Atrosalarias
From Microcosm Aquarium Explorer
Atrosalarias fuscus, Highfin or Black Blenny. Scott W. Michael
Family: Blenniidae
Species in Genus Atrosalarias:
none
HIGHFIN BLENNIES
This genus contains just two species: the Highfin Blenny (Atrosalarias fuscus) and the Hosokawa Blenny (A. hosokawai)—the former is more often seen in the aquarium trade.
The juvenile A. fuscus is bright yellow over the head, body, and fins, while adults are dark brown to black. It has big eyes and looks like a specter when it swims from one spot to another. It attains a length of about 5.5 in. (14 cm). It usually lives among branching corals and ingests filamentous algae, foraminiferans (shelled protozoans), detritus, and sand. It also consumes sponges, fish eggs, minute crustaceans, small snails, insects, and small worms.
It is thought that many of these organisms are ingested incidentally as the fish feeds on algae. It will occasionally nip coral polyps in the aquarium. In captivity it should be offered frozen foods that contain the blue-green algae Spirulina. It will also do better if kept in a tank with a crop of microalgae for it to graze upon.
It is best to keep only one Highfin Blenny per tank, unless you can acquire a male-female pair or your tank is very large.
| Family | Blenniidae + |
| Image credit | SWM + |
| Reference | A PocketExpert Guide to Reef Aquarium Fishes + |
| Text credit | SWM + |