Darwinism is alive and well in my tank :(

[reefrunner69]

Geeze!!!!

I got a new fish today, I have to be careful picking fish for my reef cause my red lipped blenny is a bully, any new fish gets harrassed by the blenny for anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days. Well this time was no exception, there was little twist this time though....

I took this pic shortly after introducing the new fish...

This was the object of aggression from the blenny...

Apparently the blenny had never heard of darwin, or just wasn't buying it, but this time she bit off more than she could chew. Sometime during dinner the flamehawk had had enough and turned the tables. This was the result...

I have already started mixing water for a waterchange (to make sure the water quality is up, and I'm gonna up my feeding a bit, soaking it in some selco. Even though it looks bad, I think with a good healthy diet, the blenny should recover. My main concern at this point is bacterial infection, I'm hoping the blenny is in , otherwise, good enough health to resist any infection.

 

[astride13]

I can't stop laughing although I do feel bad for the blenny. You think he learned a lesson from this?

 

[reefrunner69]

You think he learned a lesson from this?

I certainly hope so, but I can say that the aggression towards the flame hawk have stopped.

 

[clownin around]

awwwlllll poor blenny but .. ya get what ya give! Terrific pictures by the way! Makes me want to pitch my camera out the window!

 

[gooyferret]

Ya awesome pics, i need a NEW camera thats for sure!

 

[captivereefs]

You are the photo jedi!

 

[gooyferret]

Hail to Obi Wan!

 

[fishfreek]

Someone got their ass kicked bigtime.

 

[got bait?]

What kind of Blenny is this? Have it saved as wallpaper. Looks like something from the deep.

 

[Platinum]

Sorry guys im a little blind, is the damage to his left eye that is bubbling up or is that just a reflection of the water in the pic, or is the damage the chunks missing from his upper lip???

 

[fishfreek]

Sorry guys im a little blind, is the damage to his left eye that is bubbling up or is that just a reflection of the water in the pic, or is the damage the chunks missing from his upper lip???

Both. In street terms he needs a cold steak over the eye and some small bandaids to close up the lip.

 

[MantisFreak]

Sorry guys im a little blind, is the damage to his left eye that is bubbling up or is that just a reflection of the water in the pic, or is the damage the chunks missing from his upper lip???

Unless the camera angle is wrong, I believe he got popeye from the fighting. Sometimes fish get it from being netted too roughly and get a scratch on their eye. If the aggressive fish is leaving a fish with popeye alone and the injured fish is continuing to eat, I usually recommend leaving the injured fish where they are.

ReefRunner----you have become one heck of a photographer. I'm sure your blenny is going to be just fine.

 

[reefrunner69]

Just an update.

The eye is back to normal and the lips are on the mend. Looks like she's gonna be fine. The agression has finally subsided in the last day. FWIW, the hawk was never the aggressor, even after that damage the blenny still continued to harrass the hawk. The hawk defended itself, something the blenny was apparently not used to. The blenny's fins have suffered a little, but everything seems ok now.

Will try to get a pic later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[MantisFreak]

Good to hear.

 

[snapcrackler]

Yah platinum it looks like his face was tore up from the floor up, pieces of lips missing, eye swollen up with the bubble on it.

He got torched. wow

Controversely, when my tang was in the 55, my sailfin blenny would attack his tail and bite pieces off of it... moved the tang to wife's tank so his tail could grow back. (it grew back).

 

[reefrunner69]

Well the pics are not the quality that I like...but she wouldn't cooperate

 

[An t-iasg]

Glad to see that the blenny is looking better now! The first pic had me worried. How are the blenny and the flame hawk getting along now?