Namiye's Blenny

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Native to the Western Pacific Ocean, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, Palau, and the Solomon Islands. Inhabits shallow coastal reefs rich in corals down to 30 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Blenniidae. Features a robust, scaleless, elongated cylindrical body typical of Ecsenius blennies. Reaches a maximum length of 11 cm.

Social Behavior: Solitary inhabitant of rocky crevices. Exits its shelter to graze on surrounding algae. Exhibits territorial behavior toward other similarly shaped bottom-dwellers.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Body exhibits a deep black-blue or dark grey color that transitions sharply into a bright lemon-yellow or orange on the caudal fin and peduncle. Minimal sexual dimorphism.

Aquarium Setup: Demands an aquarium of at least 150 liters. Provide a complex rock structure with multiple small niches. A tight lid is highly recommended to prevent the fish from jumping out.

Diet and Feeding: Benthic herbivore. Demands an established aquarium with plentiful algae. Offer spirulina flakes, high-quality seaweed sheets, and herbivore-focused sinking pellets.

Water Quality: Stable biological parameters. Temperature 23-27°C, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity SG 1.020-1.026. GH 15-25. A good skimmer is helpful to keep water parameters stable.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Generally reef safe. If underfed or stressed, it may occasionally nip at the polyps of soft or LPS corals. Avoid keeping with conspecifics.

Aquarium Reproduction: Extremely rare in captivity. Spawns adhesive eggs on hard protected substrates, guarded by the male until hatching.

Risks and Diseases: Starvation in algae-deficient tanks is a significant threat. Highly sensitive to copper medications and susceptible to marine ich if stressed by aggressive tankmates.