All fish / Chaenopsidae

Sailfin Blenny

Emblemaria pandionis

Also known as sailfin blenny, sail fin blenny, caribbean sailfin blenny, sailfin pike blenny, 帆鳍鳚

This is a small tube blenny with mottled brown and pale colouring. Males have a tall, dark dorsal fin that they raise like a flag when displaying from their hole in the rock. People keep it for this lively display and because it stays small enough for nano reefs.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

75 litres

Keep as

Singly, or one male with females in a larger tank

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods and other small frozen meaty foods

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

2 to 4 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Atlantic: Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas and Caribbean

Breeding

Males guard eggs inside an empty shell or tube, and the female lays them there. Spawning sometimes happens in home tanks, but rearing the tiny larvae is difficult and rarely achieved.

Good to know

Males fight with each other and with similar blennies, so keep only one male unless the tank is large. Give it vacant tubes or holes and avoid large or aggressive tankmates; it is reef safe.