Starry Blenny

The below Starry Blenny profile is based on what I have learned and observed.  They certainly can have just about the most personality of any marine fish making them a great addition to almost any community aquarium.

Common Name: Starry Blenny, Snowflake Blenny, Starry Lawnmower Blenny (not to be confused with a Lawnmover Blenny)

Scientific Name: Salarias Ramosus

Reef Safe: Yes

Temperament: Peaceful

Care Level: Easy

Max Size: 5 to 6 inches

Appearance:

They have a dark brown to brown color with a lot of white spots along their body.  The pectoral and tail fins will also be a lighter color and sometimes even have a bit of a yellowish tint to them.  They also have a very interesting looking small whisker like appendage on their head next to their eyes.

Temperament

They are very peaceful fish.  However, you need to use caution when keeping them with other fish that have a similar shape and color.  They have also been known to become very territorial with other blennies unless you are lucky enough to get a mated pair. I would not recommend having more than one in a tank smaller than 125 to 180 gallons and recommend caution with doing so.

Environment

The Starry Blenny can be kept in a 30 gallon aquarium as they do not require a lot of swimming space.  They will need a lot of live rock as they prefer to hop around on the rocks, often stopping to sit a while and watch what is going on around them.  Make sure your rock is safely stacked as this Blenny has been known to dig around a little around the rocks.  There should also be a few hiding spots for this Blenny to go to should he feel threatened. They are reef safe.  You should also have a lid on your aquarium as there is a small chance a Starry Blenny can become a jumper in a open top tank.

Recommended water conditions:

I would refer you to the below article for the typical water conditions that a Starry Blenny will do best in:

https://www.reefaquarium.com/2013/the-basics-of-marine-aquarium-water-parameters/

Diet

The Starry Blenny is an herbivore.  Although they may enjoy meaty foods, they will need a diet that consists of mostly marine algaes and can also benefit from an herbivore based marine flake or pellet food.  The Starry Blenny will make a good addition to your clean-up crew as they will eat many different types of marine algaes that will develop in an aquarium.  For this reason, you should only add a Starry Blenny to a well matured aquarium that will provide some algae for him to snack on in between feedings.