Replacement for bicolor blenny

[wesman42]

I had a bicolor blenny, but the thing was directly from SPS hell. It nipped my forest fire Digi, Superman Monti, and bird of paradise bird's nest. I don't know if any of them will recover.

So, I put a net over his hidey hole, shoved a pair of tweezers in there and yanked him out. He's currently back in my quarantine tank. As far as I'm concerned, $50 in coral > $10 fish...even if I really do like him.

I'd like to stay away from combtooth blennies due to my recent experience of both a tailspot and bicolor eating the crap out of anything stony. I'd like a recommendation on a different fish to replace him with....I'm not familiar with other blennies that won't nip corals.

I'm mad, but I also realize I made the risk for putting them in my tank. These should really be upgraded to "with caution" status on fish websites.

 

[OPtasia]

The only completely reef safe blenny i've ever had were lawnmower blennies. Sorry you had one that went after coral polyps. That sucks.

You might try a small goby species instead. They occupy a similar territory and have similar personalities.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

Fang blennies!

 

[wesman42]

Fang blennies!

But aren't fanged blennies still part of the combtooth classification? I looked up Meiacanthus genus blennies, and it seemed like they were still included in the combtooth category I was considering a Midas, but then I realized it was the exact same genus as the tailspot and the bicolor...so I'm not making that mistake again.

I have a YWG already, so I was worried about potential competition / aggression.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I've never had any issues with fang blennies nipping coral.

 

[wesman42]

Hmm okay! I'll take a look into it! thank you

 

[mort]

Fang and midas blennies are planktavores, so feed from the water column like anthias rather than the substrate. They will pick at pods on the rocks but are about as safe as blennies get when it comes to corals.