Midas Blenny

Ecsenius midas

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The Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas) is also known as the Persian Blenny. It belongs to the family Blenniidae where you will find the Combtooth blennies. This species is a popular aquarium fish among saltwater aquarists. It is fairly easy to care for and decorated with beautiful colours.

Ecsenius midas has not been evaluated for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Geographical distribution, habitat and habits

In the wild, you can encounter Midas Blennies in the Indo-Pacific where they inhabit coral reefs down to a dept of 40 meters / 130 feet. They like to hide among rocks and cram themselves into crevices and cracks and it is important to provide them with this type of hiding spots in the aquarium. It is also fond of perching it self on top of rocks.

Size and appearance

Most specimens are adorned with blue and golden streaks over dark yellow or golden body and the exact colours will vary depending on the mood of each individual fish. It is for instance common for a Midas Blenny to look one way when hiding, another way when feeding, and a third way when casually swimming around in the aquarium. In the wild, Ecsenius midas will sometimes school with other fishes, e.g. Pseudanthias squamipinnis, and it is capable of changing its colouration to more accurately match the other members of the school.

The Midas Blenny has a thick and elongated body with a large head and big dark eyes with a blue rim. The tail is very long in adults and this species can reach a maximal length of 13.0 cm / 5.1 inches. There is a black spot near the anus, and the anterior part of the dorsal fin has a narrow dark margin. In Indonesia, you can find a special colour form of Ecsenius midas that is grey or greenish to golden-yellow.

Keeping Midas Blenny in aquariums  

Do not keep Midas Blenny in aquariums smaller than 60 L / 15 gallons. The recommended aquarium size is actually 120 L / 30 gallons or larger, but the species can be kept in a non-crowded and cleverly decorated 60 L / 15 gallon aquarium if you are very skilled when it comes to keeping the water quality up.

The Midas Blenny is a peaceful creature and it is considered safe for corals as well as for other invertebrates in the aquarium. It can however nip at firefish and gobies, and keeping Midas Blennies in an aquarium that is too small can bring out aggressive tendencies that are unheard of in larger tanks. 

This species hails from the tropics and the recommended water temperature when keeping Midas Blenny is 22-25.5º C / 72-78º F. The specific gravity should be kept in the 1.020-1.025 range the pH-value between 8.1 and 8.4. The Midas Blenny is typically found in parts of the reef where the currents are moderate and it will therefore appreciate similar conditions in the aquarium.

Feeding

Feeding Midas Blennies in the aquarium is certainly not difficult and it is important to avoid over-feeding them. They will readily accept almost any type of food, including flakes, pellets, frozen food and live food. It is very important to provide your Midas Blenny with a varied diet suitable for omnivores. You can for instance combine meaty foods such as brine shrimps, mysids and chopped crustaceans with algae, algae-based foods and foods for herbivores.  

Breeding Midas Blenny

The Midas Blenny is an egg-laying species with adhesive eggs.

Blenny articles

Highfin Blenny – A guide to caring for Atrosalarias fuscus
Bicolor Blenny – A guide to caring for Ecsenius bicolor
Redspotted Rockskipper – A guide to caring for Istiblennius chrysospilos
Redlip Blenny – A guide to caring for Ophioblennius atlanticus
Lawnmower Blenny – A guide to caring for Salarias fasciatus