Blenny problem, need advice

[integral9]

First off, sorry for the novelette here, but there is a lot to explain.
I have a 30 gal tank that I started up with my 60 about a year ago, but sat empty (no fish) until recently. I started things off with a Linear (Klauschwitz <sp>) Blenny and he took right to the tank. A few weeks later I got a Spiny Head Blenny to put in there with him. Since both fish are small I figured they'd be ok together. Also, I've seen a lot of aquariums with multiple blennies and gobies in them and never seen a blenny attack another blenny.
Unfortunately, as soon as I floated the spiny head, the linear started going after him like no body's business. They were fighting through the plastic bag, quite brutally in fact. So I pulled the spiny head out and put him into my QT. Now I'm not sure what to do with the spiny head. I wanted to build my 30 as a micro reef, w/ the linear blenny being the biggest fish I would put in there, but if he's going to attack all the new guys, I can't have that. I could put the spiny head in my 60Gal, but I think things are a bit crowded already (my wife disagrees).
Has anyone had similar problems with a linear blenny? Should I take out the linear and the spiny head and just go with shrimp gobies? I bought a Rhandali off another site to put in the tank, but it came dead / frozen. I think it froze, as it got down to 5F the night before it arrived. But I floated it anyway and to my surprise it came back to life! So I acclimated it and put him in. The next day unfortunately, all that was left was a skeleton. I had thought it just didn't really make it out of the defrost process, but now I'm begining to think that my linear blenny may have gotten him.
I'm also considering just taking down the 30gal. I'm *really* *really* unhappy with the prizm skimmer I bought for the tank. It just doesn't do a good enough job for all the hassle I have with it and I'm not willing to install a sump on the 30 gal as I don't have the kind of stand that hides all the plumbing (wire frame).

 

[Chasmodes]

It's possible that they may never get along, and perhaps the linear blenny might kill any fish that occupies the same bottom dweller niche or unless that other bottom dweller can handle itself in a fight (like a hawkfish). The problem with this is that even though fighting may be reduced this could cause illness in each fish because of the added stress in such a confined tank. If that's the case, then how about moving the linear blenny to your 60 gallon and leave the spiny head blenny in the 30 gallon? That way the linear blenny has more room to defend and may be OK with the existing established bottom dwellers in that tank (as long as those fish are not threatening to the linear blenny). And, the spiny head blenny (I'm assuming that this is genus Acanthemblemaria) doesn't get much more than 2" long and would be a perfect addition to the smaller tank. If I was to make a guess based on what you've stated, the linear blenny might also have a problem with shrimp gobies, but I doubt that the spiny head would have much of a problem with them.
If don't want to give up having each blenny in the 30 gallon tank, then other options could include trying to rearrange the decor or perhaps keep one blenny separated from the other in a clear plastic container but still in the tank so that they can get "used" to each other... Sometimes this works, other times it doesn't. It all depends on whether or not you would subject the fish to that kind of stress again or the pain in the neck of catching them all over again to separate them.
My recommendation would be what I suggested earlier since you already have them separated.

 

[stanlalee]

You'd have to take the established blenny out for several days, rearrange the rocks and introduce them both for this to have a chance at working. Other than scooter blenny's I've never seen a blenny take kindly to another blenny or simular shaped goby.

 

[integral9]

Blennius, The bottom dwellers in my 60 consist of a mandarin and a purple firefish, both of which are basically extreme pacifists. The firefish will defend it's hole though, but the mandarin just keeps on truckin and nobody pays her any attention. The other tank mates are 5 chromis, 2 black percs, 1 scopas tang, 1 huge LTA, and several other soft corals. The tang will occasionally wander to the bottom, but mostly spends his time with the Chromis and Percs.
You are right on the Genus of the Spinny Head. The Linear is a little more than what I would call aggressive, on two occasions now he has come out a bitten me and my wife while we were putting food in the tank. I had a Bi-color in my 60 a couple of months back. He was the first fish in the tank and never became aggressive except when a hermit or snail crawled too close to one of his many holes. I think maybe the linear needs a good @$$ whoopin'.
Thanks for the advise, I think I'm going to try and rearrange the rocks and see what happens when I put them in together. I don't know if it will work though as my bi-color was able to quickly find his holes and reestablish his territory when I rearranged the rocks on him. If this doesn't work, I think I will keep the spiny head in the 30 and put the linear in my 60 like you said.
Thanks again.