SPS-eating blenny now ruining LPS

Lyss · May 22, 2022

The very first fish I ever put into my tank was a tailspot blenny. I named him Marvin, and I love him. Unfortunately Marvin has murdered every SPS frag I’ve ever put into my tank, as well as a beautiful favia, and leptoseris. There wasn’t anything wrong w/these corals and they were all thriving until Marvin decided to pick on them.

He’ll start in on one and then not let up until it’s dead, usually within a day — he just keeps going at it all day until he strips it — so there’s really not even a chance for it to recover from a few nips or whatever.

I’m at the end of my rope over it b/c today he randomly went after my beautiful Duncan colony and stripped the whole back side of the stems of flesh. This morning it looked beautiful, now I just caught him in the act and it’s stripped of flesh in the back and unhappy.

I really don’t know what to do anymore and it’s making me down on the hobby. I just want to give up b/c I’ve spent so much on corals trying to find stuff he won’t kill, and he eventually starts in on just about anything that isn’t a softie. I put a new group of corals in last month and the tank was looking beautiful. Now this.

Has anyone else had this experience w/a tailspot? He’s extremely well fed so it’s not like he’s hungry. Maybe boredom? I dont know but I can’t take it anymore. He stays— he’s my OG fish and I do love him — so it is what it is, but I’m just so frustrated I want to scream.

I’m just coming off finding a Eunice worm in the tank and having to get that out — prior to finding it I found a hermit crab and porcelain crab dead, and two of my little gobies have gone missing (presumed dead by now but who knows). Then one of my feather dusters that lived where I found the Eunice threw off it’s crown. Feather duster growing crown back and fine, but it was sudden and there’s no environmental reason for it. Point is, a bunch of bad luck is hitting me lately that’s not stuff I can really control (like testing and water chemistry I can control), and I’m pretty down.

CoralB · May 22, 2022

Soooo! Smoked Blenny is out of the question? , or a 11 inch hammerhead shark ??? Lol

. If you don’t want the constant frustration then you might have to keep that tank a softy only . Maybe ifyou put a semi aggressive fish in the tank to keep his attention off your lps . But not too agressive that would harm him .

Lyss · May 22, 2022

CoralB said:
Soooo! Smoked Blenny is out of the question? , or a 11 inch hammerhead shark ??? Lol . If you don’t want the constant frustration then you might have to keep that tank a softy only . Maybe ifyou put a semi aggressive fish in the tank to keep his attention off your lps . But not too agressive that would harm him .

Yeah I think the writing is on the wall that it’s gonna have to be a softie-only tank.

He doesn’t seem to bother acans, blastos, or my scoly. Seems more to like flesh on stems and encrusting stuff. But the Duncan is a surprise and I’m kinda devastated b/c it was really beautiful.

Lavey29 · May 22, 2022

so put a SPS frag into a fish trap and send Marvin to the sump.

Justdrew · May 22, 2022

Lavey29 said:
so put a SPS frag into a fish trap and send Marvin to the sump.

I had to get rid of a bicolor blenny nipping on SPS. No fish is more important than my corals.

Lyss · May 22, 2022

So, like I said, Marvin stays. There’s a sentimentality there w/him for me. It is what it is.

Does someone more knowledgeable than me know if there’s a chance this can recover? Polyps are starting to come back out. But look at the back stems where he went to town

It also went from bright green stems to greenish brown since it was attacked.

I’m thinking of keeping this feeding box over it during the day, then removing it at night before I go to bed when Marv is tucked in. L

homer1475 · May 22, 2022

If parameters stay stable, and the damage stops, it most certainly can recover. The tissue down the base is so they can share nutrients. As long as there is still a polyp, and mouth, it can recover.

Understand the attachment to the fish, trust me, but as said above....

No fish comes between me and my coral!

If he were mine, to davey jones locker with him!(naa just take him back to the LFS)

Uncle99 · May 22, 2022

That mix of fish and corals, as you know, is not working.
Keep the fish, lose the corals, keep the corals, lose the fish, simply a matter of choice.

Lyss · May 22, 2022

Uncle99 said:
That mix of fish and corals, as you know, is not working.
Keep the fish, lose the corals, keep the corals, lose the fish, simply a matter of choice.

I mean, I get that. I said it seems like it’s meant to be a softie tank. I haven’t added any SPS since he killed those frags, nor anything encrusting. I thought that was his thing and now we’re good. The Duncan was a shocker today and I’m pretty upset rn. I’d like to try to help it recover, but I’m not getting rid of my fish.

Lavey29 · May 22, 2022

Have you tried counseling with him? Maybe intervention therapy?

Uncle99 · May 22, 2022

Lyss said:
I mean, I get that. I said it seems like it’s meant to be a softie tank. I haven’t added any SPS since he killed those frags, nor anything encrusting. I thought that was his thing and now we’re good. The Duncan was a shocker today and I’m pretty upset rn. I’d like to try to help it recover, but I’m not getting rid of my fish.

I you love him, just leave him be.
See what he eats and what he doesn’t.
Cant really see how your to keep stuff.

vetteguy53081 · May 22, 2022

Problem is, they are believed to be sole algae eaters and require calcium and even meaty foods as part of diet.
No better place to get calcium that off rock and sps coral. Lawnmower blennies even worse with this.

Wasabiroot · Jun 1, 2022

I mean, you're kind of putting yourself in a hard spot here. If you're frustrated, it might make sense to move him to another area like the sump. When I first started out, my bicolor ate my lepto and favia. I put him in the sump where he seemed quite happy until an unfortunate incident with my heaters.

If you're not giving him up or to another hobbyist, then I doubt you are going to coach him to avoid eating corals you like. Once they get a taste they rarely stop. Any of the non-fanged blennies are at risk for this behavior, so it was likely bound to happen at some point.
I understand sticking to your guns about not giving him away, but likely the end result is a softy only tank as you said. Which, to be fair, is often beautiful and underrepresented in the hobby.