Starry blenny care

Quick reference

What is a starry blenny?

Salarias ramosus lives from the Philippines to northwestern Australia on shallow, protected inshore reefs and in estuaries to about 15 m, usually in small groups near the rubble margins of reefs or alone on rock and coral outcrops.^[3] It is a close relative of the lawnmower blenny, Salarias fasciatus, and shares its habit: LiveAquaria says it perches and hops from rock to rock looking for microalgae to graze.^[1]

Feeding

LiveAquaria says it does best in well-established aquariums with large amounts of natural algae.^[1] Quality Marine says it grazes almost constantly and should get algae-based foods when algae is scarce, and lists flake, frozen and live foods among what it accepts.^[2] One Meerwasser-Lexikon owner reports a fish that grazed every alga in sight, then switched to frozen food once other fish arrived.^[4]

Aggression and spacing

LiveAquaria says it isn't usually aggressive unless tankmates have a similar shape, and is best kept singly unless the tank is larger and the two are a mated pair.^[1] Quality Marine says starries can be territorial toward their own kind.^[2] Avoid keeping it with a lawnmower blenny or another Salarias in a small tank.

Tankmates

Reef compatible according to LiveAquaria.^[1] Quality Marine recommends rockwork for perching, hiding and grazing, and says they like empty barnacle shells and mollusc tubes as shelters.^[2]

Disease and quarantine

We found no disease information specific to the starry blenny. General marine fish guidance applies: CORAL Magazine recommends quarantining every incoming fish, captive-bred included, for at least 2–4 weeks, and UF/IFAS advises 3–6 weeks at 24–27 °C, longer when ich is suspected.^{[5, 6]} Quality Marine notes that blennies may jump and advises a tight-fitting lid.^[2]

Breeding

FishBase records distinct pairing, with adhesive eggs attached to the bottom and planktonic larvae.^[3] We found no reliable report of commercial captive breeding.

Troubleshooting

Common mistakes

• •Adding it to a new tank with little algae.^[1]
• •Feeding only meaty foods.^[2]
• •Keeping it with similar-shaped blennies.^{[1, 2]}
• •Leaving the tank uncovered.^[2]

Equipment & food for this species

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Frozen mysis is a good staple and quality pellets cover daily feeding. Many keepers soak food in a vitamin supplement such as Selcon.

Starry blenny FAQ

Is the starry blenny reef safe?

Yes, LiveAquaria lists it as reef compatible.^[1]

What size tank does a starry blenny need?

LiveAquaria and Quality Marine say 30 gallons; Meerwasser-Lexikon recommends 500 L (about 132 gallons).^{[1, 2, 4]}

What do starry blennies eat?

Mainly algae; Quality Marine recommends algae-based foods when the tank's algae runs short, and says it also takes flake and frozen foods.^[2]

Starry blenny vs lawnmower blenny: what's the difference?

They're relatives in the same genus, Salarias,^[3] with the same rock-hopping, algae-grazing habit.^[1] Both need a mature tank with plenty of algae.

How big do starry blennies get?

About 5.5–6 in; FishBase records 14 cm.^{[1, 2, 3]}