Tailspot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura)

The Tailspot Blenny (Ecsenius stigmatura) packs an enormous amount of personality into about two and a half inches. It wears a soft tan body, a bright yellow ring around each eye, a thin orange dash across the cheek, and the crisp black teardrop at the base of the tail that gives the fish its name. Most of the day it sits propped on a rock like a tiny gargoyle, swiveling those big eyes to watch the room, then darts off to graze film algae before ducking back into a hole. Peaceful, reef safe, and genuinely beginner friendly, it is one of the best first blennies you can buy. Browse the rest of our saltwater livestock and supplies to round out the crew.

Care Guide

• Tank size: 30 gallons or larger. It stays small, but it wants horizontal rock surface to patrol and an established film of algae to pick at.
• Rockwork: the single most important thing you can give it. Provide plenty of live rock with small holes and crevices it can back into. A Tailspot Blenny that has three or four favorite hidey holes settles in fast and spends far more time out in the open.
• Water parameters: 72 to 78°F, pH 8.1 to 8.4, salinity 1.020 to 1.025. Hardy and forgiving once the tank is cycled and stable.
• Feeding: primarily an herbivore. It will graze film algae off rock and glass, but do not count on the tank alone to feed it. Offer dried seaweed several times a week using SeaVeggies Green Seaweed on a magnetic feeding clip, plus a quality algae-based prepared food like Vitalis Marine Grazing Pellets. A pinched, hollow belly behind the head is the warning sign of an underfed blenny.
• Lid: required. Blennies are curious, quick, and perfectly capable of shooting out of an open top or an unscreened overflow.
• One per tank: keep a single Tailspot unless the tank is very large with clearly separated rock structures. They do not tolerate other blennies of similar shape and size.

Specifications

Compatibility

Reef safe and peaceful with almost everything, which makes it an easy fit in a mixed community. It gets along well with the Ocellaris Clownfish, Royal Gramma, Banggai Cardinal, Blue Green Chromis, and Firefish Goby. Corals, clams, and shrimp are safe with a well-fed individual. The one real rule is not to house it with another blenny of similar body shape, so pick either this fish or a Midas Blenny or Lawnmower Blenny rather than two at once. It also pairs nicely with a grazing cleanup crew such as Mexican Turbo Snails and an Emerald Crab, since they work different algae than the blenny does. Avoid keeping it with large predators or aggressive triggers and hawkfish that would see a two inch fish as a snack.

Recommended Foods & Supplies

• Two Little Fishies SeaVeggies Green Seaweed dried algae sheets
• Two Little Fishies VeggieMag magnetic seaweed clip
• Vitalis Marine Grazing Pellets slow-release grazing block
• Ocean Nutrition Spirulina Flake for daily feedings
• Piscine Energetics PE Mysis as an occasional protein treat

FAQ

Will it clean all the algae out of my tank?
It will keep film algae grazed down on rock and glass, but it is a garnish, not a cleanup crew. It cannot touch hair algae or bubble algae the way a Lawnmower Blenny or an Emerald Crab can, and a tank scrubbed spotless will leave it hungry. Feed it directly.

How is it different from a Lawnmower Blenny?
Size and manners. A Lawnmower Blenny reaches five inches, needs a bigger tank, and has a habit of sitting on corals and blowing sand around. The Tailspot stays around two and a half inches, works the rock instead of the sandbed, and fits comfortably in a 30 gallon reef.

Is it safe with corals?
Yes. A well-fed Tailspot ignores corals and clams entirely. The rare reports of nipping trace back to fish kept in bare tanks with nothing to graze, which is why the seaweed clip matters.

Mine hides constantly. Is something wrong?
Almost certainly not. New blennies spend the first week or two wedged in a rock hole, poking just their eyes out. Keep the tank calm, feed on a schedule, and it will start perching in the open within a few weeks.