All fish / Chaenopsidae

Spinyhead Blenny

Acanthemblemaria spinosa

Also known as spinyhead blenny, spiny head blenny, spiny-head blenny, pike blenny, tube blenny

This tiny tube blenny has a spiny head, a brown to golden face and a pale, mottled body. It lives in empty worm tubes and holes in coral, poking its head out to snatch passing plankton. People keep it for its charm and lively behaviour in small reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

3 cm

Temperature

24 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

40 litres

Keep as

Singly or one per hole; several only in larger tanks with plenty of tubes

Diet

Carnivore: zooplankton, mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods and finely chopped frozen seafood

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Central Atlantic: Caribbean Sea, Bahamas and Florida Keys

Breeding

Males guard eggs laid inside their shelter hole, and the larvae are planktonic. Spawning sometimes happens in aquariums, but raising the larvae is hard and seldom achieved.

Good to know

Needs vacant holes or tubes in rock and gentle feeding of small foods; may squabble with its own kind or other tube blennies over shelters. It is reef safe but can be outcompeted for food by boisterous fish.