Ecsenius axelrodi

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Facts
Latin name Ecsenius axelrodi - Springer, 1988
Local name Axelrod's clown blenny
Family Blenniidae - Ecsenius
Origin Australia, Indonesia
Max length 6 cm (2.4")
As aquarium fish
Minimum volume 200 l (53 gal)
Hardiness Hardy
Suitable for aquarium Suitable for most aquarium
Reef safe Often reef safe
Aggressiveness Docile but might be aggressive towards similar species
Feed
Recommended Macroalgea (Eg. seaweed / nori)
Microalgea (Eg. spirulina)
Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...)
Beware of
Jumps out of open aquaria

This species is known to jump out of open aquaria.

Keep in mind
Thrive best on their own

These fish flourish better without other members of the same species in the aquarium.

Well established aquarium with algae

These fish should be kept in a well run aquarium where they can "graze" algae from rocks and stones.

If there are insufficient algae on the rocks, it is important to feed more frequently and supplement with algae rich food e.g. Spirulina. 

Personality

This species often has a fun and interesting personality.

Hiding places

This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.

Docile

This species is very shy and docile, so one should be careful when keeping it with more aggressive fish.

Algae Eaters

Even though these fish enjoy a diverse type of frozen foods, it is imperative that its primary food, is algae based, thus ensuring that the fish`s immune system remains healthy.

This can, for example, be plant based fish flakes, Nori seaweed or similar.

Descriptions and further reading
Genus description (Ecsenius)

Fish in the Ecsenius genus are very popular for fishtanks, normally easy to look after and fitting well in most aquaria.

Family description (Blenniidae)

There are many differences within the Toothcomb Blennies family, some eat algae whilst others eat zooplankton. There are many families of Blennies, this is merely one of them.

What they have in common are their oblong shape and long dorsal fin. Some species have small "legs" used to move around the bottom.

These Blennies do not normally get very big and are therefore a good choice for both small and large aquaria. They are not often very colorful, but many have a fun personality which many aquarists fall for.

The species of the families Aspidontus and Plagiotremus imitate Cleaner Wrasses and can therefore be difficult to identify.

FishBase
Aquarium trade No
Distribution Western Central Pacific: Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands. Replaced by Ecsenius bathi from Bali to Flores and Ecsenius dilema in the Philippines (Ref. 37816).
English common names Axelrod's clown blenny
Axelrod's coralblenny
Axelrod's combtooth-blenny
References and further reading

About references

Bob Fenner. Combtooth Blennies of the Genus Ecsenius - Wet Web Media - (English)

Jeff Kurtz. 2007. Combtooth Blennies: Bewitching Bottom Dwellers - Tropical Fish Hobbyist - (English)
Scott W. Michael. Reef Aquarium Fishes: 500+ Essential-to-know Species - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Bob Fenner. The True/Combtooth Blennies, Family Blenniidae - Wet Web Media - (English)
Bob Fenner. Blennioids: Blennies and Blenny-Like Fishes - Wet Web Media - (English)