My yellow-tailed black blenny (Rocky) is harrassing my poor bubble-tip anemone (Frank) nonstop! I caught Rocky in action, only unfortunately not on film. Rocky basically attacks Frank, I'm guessing mostly because Frank perched itself right in front of Rocky's favorite hidey-hole. Frank is fine some days, but other days it is all shriveled up! I'm definitely giving Rocky back to the fish store at the time of my next move (I have to take all of the rocks out to catch the guy, so I have to wait until then, but I'm moving again in about a month), but I just wish he would leave Frank alone and choose a different favorite place to stick his head out of (he has plenty). I sure didn't expect Rocky to be the aggressor in this situation; if any fish, I would have suspected the blue-spotted toby puffer (Puffy). Not really looking for advice here as I've already made my decision, but just wondering: has anybody else had to deal with oddly aggressive behavior from tiny "reef-safe" fishes? Or am I misinformed that blennies are reef safe to begin with?
Anemone abuse!
- Thread starter Microcosmos
- Start date
It sounds like Rocky might be one of those blennies that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Had a tough childhood and all. Took to anemone nibbling as a way out. Has he ever tried to wriggle up a library staircase in Philly? 
It might be a Bicolor blenny, Ecsenius bicolor. Though I've never seen it myself, I've heard from quite a few mostly credible sources that certain individuals may nip at fleshy corals, esp. Euphyllia and Cataphyllia. I've also heard clams and Acropora polyps. It's not a stretch to get to BTA Frank from there.
It might be a Bicolor blenny, Ecsenius bicolor. Though I've never seen it myself, I've heard from quite a few mostly credible sources that certain individuals may nip at fleshy corals, esp. Euphyllia and Cataphyllia. I've also heard clams and Acropora polyps. It's not a stretch to get to BTA Frank from there.
:evil: Thanks, JohnHenry! Yeah I guess it makes sense that some fish just go rogue and flip out when things don't go their way! It's a shame because I like blennies in general, and Rocky in specific, but Rocky's forcing me to choose, and I choose BTA Frank.
Rocky wins. He killed Frank, and Frank's remains made a tasty meal for my Nassarius snails. I move on April 10th, at that time I will remove Rocky the Blenny and give him back to the LFS I bought him at. They get to then sell him twice! Nice for them. Pain for me! But, knowing me, I'll walk out of the LFS with another fish/invert "rental".Well, I suppose when we all look back on this someday we'll realize that there was... 'something' that just wasn't quite right about Rocky. Something that even his own mother couldn't pinpoint, but knew instinctively was wrong, so she drove him away.
Kind of like Jeffrey Dahmer when you think about it.
Kind of like Jeffrey Dahmer when you think about it.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
