Anybody have a sailfin blenny?

[Fishwife]

I bought one the other day for what might turn out to be a 75 gal. FOWLR. He is a tiny little guy but is eating great. Really loves frozen mysis and live black worms. I currently have him in the 75 (which is set up as a Q tank right now) with a 3" CB Butterfly. He pretty much stays in a hole with his head sticking out and darts out to grab food.

I'd like to know some particulars about him since I haven't been able to find anything other than pretty generic blenny info.

Right now I am figuring on the Butterfly, the Blenny, 2 Ocellaris Clowns, and a Pseudochromis in this tank. Any other fish suggestions.

Any information on the sailfin blenny would be appreciated.

Oh yeah, some of the sources lump the "sailfin" in with the lawnmower blenny. I have a lawnmower (algae) blenny and this little guy looks nothing like him. This blenny has a very tall, pointed, though not long, dorsal fin. It doesn't go the length of his back like my other blenny's. He hasn't made any effort to eat algae either. So he was probably incorrectly identified at the LFS.

TIA - Laurie

[BrianD]

Hi Lauri

I have had a sailfin blennie for probably 2 years. Very hardy fish, but pretty shy. It likes to hide in the rockwork, but comes out quickly when I feed the tank. Mine loves Formula 1 and Formula 2 (cubes), and also will peck at dried algae clips.

He spends most of the day perched in the rockwork, and usually only swims around when the tank is fed.

It is a very cool fish :) I love their face :D

Brian

[hcs3]

2 different blennies are called "sailfins"

the pacific sailfin aka Cirripectes stigmaticus

http://www.ffexpress.com/fish/blennies/sailfin.jpg

or the caribbean sailfin aka Emblemaria pandionis

http://www.saltyendeavors.homestead.com/files/sailfinblenny.jpg

which do you have?

henry

[BrianD]

I have Cirripectes stigmaticus , commonly known also as the black sailfin blennie.

Brian

[hcs3]

i know what you have, brian. i was asking fishwife. ;)

henry

[Fishwife]

Actually mine doesn't look like either of those pictures. I have an algae blenny which looks like the one in the bottom picture.

This little guy seems to have a much longer body in relation to his dorsal fin and he kind of curls his body around in a U-shape. When he has his dorsal fin extended it is about 1" tall and looks like a pyramid. His little face is more pointed than my algae blenny's, too. Not all smashed flat but almost a beak-like face. He is grayish rather than black.

Maybe he looks different because he is very young - or maybe he isn't a sailfin blenny at all. :eek: I can't get a picture of him because he doesn't come out of his hole except for food and when he does come out he is really fast.

?????????????

Laurie

[BrianD]

Just trying to be helpful in case Laurie didn't know :)

[hcs3]

hi fishwife

the little blenny Emblemaria pandionis has it's dorsal fin laying flat in the photo above. normally, it is about 1" tall and similiar to the pyramid you described. it often sits in the U shape that you describe, also.

the "beak" your describing, is it similiar to that of a dragonette?

henry

[Fishwife]

Sort of - definitely not the mouth of the lawnmower blenny.

Curious - would this guy get along with a lawnmower blenny or would there be battles? Not really planning on keeping them in the same tank but I was jus wondering.

Laurie