All fish / Blenniidae

Brown Coral Blenny

Atrosalarias fuscus

Also known as dusky blenny, black sailfin blenny, brown blenny, yellow dusky blenny, yellow coral blenny, fuscus blenny, black blenny, クロギンポ, 暗褐高鳍鳚

This is a sturdy combtooth blenny with a tall, continuous dorsal fin. Most adults are dark chocolate brown to almost black, and some juveniles and regional forms are bright yellow. Fishkeepers buy it mainly to graze nuisance hair algae and because it is full of character as it perches among rockwork.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Herbivore: grazes filamentous algae and also takes nori, algae-based flakes and pellets, and some mysis

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Samoa, north to Japan, south to Australia

Breeding

It lays its eggs in rock crevices, and the male guards them until they hatch into tiny pelagic larvae. Captive breeding is rare because the larvae are hard to rear.

Good to know

As it grows it can become territorial towards other blennies and bottom dwellers, and it may nip at clam mantles or coral polyps if it is underfed. Give it a mature tank with plenty of algae and supplement its diet with greens.