Meiacanthus nigrolineatus

Smith-Vaniz, 1969

Blackline Fangblenny

Range: Western Indian Ocean: Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Size: 4 inches (10 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits bottom areas in lagoons and usually found between depths of 10 – 65 feet (3 – 20 m) where it mainly feeds upon zooplankton.

General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade and usually having a bluish frontal body, yellowish aft body, varying amounts of black in the dorsal, and black edges on its upper and lower tail lobes.

Can be maintained in either fish-only or reef aquariums having rocky areas with caves to hide and/or explore while looking for tasty crustaceans to consume.

Basically requires a meaty diet, e.g., fortified brine shrimp, mysis, and other meaty type marine fresh or frozen foods, along with some herbivore foods and all should be finely chopped and fed twice daily.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Blennioidei

Family: Blenniidae

Genus: Meiacanthus

FYI: One per aquarium

Small shrimp and feather dusters are at risk of being eaten.

Has venomous fangs used mostly for defense.

Captive bred specimens available.

Somewhat similar in appearance to Ecsenius gravieri.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Diet: Omnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Fish Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Reef or fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Peaceful

Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 27°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 - 1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5