to house a pair, start by researching people who have attempted breeding them. The Marine Breeding Initiative is a great place to start researching how to keep any fish as a pair.