{"product_id":"forktail-blenny","title":"Forktail Blenny | Meiacanthus atrodorsalis","description":"\u003ch2\u003eDescription\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Forktail Blenny, also known as the Yellowtail Fang Blenny, is a graceful, hovering blenny with a blue-grey body that blends into a bright yellow tail. Reaching around 11 cm, it is peaceful, hardy and unusually free-swimming for a blenny, gliding through open water rather than perching. It is fully reef safe and, thanks to its venomous defensive fangs, is rarely bothered by other fish, making it an excellent and confident community reef fish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eNatural Habitat\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis species is found across the western Pacific, living on coral reefs where it hovers above the rock and shelters in small holes and abandoned worm tubes. It is a member of the fang blenny group, which possess grooved canine teeth used for defence. In the aquarium it wants a mature system with live rock full of small holes for refuge, open water above the reef for swimming, and stable conditions with gentle to moderate flow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAppearance\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe body is elongated and typically pale blue-grey to lavender toward the front, transitioning smoothly into a lemon-yellow rear and forked tail that gives the fish its name. A fine dark line often runs through the eye. It swims with an elegant, undulating motion and hovers gracefully. A healthy specimen swims confidently in the open, is alert and feeds readily, with clean colour and intact fins.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTemperament and Compatibility\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTemperament is peaceful. The Forktail Blenny is a superb community fish that coexists calmly with most tank mates and is completely reef safe, ignoring corals and invertebrates. Its venomous fangs are purely defensive, deterring would-be predators, so it can be kept confidently even alongside larger fish. It may show mild territoriality toward other fang blennies or very similar species, so keep one unless the aquarium is large. Avoid pairing it with genuinely aggressive fish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFeeding\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is an omnivore that in the wild feeds on plankton and small invertebrates. Offer a varied diet of frozen mysis, enriched brine shrimp and finely chopped seafood, along with algae-based foods and quality marine flakes or small pellets. Several small feeds a day suit it well. A mature reef with natural microfauna and algae film provides useful supplementary grazing, and this species usually feeds readily once settled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCare Requirements\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eProvide a minimum of around 110 L, with 150 L or larger recommended for comfortable swimming room. Maintain temperature at 24–27°C, pH 8.1–8.4 and salinity around 1.020–1.026. Gentle to moderate flow, good filtration and stable water quality suit it well, along with plenty of rocky refuges. A secure lid is worthwhile, as blennies can jump. This is a hardy, adaptable fish, suitable for beginners to intermediate keepers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eBreeding\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBreeding is occasionally achieved in aquariums, and this species is now captive-bred by some suppliers. In nature and in captivity it lays adhesive eggs in a hole or tube that the male guards, and the larvae are relatively large, making them more rearable than many marine fish, though still requiring dedicated effort and planktonic foods. For most keepers the reward is a settled, confident blenny gliding through the reef.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSpecies Information\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eScientific Name\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMeiacanthus atrodorsalis\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCommon Name\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForktail Blenny (Yellowtail Fang Blenny)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOrigin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWestern Pacific coral reefs\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaximum Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e11 cm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifespan\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4–6 years with good care\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTemperament\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePeaceful\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDifficulty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBeginner to intermediate\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMinimum Tank Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e110 L\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRecommended Tank Size\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e150 L or larger\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDiet\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOmnivore; mysis, brine, algae-based foods and marine flakes\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWater Temperature\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24–27°C\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003epH Range\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8.1–8.4\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGH Range\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNot applicable for marine fish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSalinity\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1.020–1.026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuitable For\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNano, community and reef aquariums\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eReef Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eReef safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePlant Safe\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNot applicable\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSuitable Tank Mates\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSuitable tank mates include clownfish, gobies, cardinalfish, flasher and fairy wrasses, dwarf angels, tangs and most peaceful to semi-robust reef fish, along with corals and invertebrates.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAvoid Keeping With\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAvoid keeping with other fang blennies or very similar species in smaller tanks, and with genuinely aggressive fish that may harass it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nick's Aquarium Oceanarium Terrarium","offers":[{"title":"Small (1-5cm) \/ Australian Caught","offer_id":55234135130403,"sku":"BA8775-S","price":62.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Medium (5-10cm) \/ Australian Caught","offer_id":55234135163171,"sku":"BA8775","price":72.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Large (10-15cm) \/ Australian Caught","offer_id":55234135195939,"sku":"BA8775-L","price":82.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Small (1-5cm) \/ Imported","offer_id":55562730471715,"sku":"BA8775-S-IMP","price":62.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Small (1-5cm) \/ Captive Bred","offer_id":55562730504483,"sku":"BA8775-S-CB","price":62.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Medium (5-10cm) \/ Imported","offer_id":55562730537251,"sku":"BA8775-M-IMP","price":72.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Medium (5-10cm) \/ Captive Bred","offer_id":55562730570019,"sku":"BA8775-M-CB","price":72.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Large (10-15cm) \/ Imported","offer_id":55562730602787,"sku":"BA8775-L-IMP","price":82.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Large (10-15cm) \/ Captive Bred","offer_id":55562730635555,"sku":"BA8775-L-CB","price":82.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0972\/7236\/5347\/files\/forktail-blenny-43090641060131.webp?v=1790305844","url":"https:\/\/nicksaquariumoceanariumterrarium.com.au\/products\/forktail-blenny","provider":"Nicks AOT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}