Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius Bicolor)

Also Known As: Bicolor Combtooth Blenny, Two-Tone Blenny

Compatibility and Behavior
The Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor) has earned its status as a reef favorite the honest way, with loads of personality packed into a small, affordable, easy-to-keep package. The color scheme is right there in the name: a dark brown to blue-black front half that transitions abruptly into a rich orange-to-golden rear, all on a slender, almost eel-like body. But the real draw is its face and attitude, its expressive eyes and curious, comical habit of perching in a rock hole and peering out at the room, ducking back and popping out to investigate whatever passes by. It's genuinely entertaining to watch. Temperament is generally peaceful and it's reef safe, mixing well with small community fish like clownfish, gobies, and blennies of other species, though it can get territorial toward similarly shaped bottom dwellers in tight quarters, since those are the ones it sees as competition for its perch. It occasionally samples film algae or nips fleshy surfaces when underfed, but well-fed individuals are kept in mixed reefs all the time with minimal fuss.

Aquarium Requirements
This is an easy, nano-friendly fish, so the setup is refreshingly simple. What matters most is rockwork: give it plenty of live rock riddled with holes, ledges, and crevices to perch on, hide in, and claim as a territory, and it'll settle right in. A tank around 20 to 30 gallons or more suits individuals in the 1 to 2 inch range, with a little extra room helping keep the peace if you're also housing other bottom-oriented species. Moderate flow that lets it perch easily and make short dashes between hiding spots is ideal. The one thing worth doing deliberately is feeding it a varied diet that leans on algae-based foods like spirulina flakes, algae wafers, and quality pellets, rounded out with small meaty items such as mysis or finely chopped seafood, which satisfies its grazing instinct and keeps it off your corals.

Specifications
Approximate Size: 1–2"
Diet: Omnivore; algae-based foods, quality pellets, and small meaty items such as mysis
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Care Level: Easy
Reef Safe: Yes
Temperament: Peaceful to mildly territorial
Minimum Tank Size: 20 gallons
Special Considerations: Can be territorial toward similarly shaped blennies and bottom dwellers in tight quarters; may nip film algae or fleshy surfaces if underfed, so keep it well fed with algae-based foods