Striped Blenny - Care | Tankmates | Venom

Striped blenny, scientific name Meiacanthus grammistes, also known as the striped fang blenny, grammistes blenny, line-spot harptail blenny, or striped poison-fang blenny, is a species of combtooth blenny from the western Pacific Ocean.

Striped blenny fish profile

In this article, I am going to talk about striped blenny care, tankmates, diet, reef2reef, venom, compatibility, bite, etc.

The fish stays within the open ocean, however, travels into shallow saltwater and brackish estuaries. This venomous species sometimes makes its manner into the aquarium commerce.

The Striped Blenny can also be known as Gammistes Blenny, Striped Fang Blenny, or Striped Poison-Fang Blenny. It has alternating black and yellow stripes that run the whole size of the physique.

Striped Blenny at a glance

(Meiacanthus grammistes)
Quick Care Facts
Care Level: Moderate
Temperament: Semi-aggressive
Maximum Size: 5″
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Water Conditions: 72-80° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.020-1.025
Diet: Omnivore
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Blenniidae
Species: Blennies
Aquarium Type: Reef Compatible

Striped blenny Description

Meiacanthus grammistes is a Fang Blenny species that ranges within the Western Pacific from Indochina to Papua New Guinea, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to Australia.

They have a yellow head and alternating black and white stripes that finish in dots in direction of the tail.

These stunning Fang Blennies attain the most size of 4.5” within the wild, though within the aquarium they may largely develop to three.5”.

All Fang Blennies have excessive metabolisms and ought to be fed small quantities at the least 2-Three occasions a day.

They may settle for a large assortment of ready meals and make themselves seen within the water column more often than not.

The Striped Blenny ought to be supplied with ample rockwork wherein to hunt and conceal when threatened.

Within the wild, they’re normally solitary and so they’re typically peaceable in direction of tankmates except introduced with conspecifics or related trying fish.

The Striped Blenny, Meiacanthus grammistes, has a yellow entrance half that fades to white with thick black horizontal traces working the whole physique size and black recognizing on the tail.

They’re hardy and may be housed with different peaceable fish in a reef tank setting, however, could turn into territorial in direction of different blennies, gobies, or dartfish in smaller tanks.

Striped blenny facts

The Striped Blenny may be discovered swimming among the many tropical reefs inside its native vary of the Indo-Pacific.

Striped Blennies are in style decisions for “nano” methods in addition to bigger reef tanks; they’re very energetic swimmers and are always on the transfer within the water column when not trying to find meals on the stay rock.

The Striped Blenny is among the few species that possess enlarged fangs with related venom sacs that are primarily used as a retaliatory protection and function a deterrent to predators; their chew is just not deadly to people however it’s painful.

Striped Blennies have stunning colors and distinct markings.

They’ve contrasting, alternating black and white horizontal stripes working the size of their complete mass, together with the caudal fins, with an excellent yellow wash that begins on the head and normally fades off at and angle midway down their dorsal half, simply previous their operculum on their lateral sides, and proper after their neck on their ventral facet.

It tends to do effectively in an aquarium is housed in a 30 gallon or bigger aquarium with a stay rock.

The stay rock gives locations to hunt and feed on small crustaceans in addition to locations to cover. It’s not normally aggressive except the tank mates seem to have an identical form because it does. Its fangs are extra of a protection mechanism used for biting an aggressive fish again.

The Striped Blenny weight-reduction plan consists of chopped crustaceans, vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, and frozen meal preparations for herbivores.

Fast Jumpers

Blennies are identified for his or her unbelievable leaping talents, so having a tightly secured lid is usually recommended.

Eating regimen ought to embody a wide range of mysis shrimp and vitamin-enriched brine shrimp in addition to spirulina, marine algae, seaweed, and algae-based mostly meals 2-3 occasions each day.

Striped blenny Aquarium Care

Striped Blennies are an energetic species and can spend most of their time within the water column in search of meals and having fun with life.

They require an aquarium of at the least 30 gallons and ought to be supplied with loads of stay rock for hiding locations and invertebrate looking.

Blennies maybe jumpers, so a hood or different safe high is really helpful for his or her aquarium.

The Striped Blenny is normally a peaceable fish, usually ignoring different inhabitants except threatened or it notices a tank mate that’s the identical species, intently associated, or seems to be one of many two; then it could exhibit aggression and/or present territorial tendencies.

They’re much higher off in a reef setting versus different saltwater aquarium setups.

Striped blenny Feeding & Vitamin

The Striped Blenny is omnivorous and in its pure setting, it could usually be discovered cruising for small invertebrates (primarily amphipods, copepods, isopods, and brine) within the water column; they can even hunt throughout the reef and substrate.

In an aquarium, they need to be fed a wide range of stay, frozen, freeze-dried, and vitamin-enriched brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and finely chopped krill in addition to numerous high-quality omnivore oriented pellets and flake meals.

An aquarium with a stay amphipod, copepod, and isopod inhabitants could be an actual deal with this species. Feed a few times per day.

Striped blenny Venom

The weird venom, which targets the physique’s opioid receptors, is being investigated as a possible new painkiller for human use.

The venom consists of a neuropeptide additionally seen in cone snail venom, a lipase much like the one utilized by sure species of scorpions and an opioid peptide. Blennies use it to stun predators.

The venom reduces the blood strain of the predator, enjoyable its jaws so the blenny can escape.

Management of the venom was discovered to not trigger ache in mice, which is atypical, as most fish venoms are painful.

Administration of the venom additionally didn’t end in a drop in coronary heart price in rats.

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