blenny white patches

[peachie98]

Okay...not sure if this is normal or not but thought I'd ask.
I have a redlip blenny and bicolor blenny (yes, I know they shouldn't have been put together...the bicolor was my "freebie" and I forgot until after I ordered it).
Anyways, I've noticed they tend to get white areas on their body, like loss of pigment. At first I thought it was because the two of them fought really bad the first day or two...but that was weeks ago and they have been getting along fine since. I've also noticed it does seem to be more of a pattern over their entire bodies. Most of it seems to be around their head and face area.
Is this normal? do they tend to change their color a bit to blend into the live rock or sand? Or is there something they are lacking?
They are normal otherwise...all tank specs are normal and no other fish have this and all corals and such are normally colored and healthy. It's only the two blennys.

 

[peachie98]

I couldn't get any pictures of the redlip (he's too fast and obviously camera shy, doh!). He pretty much just has lines on his head...he does have one spot on near his tail (but not the tail itself) that looks more like a sore.
The bicolor has mostly spots and lines in more of a pattern except he also has one or two that look like they might be sores? I was rearranging corals and rocks last night so maybe that had something to do with those spots.
I'm also wondering if my maroon clown might be getting these guys once in a while as she's very territorial (she bit me numerous times yesterday! haha).
Here's a couple pictures of the bicolor.

 

[sepulatian]

It looks like aggression. Watch your fish carefully. Sometimes it helps to stand away from the tank and just watch them interact for awhile. You will find out who the aggressor is. Someone may have to find a new home.

 

[peachie98]

That's what I was afraid of...they seemed to be getting along better but who knows what goes on behind/under the live rock!

The hard part is going to be catching one to move it! doh!
They went at it so bad the first night I thought the bicolor was a goner, but I haven't "seen" anything for a few weeks. I guess they are probably still fighting while I'm not watching.

 

[sepulatian]

The bicolor looks pretty torn up in the first picture. Something is still going on in there. You may want to add vitamins to their food to help their immune system. Watch those marks for an infection. If they get one then they will need a fully cycled quarantine tank for treatment.

 

[beth]

They won't "get along". Once this kind of aggression starts up, it will be a battle to the death. Unless you have a really big tank where the victim can move far away from the aggressor.

 

[peachie98]

Well, just talked to my friend and one of them is going to go to her when I catch it. I'm also looking at buying a second tank but I want to do something immediately. This is going to be fun! not.

 

[peachie98]

Operation catch a blenny is a no go...just spent the past 20 minutes trying and I can't even come close to them. They can fit in too many places and under things that it would rip my tank apart.
Any specific food you would recommend that would be okay for the other fish in my tank as well?
Right now they get Oceanic Nutrition mixed with Omega One (with garlic) daily as well as frozen mixed cubes every few days. Both blennys seem to like the flakes over everything else.
I don't think I will be able to catch one of them until they are weak or I get a new tank and have to rearrange things to split the tank up.
At least I'm glad it wasn't something the other fish might get...but I hate the idea of fish doing this to each other!

 

[slt wtr stupid]

Your red lip blennie does change color. When they are sitting still and are calm they have strips on the front half of their bodies and when they swim around their color changes to an even warm brown or grey.

 

[slt wtr stupid]

I just wish i could get mine to eat ive tried flake and seaweed sheets next i'm going to try formula one and see if it will eat that. All he will eat is the diatomes off the back glass and pic at my rock a little and as you can see theres nothing growing on them.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by peachie98
http:///forum/post/2687326
Operation catch a blenny is a no go...just spent the past 20 minutes trying and I can't even come close to them. They can fit in too many places and under things that it would rip my tank apart.
Any specific food you would recommend that would be okay for the other fish in my tank as well?
Right now they get Oceanic Nutrition mixed with Omega One (with garlic) daily as well as frozen mixed cubes every few days. Both blennys seem to like the flakes over everything else.
I don't think I will be able to catch one of them until they are weak or I get a new tank and have to rearrange things to split the tank up.
At least I'm glad it wasn't something the other fish might get...but I hate the idea of fish doing this to each other!

You cannot just swoop in on a blenny. You will have to trap him. Being he is a wild lil bugger, you can move a portion of the rock, right down to the sand. Feed the fish in the open area. When the despised fish comes over, drop a divider. Net him out.
What is the name of the frozen that you feed them?

 

[peachie98]

I mix Prime Reef with Cyclopeeze and thaw them together and feed. Not sure if it's ideal but they are the cubes without gel binders and I like the bigger chunks in there for the anenomes to eat.
My red lip looks just like those pictures...has all those coloration changes on it's face! So, it looks like it's just the bicolor being beat up by the red lip (who is about twice it's size). I don't see any open sore areas on the redlip like the bicolor has on him.
I did come pretty close to catching the bicolor a few times so maybe I'll try what you suggested and I can catch it.
I'm going today to pick up a 24 gallon nano cube already set up/established with a few corals in it. So, if it tests okay I might use that one for the bicolor since he's smaller.

 

[peachie98]

Originally Posted by slt wtr stupid
http:///forum/post/2687546
I just wish i could get mine to eat ive tried flake and seaweed sheets next i'm going to try formula one and see if it will eat that. All he will eat is the diatomes off the back glass and pic at my rock a little and as you can see theres nothing growing on them.
Mine goes crazy when I feed him! Other times of the day they are going around picking stuff off the rock, tank, filter, etc.

 

[peachie98]

Well, finally I broke down and decided to rearrange the tank today...so in the process I caught the redlip and moved him to my new tank. It took taking almost everything out to catch him!