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Scooter Blenny

Ocelatted Dragonet ~ Scooter Dragonet

Family: CallionymidaeSynchiropus ocellatusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   The Scooter Blenny, also called the Ocelatted Dragonet or Scooter Dragonet, can be quite hardy, but they will do best and are happiest in a large reef!

   Typical of the dragonets, the Scooter Blenny is a small fish with a rather large head. and large ventral fins that it uses to perch on rocks as it moves around. Its eyes are mounted on top of the head busily looking around, and its mouth is small and pointed. Typical coloring consists of a starry pattern of black with white blotches and bright blue spots on the head, making for great camouflage in their natural habitat.

   NOTE: The dragonet shown above is commonly called the Scooter Blenny. However, many similar species are loosely grouped and sold under the name "Scooter" because of their manner of "scooting" along the substrate of the aquarium. They can also look very similar, and it is difficult to keep them all straight even, in the marine trade industry. You may have to research your "Scooter Blenny" to determine for sure just which fish you have!

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

Maintenance difficulty:    The Scooter Blenny can be easy to keep if provided the right environment and an adequate diet. This is very important. They are ideal in a large reef environment with lots of live rock. Algae growing on the live rock will provide a natural setting for the growth of tiny arthropods, a natural food for these fish. Provide a sandy substrate, with live sand being even better, and be sure there are plenty of caves and hiding places.

Maintenance/Foods:    The Scooter Blenny or Ocellated Dragonet eats small crustaceans and other small marine organisms. They will sift through the sand looking for food and the small pointed shape of their mouth is ideal for catching microfauna. Live brine is ideal for the aquarium, very small particles of meaty foods can also be offered.

Habitat: Natural geographic location:    The Scooter Blenny is found in the Pacific Ocean, from southern Japan to the Marquesan Islands.

Social Behaviors:    Typical they are peaceful with other fish. They can be kept singly or as a small group, though if you are going to have more than one you should introduce them all to the aquarium at the same time. It is best to keep two or three females with one male.

Sex: Sexual differences:   Males have a "flag shaped" dorsal fin which they use to signal females and deter other males.

Breeding/Reproduction:    We have found no information at this time (2/21/06), though would presume it to be very difficult due to the dragonet mating habits in nature.
   Dragonets rise straight up to the surface as a pair with their ventral sides together. As soon as they reach the surface the eggs and sperm are released (in about 15 seconds), and then they dive back to the bottom and bury themselves in the sand. They will do this only in areas where there is a strong surface current, that will carry and disperse the eggs over a large area. Some dragonets have been known to migrate far distances to find a suitable place with a strong current.

Light: Recommended light levels:    No special requirements.

Temperature:   A good temperature range for this marine fish is between 72 - 78° F. (22 – 26°C).

Length/Diameter of fish:    The Scooter Blenny or Ocellated Dragonet adults can grow to 5 inches (12.7 cm).

Minimum Tank Length/Size:    A minimum 30 gallon aquarium is recommended for a single fish, with a 55 gallon aquarium to house more.

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

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

Availability:    The Scooter Blenny or Ocellated Dragonet is readily available and is inexpensive.

Author: David Brough. CFS.

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Lastest Comments on Scooter Blenny View all 16 comments on Scooter Blenny Add Your Comment

Ruthie - 2008-12-03 I just came home with my spouse and took a looked in the 50 gallon breeder tank, and we found our two scooter blennies mating! What a suprise! As soon as we walked up to the tank though, they separated quicker than an 85 year old at the slot machine. After they separated we saw the eggs or sperm sacks, whatever they were. We don't know, does anyone have an answer for me? Are they egg layers or live birth fish? We have a 3 stripped damsel, Yellow tailed damesel, a yellow tang and a zebra tang, 3 turbo snails and 4 hermits and a sally light foot. Will all the rest eat the eggs if the scooters lay eggs? Thank you very much Reply

Ruth - 2010-03-09 Scooter blenny was my favorite too. I say "was" because he passed on yesterday. I had a lot of algae on the rocks in my 65 gallon berlin style reef and not a lot of coral thanks to the Racoon Butteryfly (which are awesome to get rid of aiptasia btw if you don't care about losing all your mushrooms too). To decrease the algae I took 3 actions: decreased frozen food (mysis etc.) from 2 cubes per day to 1 for all 8 fish; turned off the MH--actinic blue fluorescent only each day for 12 hours; stepped up 10% water changes/vacuuming from every 2 weeks to every week. Which killed the blenny? I swear he was eating but maybe it wasn't enough. You be the judge and comments welcome. Reply

shelly - 2011-02-28 I have a 55 gal aquarium that I just went to from a 30 gal. The guy I bought it from had crushed shells and coral on the bottom so I left it. Now I wanted to go and get the scooter blenny that I have wanted so bad and was told no because it must have a sand bottom. Anyone out there that can tell me different? Jeremy Roche - 2012-03-01 Add a layer of live sand. I have mixed it before and my blennies did just fine. Really do not recommend removing crushed shells because you already have all the established colonies in your existing substrate. Reply

Anonymous - 2012-02-11 Alguien me puede ayudar estoy muy preocupado x qme acuario se ensucia mucho, le sale mucha cosa d color morado y manchas verdes y se las limpio y al sig dia otra vez . Le cambio el agua c/ 8dias y nada my anemona y blenny estan muy tristes porfavor aconsejenme.clownfish y yelowtail blue estan muy bien en el mismo acuario. Gracias. Alex Burleson - 2012-02-11 ¡Hola! Es lamentable que usted está experimentando los problemas con tu acuario. Sin embargo, hay esperanza. Cambiar el 25% del agua cada 7 días, o una vez por semana. Asegúrese de que el acuario no está cerca de la luz del sol, y asegurarse de que la luz en el acuario, sólo lo hace durante 6-8 horas diarias. Ni más ni menos. Espero que esto ayude! Por favor, disculpe la calidad de mi español, soy un hablante nativo de Inglés. Reply

mark - 2005-10-31 I have had my scooter blenny for two years now and have never gotten bored with him. he is an active and lively member of my 45 gallon semi reef aquarium. Scooters, for some reason, fascinate me. especially there ability to change color to suit their surroundings very much like a chameleon does, only just not to such an extreme extent. i would highly recommend anyone with a 30 gallon+ aquarium to keep one of these wonderful little characters. They grow to be about 3.2 inches and will eat algae, small crustaetians and occasionally flake foods Fred Schuster - 2010-10-24 I have three scooter's in my 180 gallon tank, two females and one male. They are all happy and doing well, at least for the past two years. I have not noticed that they eat algae but they do eat formula one small pellet dry food every time I feed the fish. All three look well nourished and eat readily when I feed the other fish. They will swim in the currents to capture brine shrimp when added to the tank as well. I am not sure about the breeding habits as some have mentioned, I have noticed that the male and one of the females will disappear into the rocks for about a week or two and then emerge. I have always assumed that they were laying eggs in the rocks. I know that it has been said that these little creatures are difficult to keep in a tank and should be avoided, however my experience has been good and I would recommend getting a pair. They readily eat the formula one dry small pellets and seem to be doing good. They are a joy to watch in your tank as they are always moving from the time the lights come on to the time the lunar lights go out. They do bury themselves in the sand at night and come out in the morning a sand color. A great little addition to the reef tank. Reply

cory - 2009-12-31 We got a scooter Blenny about 3 weeks ago. We bought him at the pet store out of a 8 gallon Bio Cube. Now he is in a 55 Gal tank with a half black angel, 2 blue chromis, a serpentine starfish, a chocolate chip star fish, and a couple different crabs. He went from being very active and bright colored to pale white and very stationary, what is wrong all my other fish are doing great. He's still eating just acting very funny! Any thoughts... I have a fishless mainly coral filled 8 gallon bio cube like the one he came from, should I transfer him into that? We really don't want to lose him. Kevin - 2010-09-22 I would say transfer him. I'm no expert, but it sounds like the bigger and more populated environment may not be settling well with him. Also, the serpentine starfish could be a problem, or possibly the chocolate chip starfish. The Serpentine, depending on the type, may be tempted to eat the blenny depending on its size. They are known for dropping down on bottom dwelling fish from time to time. The chocolate chip starfish could possibly go for it as well. That all depends on size though. I would definitely say move it though. I bought a scooter blenny not long ago and moved some of my star fish to another tank just to be safe ;) Reply

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