All fish / Blenniidae

Yellowtail blenny

Enchelyurus flavipes

Also known as blue & gold blenny, blue and gold blenny, yellowfin blenny, yellow-tail blenny, blue gold blenny

No free-to-use photo of this fish yet. Took one yourself? Send it to us and we will credit you.

A small combtooth blenny with a dark blue to blackish body and a bright yellow tail and rear fins, giving it a striking two-tone look. It lives among rocks and rubble on shallow reefs and is kept for its colour, small size and lively perching behaviour in reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

5 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

75 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a mated pair

Diet

Omnivore: mysis, brine shrimp, small frozen meaty foods, algae and quality flakes or pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, northern Australia

Breeding

Like other blennies it lays adhesive eggs in a crevice or shell that the male guards until they hatch. Captive spawning is occasionally reported, but rearing the tiny pelagic larvae is difficult and rarely achieved at home.

Good to know

Can be territorial towards other blennies and similar bottom-dwellers, so keep only one unless a pair. Needs plenty of rockwork with holes to hide in and a tight lid, as blennies may jump.