Animal-World > Marine - Saltwater Fish > Blenny Types > Lawnmower Blenny

Lawnmower BlennyJeweled Blenny ~ Algae Blenny ~Jeweled Rockskipper

Family: Blenniidae

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Salarias fasciatusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy Seth Weintraub

     The Lawnmower Blenny, true to its name, has a wonderful ability of mowing down algae!

     One of the Combtooth blennies, the Lawnmower Blenny's teeth are combed which gives them that "mowing" ability. They are great at scraping algae off of the rocks.

     This fish has a typical blenny shape, a body that is long and slender with one long dorsal fin extending the length of the body. It will sit on the bottom of the aquarium with a curved stance. Typical coloring is a gray or tan background with darker streaks and bands, and small blue and black spots on the head. The head is blunt with the eyes perched up high on the head, and they have what looks like delicate tufts of hair called 'cirri' around the face.

     The Lawnmower Blenny's appearance gives it an adorable charm to go along with a great personality. This along with algae being its prime food source, make this fish an excellent addition to a peaceful reef aquarium.

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Maintenance difficulty:      The Lawnmower Blenny is easy to keep if provided the right environment with plenty of algae. They are ideal for a large reef environment. Provide plenty of caves and hiding places.

Maintenance/Foods:      This fish is a primarily an algae eater, munching on the microalgae that grows in your aquarium (varieties of hair and string algae). This along with commercially prepared herbivore foods such as marine and spirulina algae will provide a suitable diet.

Habitat: Natural geographic location:      The Lawnmower Blenny are found in the Indo-Pacific; East Africa and Red Sea to Micronesia

Social Behaviors:      This blenny is generally peaceful with other fish, with a possible exception being its own kind and other similar blennies. It is best kept singly, or possibly as a male/female pair.

Sex: Sexual differences:     Both male and female blennies have two spines in the anal fin. In the female one or both may be smaller or even embedded while on the male they may be capped with a fleshy tissue.

Breeding/Reproduction:      We have found no information at this time on breeding the Lawnmower Blenny (2/21/06). However it is known that some blennies lay demersal eggs that are guarded by the male.

Light: Recommended light levels:      No special requirements.

Temperature:      They enjoy tropical waters. Temperatures between 75 - 84 ° F (24 – 29 ° C) will suit this blenny fine.

Length/Diameter of fish:      Lawnmower Blenny adults can grow to 5 inches (12.7 cm).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:      A minimum 30 gallon aquarium is recommended.

Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong      No special requirements.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom    The Lawnmower Blenny usually spends most of its time perched on rockwork or live rock near the bottom. A bottom dweller.

Availability:      The Lawnmower Blenny is readily available and is inexpensive.

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Latest Comments
When we bought our lawnmower blennie, my husband thought he was ugly, but I fell in love with him right away. He has EYELASHES! How could ya not love a fish with eyelashes? And he kisses. We love him. We also have a scooter blennie, who is just as adorable as 'lennie the blennie' Pamela 2009-01-09
Some of the coolest comments:
When I bought this blennie my wife mentioned how he was not the prettiest fish I could have bought. However if you can't find the "cuteness" in him, we found that this fish has a great personality and is a consistent worker, always finding the little blennie kisses all over the glass of our aquarium. He finished cleaning the whole aquarium of algae in a couple of days. He basically stays out of the way of all the other fish, but he is always around when you look for him. bill 2008-07-09

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