I have a peaceful community reef tank. I have 2 tangs, 1 clown, some McCosker Flasher wrasse and Bartletts. Two of my favorite fish in my tank are my blue spot jawfish and my tiny yellow watchman goby. I want to add a blenny but not one that would bother the jaw fish or goby. I like the looks of the super male red ember blenny or midas blenny. Anyone have personal experiences to suggest a peaceful blenny? I've heard some blennies can pester or bite other fish on the fins.
Peaceful Blenny Suggestions ?
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vedros74
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I've had my Midas blenny for a couple years now and really like it. Super cool to watch swim and always looks like he's smiling. I have no other blennies or gobies in the tank so no experience with that but it gets along with all my other fish
Tailspot Blenny is my first pick. Next would be the Bi-Colored Blenny, which I currently own. Pays no attention at all to my Yellow Watchman Goby.
mcarroll
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Blennies are not, as a group, peacful IME. Don't let the pictures fool you.
The midas is definitely on the mellower end of their spectrum.
Barnacle blennies I'm sure are a terror, but since they only get to 1.5" it's all good.
It's probably all that keeps them from getting eaten by bigger fish! 
So maybe consider Barnacle's or Midas.
Interestingly (maybe), both are "cryptic" blennies....they usually stay holed up in their favorite rock waiting for some planktonic morsel to flow by. Midas probably get out more than Barnacles and are definitely more showey....Barnacles only come in brown camouflage color.
That's not to say that either is a "hider"....the hole they choose is always prominent so they can have the perfect view for food. As a result you should nearly always have a perfect view of them even when they aren't out swimming. I even had some Barnacles in a 260 gallon tank....even in that large a system they were always out front and prominently visible.
(Just don't be disappointed because you expect them to always be out swimming.)
Barnacle blennies are my favorite because they are so easy to care for and they are such a hoot to watch during feeding. They move as fast as lightning bolts!!
The midas is definitely on the mellower end of their spectrum.
Barnacle blennies I'm sure are a terror, but since they only get to 1.5" it's all good.
It's probably all that keeps them from getting eaten by bigger fish! So maybe consider Barnacle's or Midas.
Interestingly (maybe), both are "cryptic" blennies....they usually stay holed up in their favorite rock waiting for some planktonic morsel to flow by. Midas probably get out more than Barnacles and are definitely more showey....Barnacles only come in brown camouflage color.
That's not to say that either is a "hider"....the hole they choose is always prominent so they can have the perfect view for food. As a result you should nearly always have a perfect view of them even when they aren't out swimming. I even had some Barnacles in a 260 gallon tank....even in that large a system they were always out front and prominently visible.
(Just don't be disappointed because you expect them to always be out swimming.)
Barnacle blennies are my favorite because they are so easy to care for and they are such a hoot to watch during feeding. They move as fast as lightning bolts!!
FL_Reefer
Valuable Member
I would have to agree with mcarroll on this one. I've owned a few different types, a bi color, lawn mower and a starry blenny that I currently have now. In my exsperince, the lawnmower was the most docile of the bunch. My bi color picked on everyone and believe it or not my starry runs my tank now. They all can be pretty protective over their ''space''. My starry shows agression towards everything that gets close to his cluster of barnacles that he lives in, not just fish but my hand and everything else. I've even saw him pick up coral and snails and carry them away from his spot. I think it's really up to the fish (the blenny) and the other fish that's in the tank aswell as to how they all interact together.
Greenstreet.1
5000 Club Member
Ruby red very peaceful here's one of mine.
tomtom2245
Well-Known Member
I agree with the Midas blenny. I have had two of them over the past few years and they were always super peaceful even though they were the biggest fish in my tank at the time. They always seemed to draw out my other fish and make them more social.
mcarroll
10K Club member
They do have personality!!!
The red-lipped blenny is the nastiest one I've had experience with personally. On par with the nastiest clown I ever met! (Clowns are small, but they sport a grill that could make a pirana jealous! Google or Flickr for "clownfish teeth"!) The nasty little....fish....bit me to the extent of bleeding more than once during maintenance!
:mad::mad:I've heard of ruby red's but that's the first ruby red I've actually seen, BTW. Wow!! Beautiful.
That's a "scooter blenny" as in the old common name rather than a Blenny as in the family of fish containing the midas, barnacle and other "true" blennies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blennioidei
He's actually a Dragonet....another excellent fish which the OP might well consider!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonet
Somewhat similar in looks to a few true blennies....but totally different from almost all blennies in behavior though.
Greenstreet.1
5000 Club Member
They are very peaceful I have two and one mandarin.
Tateopotatoe
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Eva Rose
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Thanks for all the great replies/information! I'm leaning toward the Midas blenny-since it likes swimming mid level in tank when it leaves its cave.
The Ruby Red dragonet is beautiful but I'm a newbie and not sure if my tank can support it with enough pods. My tank has been established long enough- I just don't feel confident to know if a dragonet (and other fish) have depleted my pod population.
The Ruby Red dragonet is beautiful but I'm a newbie and not sure if my tank can support it with enough pods. My tank has been established long enough- I just don't feel confident to know if a dragonet (and other fish) have depleted my pod population.
- If anyone has a Red Ember Blenny I would love to hear your experience regarding its temperament !! Especially towards gobies and jawfish.
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michellejy
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I have had a midas blenny in a tank with a jawfish and a goby. It never showed aggression towards anything, and it spent about an equal amount of time swimming in the open and perching on rocks.
I have a blue and gold one now. My daughter always forgets what it is called, so she calls him the "eel fish."
I have a blue and gold one now. My daughter always forgets what it is called, so she calls him the "eel fish."
jlanger
Well-Known Member
A little late to the conversation, but I'll add some more personal experience.
Of the two blennies you mentioned, the Midas Blenny would be the better option.
In fact, the Ecsenius spp. blennies are the more docile genus in the blenny family. I have kept bicolor, tail spot, linear, midas and pictus blennies and they were all great community fish. Midas blennies are a bit large for the genus and tend to fare very well in community tanks. My current Midas Blenny does great in my 120gal community reef. The only "aggression" it displays is towards my male Lyretail Anthias when the male tries to exert dominance over the blenny; as the blenny will swim with my five female lyretails. And the so-called "aggression" is just the two fish flaring open mouths at each other.
I have kept a couple of the Salarius spp. blennies and they're a bit more hit-or-miss. Some of them have behaved perfectly well, others have been terrors. They often do not like new additions to the tank or other fish that will inhabit the same living space as the blenny. I had added a Starry Blenny to an established tank and it killed two gobies and a Flameback Angelfish before I could remove it; but another fish years ago was very calm and passive. It's a coin flip for me at this point with these fish.
The blennies that you have heard of that may have bitten other fish are probably from the Meiacanthus genus. They're commonly known as fang blennies. When they feel threatened or are attacked, they will bite back and are considered venomous. I have not kept any of these fish, so I'm not personally experienced with their behavior.
It sounds like you're aware of the difference between blennies and dragonets; (not "scooter" blennies; stores please stop ID'ing them as such). Unless you have a tank with pods crawling all over the glass, leave the dragonets to a more quiet environment. The dragonets are rarely interested in any of the other fish, but they are more easily intimidated by the other fish and may not fare well. I had a male Ruby Red Dragonet that did very well in my tank for a year, but even with plenty of available live foods it just up and disappeared one day.
I would suggest the Midas Blenny.
You may end up seeing it swim with your Bartlett's Anthias.
Of the two blennies you mentioned, the Midas Blenny would be the better option.
In fact, the Ecsenius spp. blennies are the more docile genus in the blenny family. I have kept bicolor, tail spot, linear, midas and pictus blennies and they were all great community fish. Midas blennies are a bit large for the genus and tend to fare very well in community tanks. My current Midas Blenny does great in my 120gal community reef. The only "aggression" it displays is towards my male Lyretail Anthias when the male tries to exert dominance over the blenny; as the blenny will swim with my five female lyretails. And the so-called "aggression" is just the two fish flaring open mouths at each other.
I have kept a couple of the Salarius spp. blennies and they're a bit more hit-or-miss. Some of them have behaved perfectly well, others have been terrors. They often do not like new additions to the tank or other fish that will inhabit the same living space as the blenny. I had added a Starry Blenny to an established tank and it killed two gobies and a Flameback Angelfish before I could remove it; but another fish years ago was very calm and passive. It's a coin flip for me at this point with these fish.
The blennies that you have heard of that may have bitten other fish are probably from the Meiacanthus genus. They're commonly known as fang blennies. When they feel threatened or are attacked, they will bite back and are considered venomous. I have not kept any of these fish, so I'm not personally experienced with their behavior.
It sounds like you're aware of the difference between blennies and dragonets; (not "scooter" blennies; stores please stop ID'ing them as such). Unless you have a tank with pods crawling all over the glass, leave the dragonets to a more quiet environment. The dragonets are rarely interested in any of the other fish, but they are more easily intimidated by the other fish and may not fare well. I had a male Ruby Red Dragonet that did very well in my tank for a year, but even with plenty of available live foods it just up and disappeared one day.
I would suggest the Midas Blenny.
You may end up seeing it swim with your Bartlett's Anthias.
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Eva Rose
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Thank you for all the detailed information. I try to read as much as I can before adding a new fish. Personal experience is such a valuable resource to supplement reference books. Input from experienced hobbyists has greatly helped me give my fish a even better tank habitat.
It looks like the Midas Benny would be best with my current stock. I appreciate the feedback! I love the "eel-like" way the Midas swims as well!
It looks like the Midas Benny would be best with my current stock. I appreciate the feedback! I love the "eel-like" way the Midas swims as well!
