Workaholic Blenny

[Crevalle]

Picked up a small sailfin Blenny for my new tank about a week ago. This little dude never stops. He is all over constantly picking at the rocks, glass and sand. I’ve never seen him eat any of the food I add, he just keeps picking at the rocks. I really like this fish. Not the most colorful but cool none the less.

 

[vetteguy53081]

The trickiest part about keeping a sailfin blenny is making sure it gets enough to eat. You can tell this visually by looking at the abdomen, which should be a healthy rounded shape. A blenny with a pinched midriff isn’t finding enough food.
Although a blenny needs plenty of algae to survive, a common misconception is that it can survive on algae alone. Since blennies frequent shallow tropical waters, they find their sanctuary within the coral reefs. They circle areas with coral branches and sponges, scraping their way along the diverse sea bottom. Their feeding techniques are to pound and gnaw the coral, and as a result, they ingest detritus, or waste material primarily, from the coral. This includes bits of coral skeleton, sand, gravel, and other organic matter, such as fish eggs and tiny crustaceans.
Since a blenny in the wild does not subsist on solely algae, it stands to reason that their captive diet must be supplemented. If a blenny is not getting enough calcium carbonate in its diet, its condition will rapidly deteriorate. Therefore, it is important to offer an occasional selection of commercial algae-based wafers or pellets.