The Lawnmower Blenny fish, scientific name Salarias fasciatus, encompasses a brownish coloration with numerous spots making them glorious at camouflage. They’re hardy and may be housed with different peaceful fish in a reef tank setting, however might change into territorial in the direction of different blennies, gobies, or dartfish in smaller tanks.
Lawnmower blenny fish profile
Utilizing the Lawnmower Blenny as a way of controlling algae ought to solely be thought-about as a short-term repair to a bigger situation. Accumulating vitamins that feed the algae growth have to be diluted by means of higher aquarium husbandry.
They are going to hop from rock to rock rasping on the algae development they usually do an incredible job on “hair algae”.
Nevertheless, as soon as this algae is decreased supplemental feeding might change into necessary to stop starvation.
You’ll be able to put dried marine algae (nori) within the tank to feed them as soon as all of the hair algae is gone.
The Lawnmower Blenny fish can often be bought domestically or on-line wherever from $10 to $20 US {dollars}.
They do ship properly however shopping for one sight unseen may be dangerous. Use a local provider as your first option.
Lawnmower Blenny fish Description
S. fasciatus is “all blenny,” with an elongated body; long, steady dorsal fin; blunt head; huge mouth; high-set, bulbous eyes; and frilly cirri on the head above and below the eyes.
Color-wise, this fish is mottled in shades of brown, green, and white, and the eyes characteristic white stripes extending outward from the pupil in a radial pattern. Most size for this species is around 5 inches.
The Lawnmower Blenny, Salarias fasciatus, is a peaceable community saltwater fish with an incredible character and actually earns the identity lawnmower, by mowing down microalgae in your tank.
As is typical for any saltwater fish, the lawnmower blenny can be identified by a number of different names, together with Algae Blenny, Sailfin Blenny, Rock Blenny, or Jeweled Rockskipper Blenny. It is quite different from other blennies.
After all, if you wish to impress your scientist associates, observe your Latin, or in any other case keep away from any probability of misunderstanding you could possibly all the time use the less regularly argued identify Salarias fasciatus.
This blenny is named a rock skipper and has unbelievable leaping skills, so having a tightly secured lid is recommended.
Diet ought to embody a range of spirulina, marine algae, seaweed, and algae primarily based meals 2-Three occasions day by day.
The diminutive Lawnmower Blenny originates from tropical shallow waters, just like the Nice Barrier Reef, Indo-Pacific areas, and even the Purple Sea and Micronesia.
As you’ll be able to see within the photos, this fish is often tan/inexperienced/grey with small black or blue spots on the pinnacle, and darker stripes throughout its body. A particularly arresting and exquisite characteristic of this fish is its perched eyes contrasting with the blunt head.
Longevity
The Lawnmower Blenny (Sailfin Blenny) can stay as much as 2-4 years, however some specimens have even lived longer in properly cared for aquariums. Most measurement is reported to be 4-6 inches, relying on the supply.
Habitat
As a result of if their particular, even useful dietary wants, the Lawnmower Blenny does greatest in a bigger established tank with an average quantity of natural algae to feed on.
In case your tank doesn’t have a whole lot of natural algae (which might be a very good factor, all issues thought-about), be ready to complement the food regimen of your Lawnmower Blenny with ready algae meals like spirulina flake or different meals for herbivores.
The Sailfin or Lawnmower Blenny is mostly tolerant and peaceable when paired with different community fish, however as is typical with saltwater fish you will see that that greater than conserving a couple of blenny per tank might trigger some severe squabbles and damage, except these two fish change into an appropriate mated pair.
Though algae are the popular meals of the Lawnmower Blenny, there are reviews that this fish is liable to nip at clams and SPS coral polyps, so you need to monitor this fish and use warning when you can’t tolerate a bit of nipper.
We recommend 30 gallons at least tank measurement. This isn’t a big tank, by saltwater aquarium requirements, however my opinion, on high of that recommendation, is that the dimensions is vital to supply ample meals for the fish, extra so than swimming room and territory.
Present a whole lot of caves and hiding locations for the fish to really feel safe and thus scale back stress.
The Rock Blenny will often dwell close to the tank backside, scraping algae off one rock at a time, and hiding in caves when issues change into stirred.
Lawnmower Blenny fish diet
The Lawnmower Blenny is more likely to thrive solely in established tanks with enough algae development. It’s an herbivorous fish and can, fortunately, eat microalgae or movie algae in addition to the occasional hair algae, though there are combined reviews about this—
since some people appear to greedily eat it, whereas others are likely to ignore it utterly. Its combed enamel is used to repeatedly scrape algae off any floor within the tank.
The lawnmower blenny’s natural diet consists primarily of detritus and microalgae, which it regularly rasps off the rockwork and substrate.
One of many potential challenges of conserving this species is that aquarium specimens don’t all the time study to just accept ready meals, so it’s vital to maintain them in well-established tanks with a very good provide of their natural meals items.
Specimens stored in newly arrange or overly “sterile” methods typically starve. Those who do come round to ready meals may be supplied numerous inexperienced meals, resembling frozen herbivore formulations and algae-based pellets.
As talked about earlier, it’s the greatest observe to complement its food regimen with top quality herbivore meals.
One unlucky drawback with the Lawnmower Blenny is that they might starve, in case your tank doesn’t have sufficient algae current, so you will need to regulate the body shape of your Algae blenny, to search for indicators of hunger/emaciation.
A wholesome blenny could have an easy look and rounded stomach. If the stomach appears pinched in, this can be a clear signal that it’s a must to feed them additional meals.
Relying on your tank, you could have to feed additional processed meals a number of occasions every week, or not less than as soon as a day.
You’ll be able to decide the quantity of the fitting meals by watching your fish’s angle and habits and body shape.
Lawnmower Blenny fish Habits
A healthy Lawnmower Blenny has a curious and outgoing character and can all the time be very conscious of its surroundings.
You could even discover that they appear to acknowledge you and ‘greet’ you while you get near the tank.
Typical reef species are often protected with this fish, however, an occasional nip at shrimps or corals might happen.
Lawnmower Bennies could also be a bit too aggressive for lagoon species like pipefish or sea horses, so be able to take away the Blenny if they start to harass these different light creatures.
Don’t combine the Lawnmower Blenny with different equally sized and shaped fish that might occupy the identical area of interest or you might even see aggression and preventing.
Lawnmower Blenny fish Illness
Saltwater Fish Illness – Diagnose, Signs and Treatment – though this blenny may be very hardy, they will nonetheless succumb to the same old fish illnesses when you do not observe correct quarantine procedures.
Housing
Being a bottom-dwelling species that hops across the rockwork and substrate, S. fasciatus doesn’t demand a lot in the best way to open a swimming house.
It does, nevertheless, want enough rockwork and substrate to assist the microalgae and detritus it feeds upon, so don’t promote it quickly with respect to tank size. I wouldn’t go a lot smaller than 40 gallons, with greater being higher.
Compatibility
Lawnmower blennies are reasonably peaceable however more likely to battle with conspecifics, congeners, and related species.
And the smaller the tank, the more possible your blenny will squabble with tankmates it perceives as opponents for meals or actual property.
These blennies can usually be a thought-about reef-safe, however like much herbivorous fish, their natural grazing activity might embody nipping at sessile invertebrates.
Lawnmower Blenny Fish Breeding
Selecting a breeding pair may be very troublesome, as women and men look fairly the same, however, males are generally a bit bigger.
This provides tot the issue of breeding in captivity. One small distinction may seem on the anal fin spines, which can be smaller on females and longer, capped with fleshy tissues in males.
Take away
This blenny is kind of endearing and has a really curious character. They could remind you of an iguana or related lizard the best way they take a look at you with these orbital eyes.
A healthy and properly tailored specimen might be very conscious of it is environment and observant of different fish and the aquarium keeper.
In the event you stroll by the tank where they’re consuming, they may cease and take discover of you for a bit after which proceed on with what they had been doing. Very cool little fish.
Use warning when you plan on conserving considered one of these lawnmower blennies in a reef tank setup.
They’ve been reported to become more aggressive as they develop and won’t tolerate identical or related species in smaller tanks.
Clearly, you do not wish to preserve them with a lot bigger species both of which will view them as meals (Lionfish, Triggerfish, and many others.).
Nipping at coral polyps and clam mantles is typically reported, so once more, use warning if in case you have a reef tank and be ready to remove them if this turns into an issue.
Because the Lawnmower Blenny likes to remain across the stay rock, eradicating them may be fairly difficult.
A fish trap could also be necessary in this case. Writer Scott Michael advises to not preserve these Jewelled Blennies with seahorses and pipefishes “which it can harass”.
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