observations on the combtooth blenny's hole

[flameonix]

Hi

Just a couple of weeks in and our lined combtooth blenny seems to be thriving in the Orca nano tank, despite that power failure and the resulting poor water quality. We've been testing the water and everything's been fine since. The tank's got plenty of live rock, a clownfish, a couple of feeder shrimps that were meant for another tank, a pair of pom pom crabs, a neon goby, a citron clown goby, and a bunch of soft corals and snails.

I'm wondering if the power outage could've caused some issue that led to a hole in his gill cover - it looks like a tiny pinprick, no signs of infection or rot. He's still eating fine, keeping the neon goby out of his cave, and behaving normally. Or maybe he just had a run-in with one of the other tankmates? Everyone else seems fine, just going about their business.

This is our first foray into marine tanks, but we're hooked now - we're setting up a 200l tank and I'm sure we'll be back for advice. You've been warned!

Cheers

[zenoxa]

If he's still eating fine, I wouldn't be too concerned. It's possible it's just a trick of the light or something stuck to his skin, like a tiny air bubble or a speck of debris, giving the appearance of a hole.

[flameonix]

Thanks for the suggestion zenoxa, but I'm certain it's a hole - I've had a good look and it's definitely there. Now he's taken to scratching his chin on the sand, which is a bit concerning. He's still eating fine, so that's a positive, but this new behaviour is a bit of a worry. I did ask at the LFS and they said not to worry too much, but I'm finding it hard to take their advice. I'm starting to think that maybe the fluffnut could be an issue - I've read that it can cause problems in some cases. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next.

[zenoxa]

I agree with you, diet shouldn't be a factor here, especially since he's still eating fine.