At a glance the quick version
Looks how to spot one
Small combtooth blenny
A tiny blenny that ranges from grey to coppery brown-orange, with a blue-grey head, yellow eyes and a yellow line below the eye. Its trademark is a dark spot at the base of the tail.123
Personality what they are like
Peaceful and shy at first; it does best without boisterous tank mates that might keep it hiding.3
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Spends its time perching in and around rocky crevices.3
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Provide plenty of live rock to graze on and to hide in.3
Home where they are happiest
Minimum about 10 US gallons (38 L), reef safe. Saltwater at about 22 to 26 °C, pH 8.1 to 8.4, dKH 8 to 12, specific gravity 1.020 to 1.025. Wild fish live in coastal lagoons and sheltered coral reefs at 2 to 30 m.31
Food basics what goes in the bowl
Herbivore. Offer algae and vegetable-based foods alongside what it grazes from the rock.31
Company who they like around
Found singly or in small groups in the wild.1
The story where it all began
Henry Weed Fowler described the species in 1952. It belongs to the combtooth blenny genus Ecsenius and turns up now and then in the aquarium trade.2
Fun facts for the dinner table
Recognised by the official bits
- IUCN Red List
- Least Concern (assessed 2009)1
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Tailspot Blenny. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- FeedingSmall amounts once or twice a dayevery day
- Temperature checkevery day
- Salinity checkevery week
- Top-upTop up evaporation with fresh RO water, not salt waterevery day
- Water testevery week
- Water changeAbout 10 to 20% of the waterevery 2 weeks
- Glass cleanevery week
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FishBase: Ecsenius stigmatura fishbase.seused for distribution, size, depth, habitat, colours, IUCN
- Wikipedia: Ecsenius stigmatura en.wikipedia.orgused for appearance, colour display, history
- LiveAquaria: Tail Spot Blenny liveaquaria.comused for care, tank size, water parameters, diet
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.