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Canary Blenny
Blenny

Canary Blenny

Meiacanthus oualanensis

A solid canary-yellow fang blenny found only around Fiji, and one of the few blennies that spends its day hovering in open water rather than perching on rock. Like all Meiacanthus it carries venom glands in its lower canines, which is a defence, not an attack — tankmates learn to leave it alone and it is left alone in turn, so it holds its own in a busy community without harassing anything. It is reef safe and will not touch corals or inverts, but it is territorial toward other fang blennies and similar-shaped fish, so keep one per tank unless you have a bonded pair. It jumps, so a covered tank is not optional.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
3.9"
Min tank
30 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Omnivore
Zone
Mid-water, Open water, Rockwork
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Canary Blenny gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Midas BlennySimilar slender body shape and the same perch-and-dart habits mean these two read as rivals to each other. Expect chasing in tanks under about 75 gallons.Forktail BlennyBoth are Meiacanthus fang blennies of near-identical shape and size. Two males will feud continuously in anything under about 75 gallons, with the dominant one harassing the other into a corner.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Chainlink MorayChainlink Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Golden Dwarf MorayGolden Dwarf Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Rectangle TriggerfishRectangle Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Clown TriggerfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Miniata GrouperMiniata Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Panther GrouperPanther Grouper has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Six-Line SoapfishSix-Line Soapfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Painted FrogfishPainted Frogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Dogface PufferDogface Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Porcupine PufferPorcupine Puffer has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Spanish HogfishSpanish Hogfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Canary Blenny.Smith's BlennyCanary Blenny and Smith's Blenny are the same genus (Meiacanthus) and will fight — keep only one.Striped Poison Fang BlennyCanary Blenny and Striped Poison Fang Blenny are the same genus (Meiacanthus) and will fight — keep only one.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Maroon ClownfishCanary Blenny and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blue DamselCanary Blenny and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselCanary Blenny and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishCanary Blenny and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishCanary Blenny and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishCanary Blenny and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishCanary Blenny and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishCanary Blenny and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangCanary Blenny and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Sea ClownfishCanary Blenny and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Sailfin TangCanary Blenny and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangCanary Blenny and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Powder Blue TangCanary Blenny and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Matted FilefishCanary Blenny and Matted Filefish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Convict TangCanary Blenny and Convict Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Clark's ClownfishCanary Blenny and Clark's Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Tomato ClownfishCanary Blenny and Tomato Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Achilles TangCanary Blenny and Achilles Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Naso TangCanary Blenny and Naso Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Scopas TangCanary Blenny and Scopas Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.