Description
Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas)
Overview
The Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas), also known as the Persian Blenny or Golden Blenny, is a vibrant marine fish from the Blenniidae family. Native to the Indo-Pacific, it ranges from East Africa and the Red Sea to the Marquesas Islands, north to the Ryukyu Islands, and south to the Great Barrier Reef, typically found on coral reefs and rocky slopes at depths of 2–40 meters. Its striking golden-yellow to orange coloration, often with a bluish tint in males, and elongated body make it a standout in reef aquariums. Growing to 13 cm in length, it can live 5–8 years with proper care. Known for its peaceful demeanor and perching behavior, it is a hardy, beginner-friendly fish that thrives in reef tanks but requires a secure lid due to its jumping tendency.
Care Requirements
The Midas Blenny is easy to care for, making it suitable for beginner to intermediate aquarists, provided its need for hiding spots and a varied diet is met.
Tank Size and Setup
- Minimum Tank Size: 114 liters for a single specimen; 200–300 liters recommended for community tanks to provide ample swimming and perching space.
- Aquascaping: Include abundant live rock with caves, crevices, and ledges for perching and hiding, mimicking its natural reef habitat. A fine sand bed (2–5 cm) is optional, as it rarely burrows but may rest on substrates. A tight-fitting lid is critical, as Midas Blennies are prone to jumping, especially when stressed or newly introduced.
- Lighting: Moderate to high reef lighting enhances its golden coloration; no special requirements beyond standard reef setups.
- Water Flow: Moderate flow (10–20 times tank volume per hour) simulates reef currents. Use powerheads or wavemakers for circulation.
- Filtration: Strong filtration with a protein skimmer maintains water quality, essential for reef tanks or high bioloads.
Water Parameters
Stable water conditions are crucial to prevent stress or disease. Test weekly and maintain with regular water changes.
- Temperature 24–28°C Stable; avoid fluctuations >2°C.
- Salinity 30–35 ppt (SG 1.020–1.025) Use a refractometer for accuracy.
- pH 8.1–8.4 Buffer if needed to maintain alkalinity.
- Alkalinity 8–12 dKH Supports coral health, if present.
- Ammonia/Nitrite 0 ppm Undetectable; toxic at trace levels.
- Nitrate <10 ppm (ideally <5 ppm) Low for reef systems.
- Phosphate <0.03 ppm Prevents algae growth.
- Calcium 400–450 ppm Essential for corals, if applicable.
- Magnesium 1,200–1,400 ppm Stabilizes water chemistry.
Maintenance
Routine care ensures the Midas Blenny remains healthy and maintains its vibrant coloration and active behavior.
- Acclimation: Drip acclimate over 1–2 hours to adjust to tank conditions. Quarantine for 2–4 weeks to prevent introducing parasites like marine ich.
- Water Changes: Perform 20–30% water changes bi-weekly or 10–15% weekly using RO/DI water mixed with marine salt to control nitrates and replenish trace elements.
- Tank Cleaning: Siphon detritus from the substrate during water changes. Use a turkey baster to clear debris from rockwork. The blenny does not control pests like wrasses but may graze on algae.
- Health Monitoring: Watch for stress (excessive hiding, faded colors, reduced appetite) or disease (white spots, rapid breathing). It is hardy but susceptible to ich if water quality declines. Use copper-free treatments and vitamin-enriched foods to boost immunity and coloration.
Tips: Ensure ample perching spots on live rock to encourage natural behavior. Check the tank lid regularly to prevent escapes.
Diet
The Midas Blenny is an omnivore, feeding on zooplankton, small crustaceans, and algae in the wild. In captivity, it requires a varied diet to support health and coloration, often grazing on tank algae between feedings.
Recommended Foods:
- Frozen: Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, krill, finely chopped seafood (squid, mussel, clam).
- Live: Enriched brine shrimp or copepods, especially for new or picky eaters.
- Prepared: High-quality herbivore and carnivore pellets or flakes with spirulina, nori, or carotenoids to enhance coloration. Offer seaweed sheets (clipped to the tank) for grazing.
Feeding Regimen: Feed 1–2 times daily in small portions to avoid overfeeding and water pollution. Thaw frozen foods in tank water and soak dry foods in vitamins or brine juice if the fish is reluctant to eat.
Notes: It may graze on micro-algae or biofilm on live rock, reducing the need for frequent feedings if natural food is abundant. A varied diet (50% meaty foods, 50% algae-based foods) prevents nutritional deficiencies.
Behavior and Compatibility
The Midas Blenny is peaceful, active, and curious, often perching on rocks or corals to observe its surroundings, giving it a comical, expressive personality. It swims in a darting, eel-like manner and may hide in crevices when stressed. While generally non-aggressive, it may show mild territoriality toward similar-looking blennies or fish competing for perching spots.
Behavior:
- Active swimmer, often perching on live rock or corals, darting out to feed or explore.
- Retreats to crevices or caves at night or when stressed, rarely burrowing.
- May nip at algae or zooplankton on rockwork, contributing to minor tank cleaning.
Compatibility:
- Reef Safety: Safe with corals (SPS, LPS, soft) and most invertebrates, including small shrimp and snails, making it a true reef-safe fish.
- Tankmates:
- Compatible with peaceful to semi-aggressive fish, e.g., clownfish, gobies, dartfish, fairy wrasses, hawkfish, dwarf angelfish, or tangs. Can be kept singly or in pairs (male-female) in larger tanks (>200 liters) if introduced simultaneously.
- Incompatible: Avoid other blennies or fish with similar body shapes (e.g., gobies, dragonets) to prevent territorial disputes. Avoid aggressive fish (e.g., large triggers, groupers) that may intimidate it.
- Notes: In smaller tanks (<200 liters), keep as a solo specimen. Its peaceful nature makes it ideal for community reef tanks with ample hiding spots.
Reproduction
The Midas Blenny is an oviparous species with no documented hermaphroditism, unlike some wrasses. Breeding in captivity is extremely rare in home aquariums due to the difficulty of pair formation and larval rearing. Most specimens are wild-caught, as captive breeding is not common commercially.
Breeding Process:
- Pair Formation: In a large tank (200+ liters), introduce a male and female simultaneously. Males are often larger with a bluish tint, while females are more uniformly yellow. Pairing is challenging due to mild territoriality.
- Courtship: Males display intensified colors and perform darting behaviors to attract females. Spawning occurs in a crevice or cave, where females lay demersal eggs (sticking to surfaces) and males fertilize them externally.
- Egg Care: Males may guard eggs for 7–10 days until hatching, but this is rare in captivity. Larvae (2–3 mm at hatch) are pelagic, requiring live foods like rotifers and copepods for 20–30 days until metamorphosis.
Challenges: Larval rearing is difficult due to their small size and need for specialized live foods. Territorial disputes often disrupt spawning attempts. Optimal conditions include dim lighting, high oxygen, and temperatures of 24–26°C.
Recommendation: Breeding is best suited for professional aquaculturists with dedicated setups. Hobbyists should focus on observing natural behaviors like perching and darting in a well-maintained reef tank.
Summary
The Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas) is a hardy, peaceful, and colorful addition to reef aquariums, prized for its golden-yellow coloration and engaging perching behavior. A 114+ liter tank with ample live rock, optional sand bed, and stable water parameters (24–28°C, 30–35 ppt salinity, pH 8.1–8.4) supports its needs. Regular maintenance (20–30% bi-weekly water changes) and a varied omnivorous diet (mysis, nori, pellets) ensure health and vibrancy. Its peaceful nature makes it compatible with most reef-safe fish and invertebrates, though avoid similar-shaped species to prevent territoriality. Breeding is rare in captivity due to pairing and larval rearing challenges. With proper care, it thrives as a charming and low-maintenance reef fish.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Either come in store to view available stock or request pictures to be sent to you.
Please Note: Due to variations within species resulting from age, region, sex, etc., the actual livestock may not look identical to the image. Approximate size range may also vary between individual specimens.
