Saltwater
Hairtail blenny
Xiphasia setifer
Blenniidae, Blenniinae
Facts
Characteristics
- Length
- Up to 53 cm
- Body shape
- Eel-like
Care
- Group
- Missing
- Smallest aquarium
- 3,137 liters
- Diet
- Missing
Know what is missing? Suggest it in the app.
Behavior
Water values
Smallest tank
Range
Native
Lives wild in Australia, Bahrain, China, Hong Kong SAR China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, and 14 more countries.
More about the species
Description
Adults occur on open soft-bottom and mud habitats from shallow bays to deep water. They are found in tube-like burrows in sand or mud bottoms. Very rarely encountered but more usually seen at night. Nocturnal feeders. Stomach of two specimens trawled in 50-54 m off western India contain crustaceans (including copepods), polychaete remains, forams, fish scales, and some sand and mud. Oviparous. Eggs are demersal and adhesive, and are attached to the substrate via a filamentous, adhesive pad or pedestal. Larvae are planktonic, often found in shallow, coastal waters. Have eel-like bodies but are rarely seen swimming away from their burrow.
Other names
In other languages
- Eel blenny, Hair tailed blenny, Hair-tail blenny, Hairtail snakeblenny, Hairtailed Blenny, Snake blenny, Snakeblenny
Articles
All articles
How to add new fish4 min read
From the store to the tank: how to get the fish used to your water, why you should add only a few at a time, and what to watch for in the first few days.
Quarantine for new fish3 min read
Why new fish should live in a tank of their own for a few weeks before they move in, what you need, and what to look for.
From freshwater to saltwater3 min read
What is different in a saltwater aquarium: salt, refractometer, live rock and corals. An introduction for anyone thinking of giving it a try.