Lawnmower Blenny

Lawnmower Blenny (Salarias fasciatus)

Nature’s Hardworking Algae Grazer—Packed with Personality!

If you’re dealing with nuisance algae and want a reef-safe solution that also adds tons of personality to your tank, look no further than the Lawnmower Blenny! This comical fish is beloved in the hobby for its expressive face, quirky perching behavior, and insatiable appetite for microalgae.

Why You’ll Love This Blenny:

🔹 Algae-Eating Powerhouse – Constantly grazing across rocks, glass, and sand, Lawnmower Blennies help reduce diatoms, green film algae, and even green hair algae when established in the tank.

🔹 Full of Character – With their big eyes, thick lips, and endearing “staring contests,” they’re as entertaining as they are useful. You’ll often find them lounging on live rock or wedging themselves into crevices like a lazy housecat.

🔹 Reef-Safe & Community Friendly – This peaceful fish won’t nip corals or bother inverts, making it a fantastic addition to reef and FOWLR systems alike. May show mild aggression toward other blennies or similarly shaped fish in smaller setups.

🔹 Hardy & Adaptable – Known for being resilient once established, Lawnmower Blennies are perfect for both intermediate and advanced hobbyists who want a natural algae control solution without adding chemicals.

Care Specs:

• 📏 Max Size: ~5 inches
• 🧪 Tank Size: Minimum 30 gallons with mature live rock
• 🌡️ Temperature: 72–78°F
• ⚖️ Salinity: 1.023–1.026
• 🍽️ Diet: Herbivorous; feeds primarily on microalgae. Supplement with nori, spirulina pellets, and algae-based foods when natural algae is low
• 🐟 Temperament: Peaceful, but can be territorial toward similar fish

Add one to your reef today and experience the perfect combo of function and fun! At YoCamron’s Aquatics, our Lawnmower Blennies are not only healthy—they’re ready to work for you, one algae patch at a time.

BIOTA Aquaculture:

Captive bred Lawnmower Blennies are not picky when it comes to feeding and will take most aquarium foods. We recommend a varied diet for these herbivores including Nori seaweed, herbivore preparations, Easy Reefs DKI pellets and Masstick, and Spirulina brine shrimp.

These fish are small on arrival, so we recommend to use an acclimation box to introduce them to a tank, especially a larger tank or tanks with larger tank mates.