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Midas Blenny
Blenny

Midas Blenny

Ecsenius midas

A stunning golden blenny that behaves less like a rock-perching blenny and more like an anthias, hovering out in open water and flashing an iridescent blue margin. That boldness has a downside: it grows to a solid 13 cm and harasses slender, peaceful mid-water fish such as flasher wrasses, firefish, and small gobies, so it earns a "semi-aggressive" tag despite the "peaceful" label on most price lists. Hardy and easy to feed otherwise, and best kept one per tank.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
5.1"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Planktivore
Zone
Rockwork, Mid-water, Open water
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Midas Blenny gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Helfrich's FirefishMidas Blenny (semi-aggressive, ~13 cm open-water swimmer) harasses slender firefish. LiveAquaria explicitly: "known to nip at firefish and gobies."Yasha GobyThe Midas Blenny harasses the Yasha goby (Stonogobiops yasha), a small fish that hovers just above its burrow and has nowhere to go.Tailspot BlennyMidas Blenny and Tailspot Blenny are the same genus (Ecsenius) and will fight — keep only one.McCosker's Flasher WrasseThe Midas Blenny harasses McCosker's Flasher Wrasse, a slender mid-water fish it simply out-muscles. Some care sheets still list the blenny as peaceful, which is why this pairing catches people out.Purple FirefishMidas Blenny harasses the slender, timid Purple Firefish. LiveAquaria Midas sheet ("nip at firefish and gobies").FirefishThe Midas Blenny reaches around 13 cm and hovers in open water, where it harasses slender, peaceful mid-water fish — firefish are the classic victim. LiveAquaria notes it is known to nip at firefish and gobies.Bicolor BlennyMidas Blenny and Bicolor Blenny are the same genus (Ecsenius) and will fight — keep only one.Canary BlennySimilar slender body shape and the same perch-and-dart habits mean these two read as rivals to each other. Expect chasing in tanks under about 75 gallons.Scissortail DartfishThe Midas blenny singles out slender, timid, similarly shaped fish, and dartfish are the classic target. A harassed dartfish stops feeding and is far more likely to jump.Redlip BlennyBoth are semi-aggressive blennies; the fanged Redlip is territorial toward other blennies, though the midwater Midas overlaps less.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Dogface PufferDogface Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Spanish HogfishSpanish Hogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Midas Blenny.Red Sea Mimic BlennyMidas Blenny and Red Sea Mimic Blenny are the same genus (Ecsenius) and will fight — keep only one.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Kole TangMidas Blenny and Kole Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sixline WrasseMidas Blenny and Sixline Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Melanurus WrasseMidas Blenny and Melanurus Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral HawkfishMidas Blenny and Coral Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Springer's DottybackMidas Blenny and Springer's Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple DottybackMidas Blenny and Purple Dottyback both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow Clown GobyMidas Blenny (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yellow Clown Goby and may harass it.Green Clown GobyMidas Blenny (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Clown Goby and may harass it.Longnose HawkfishMidas Blenny and Longnose Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Potter's AngelfishMidas Blenny and Potter's Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Coris WrasseMidas Blenny and Red Coris Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame HawkfishMidas Blenny and Flame Hawkfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Saddleback ClownfishMidas Blenny and Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Forktail BlennyTwo slender, similarly sized blennies that both claim a rock hole and hover above it. The Midas in particular turns territorial toward fish of its own build.Cherub AngelfishMidas Blenny and Cherub Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Multicolor AngelfishMidas Blenny and Multicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Starry BlennyMidas Blenny and Starry Blenny both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Spotted MandarinMidas Blenny and Spotted Mandarin both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Rusty AngelfishMidas Blenny and Rusty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Emperor AngelfishMidas Blenny and Emperor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.