All fish / Blenniidae

Redlip Blenny

Ophioblennius atlanticus

Also known as redlip blenny, red-lip blenny, red lip blenny, atlantic redlip blenny, horned blenny, 红唇鳚

This is a stocky, dark brown to olive combtooth blenny with bright red lips, a fringe of small cirri above the eyes and a long, continuous dorsal fin. People keep it because it is full of character, sitting on rocks to watch the tank, and it helps keep film algae down.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

200 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, one per tank

Diet

Herbivore: grazes film algae, plus nori, spirulina-based flakes and pellets, and some frozen mysis

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 6 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern Atlantic: West Africa and Atlantic islands (Cape Verde, Canaries, Madeira, Azores); western Atlantic populations now treated as O. macclurei

Breeding

Males guard eggs laid in rock holes and crevices, and the larvae then spend a long time drifting in open water. Spawning sometimes happens in aquariums, but raising the larvae is very difficult and has rarely been done.

Good to know

It becomes territorial as it grows and will chase other blennies and fish of similar shape, so it needs plenty of live rock with plenty of algae to graze. It can jump, so use a tight-fitting lid, and some sellers use the name for the western Atlantic O. macclurei, which looks very similar.