Yellowtail Poison Fang Blenny - Medium

The Yellowtail Poison Fang Blenny is a brightly coloured fish with a large curving fang on either side of its lower jaw, and yes as the name suggests it is venomous!

The Yellowtail Poison Fang Blenny has a blue front and a yellow back. A black stripe runs diagonally through the eye. On each side of the lower jaw, the species has a lunate caudal fin. The genus Meiacanthus is known for their fangs, which are employed for defense. .

The defense system of this small Blenny fish is unusual as they deliver their venom through a bite, unlike most venomous fish, which inject toxins through their fins. But don't worry, if you do get bitten by your fish, it's not normally a lethal poison to an adult human. A bite from a Yellow Tail Poison Fang Blenny is said to be similar to that of a bee sting. Something you'd rather not do, yet it's not life-threatening, still we don’t advise testing this out for yourself.

From the Red Sea to Japan, to Micronesia, south to Australia, and east to the Marquesas Islands, the species can be found in tropical marine waters of the Indo-West and Central Pacific. The Yellowtail Poison Fang Blenny can be found from Western Australia's northwestern coast to the tropical north of the country and south to New South Wales' southern coast.

Tank Recommendations for Yellow Tail Poison Fang Blennies

It's critical to understand how to care for a new fish before adding it to your aquarium. The Yellow Tail Poison Fang Blenny doesn't need much extra treatment, but it will benefit from a knowledgeable carer as well as some love and attention. In captivity, the Blenny usually lives 2-5 years. It can, however, live longer under the appropriate circumstances and with proper care. You'll need to provide some good hiding spots for them to retreat to when they feel threatened. Be aware that it may take a week or more for them to gain confidence in their new environment. It's not unusual for them to disappear for the first few days after being introduced to your aquarium.

The aquarium should be at least 100 – 150 litres, but the larger the better - especially if your Blenny will be kept with other fish.

If you wish to keep multiple Blennies, keep them in a large tank of 189 litres or larger for the best results. It's a good idea to keep your Blenny away from larger, more aggressive fish. This is because blennies can be easily intimidated and so may spend their time hiding and stop eating if frightened.

t's advisable to cover the tank with a lid, because this species is prone to jumping out of their tank, especially if startled. The tank's temperature should be between 22 and 27 degrees Celsius.

Cover the tank's bottom with a sand substrate if possible. Also include some live rock for hiding, grazing and resting. Blennies dwell in small crevices in the wild, so don't be hesitant to use your live rock to make tight-fitting places. Blennies do not require specific lighting or water filtering systems, although it does prefer water without a current, so low-flow filtration systems are recommended.

Suitable Tank Buddies

The Yellow Tail Poison Fang Blenny is reef safe and gets along with other peaceful fish. Unless you plan to keep the blennies in a male-female pair, it's best not to keep them with other bottom-dwellers or different species of blenny. Although not violent, they can be territorial with other members of their species or animals that seem similar.

Usually Compatible

Blennies get along well with other fish and are excellent community aquarium fish. Clownfish, Pink Margin Wrasse, Mimic Saddle Filefish, and Longhorn Cowfish, as well as Dwarf Angelfish, Anthias, Butterflyfish, Cardinalfish, Clownfish, Dragonettes, Filefish, Gobies, Grunts, Hawkfish, Pufferfish, Squirrelfish, and Live Corals, are all fish we recommend keeping with them.

Sometime Compatible

As blennies are known to harass fish that resemble them, it's best not to mix different types of blennies in the same tank, as they all have a similar form and size. So smaller semi aggressive fish that aren’t bottom dwellers are the best option like Wrasses and Fairy Wrasses. If keeping them with large Angelfish or Tangs keep an eye on them to ensure there are no issues.

Rarely Compatible

The Yellow Tail Poison Fang Blenny isn’t compatible with Anglerfish/Frogfish, Eels, Groupers, Lionfish, Scorpionfish, Sharks or Snappers as all these are likely try to eat them.

Feeding your Yellow Tail Poison Fang Blenny

The Blenny is noted for consuming a lot of algae. They will thrive in an aquarium that already has a considerable amount of algae accumulation. Provide plenty of vegetables for your Blenny. Dried seaweed, algae flakes, and algae wafers developed specifically for marine fish are examples.

Filamentous algae can be grown on rocks and rotated under the appropriate conditions. To provide your Blenny with a fresh source of algae to munch on, replace the rocks in the main tank. Try using a rubber band to hold the algae culture in place on rocks and other things.

You may also frequently observe them hunting microscopic plankton on the surface of algae and live rock.

As a reward, vitamin-rich brine shrimp and Mysis shrimp can be given. Yet, such shrimps should not be served as the sole source of protein; Blennies need a diet rich in vegetables. A good product is Omega One freeze-dried brine shrimp. Depending on how much algae is in your tank, your blenny will need to be given 2-3 small meals every day. If your blenny isn't getting enough food, he or she may start nibbling on SPS and LPS corals, as well as clam mantles.