Flame Scooter Blenny

Description

Male Flame Scooter Blennies, Synchiropus sycorax, also go by the name Ruby Dragonet. These are charismatic fish with astonishingly vivid colours. They use their pectoral fins to perch on the seafloor. Males also sport large dorsal spines that they flare when displaying.

Despite the name, Flame Scooter Blennies are in fact dragonets, so they belong to a different family.

Flame Scooter Blenny Male, Synchiropus sycorax, ecology:

These fish occur around the Philippines in the Western Pacific. They are bottom dwellers that keep to loose groups, around outcrops, coral and rubble.

Here Flame Scooter Blennies hunt for zooplankton, such as: copepods, amphipods, larvae or eggs. To protect them against predators and pests, they have a mucus coat and spines on their gill cover.

These fish broadcast spawn under cover of night. Males and females pair up and release their gametes as they swim upwards, belly to belly, spinning as they go. The fertilised eggs then drift away in the current.

Ruby Dragonet in the Aquarium:

It is important to have plenty of nooks or crannies where your blenny can explore and feel at home. Keepers may want to invest in a jump guard to prevent accidents.

Male Flame Scooter Blennies are mostly carnivores but do best when fed a varied diet. They will accept frozen Mysis shrimp and enriched frozen brine shrimp. We enrich all our frozen food with seachem garlic guard and Atvitol vitamins. These are great for keeping fish healthy by providing them with the nutrition otherwise lost in frozen food. In doing so, these additives support their immune system and increase longevity.

They will eat live foods, such as copepods and brineshrimp, that can be cultivated in attached refugium. Over time, they can accept high-quality pellet or flake, such as JBL maris. Alternatively, they can also go for masstick that can be rubbed onto the rockwork or tank sides. We adapt all our Blennies to aquarium life before they leave us. We focus on their health. They are eating good quality frozen food before being offered for sale.

Flame Scooter Blennies can live alone. It is possible for some blennies to live alongside others as well. Sometimes even in same species groups. Success depends on a fair number of variables. For example, factors to consider include: the species of blenny, tank size, space and cover available. In the case of Brown Scooter Blennies, competing males can show aggression and towards one another. If wanting multiple males, proceed with caution. Please give us a call if you want to know more.

The Fish pictured here are representative only and the livestock you receive may vary in pattern, coloration, and shape.