Zebra Blenny
Omobranchus zebra
Blenniidae
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About
Read the salinity line before anything else. FishBase's environment field for Omobranchus zebra reads 'Marine; brackish; demersal. Tropical' - freshwater is not on that list - and its biology note says adults 'are found in mangroves and brackish waters'. WoRMS says the same thing in its own notation: its environment row lists marine and brackish, with fresh and terrestrial struck through. Practical Fishkeeping introduced the fish to British keepers as 'a new species for the brackish tank', recorded that it 'occurs mainly in brackish waters, such as mangroves', and reported that the imported stock 'were doing well in a small brackish tank containing hard, alkaline water (pH 8 ish)'. That matters, because a 6 cm blenny with a cartoon face is exactly the fish that ends up in a soft-water community tank. It can hold out in fresh water for a while: the German importer Aquarium Glaser wrote that their specimens 'proofed so far to be very lively and healthy, even without adding salt' and that the photographed fish 'stayed about ten days in the photo tank in pure freshwater', but the same page still recommends 'a slight addition of salt - about 5g/l'. Ten days is not a lifetime. Treat it as a brackish animal that tolerates fresh water, not as a freshwater fish that tolerates salt. Sizes agree closely across sources: FishBase gives 6.0 cm SL, Practical Fishkeeping puts the type specimens at about 4-6 cm, and Aquarium Glaser gives a maximum of around 7 cm. Aquarium Glaser also gives the useful sexing character - in males the anterior four rays of the anal fin are flattened at the tip, and males grow larger.
Care
Brackish, hard and alkaline. Aim for pH around 8 with a high GH, and add marine salt deliberately: Aquarium Glaser's recommendation of roughly 5 g/l is a floor rather than a target, and the fish comes from mangrove and estuary water where salinity swings well above that. Give it open sand to sift, bogwood or shells to wedge into - Practical Fishkeeping's supplier used bogwood, 'which was being used for shelter' - and one cave per fish. It holds a territory: Aquarium Glaser reports that 'like all blennies, these fishes defend a small territory, but neither conspecifics nor tankmates belonging to other species become hurt usually', while general hobby experience with combtooth blennies is that a dominant fish in a small tank will bully similar-shaped tankmates, so keep one per tank unless the tank is large and every blenny has its own retreat. Two honest gaps: no source publishes a lifespan, and the only temperature figure anywhere is FishBase's modelled 'preferred temperature' of 28-29.3 C - an AquaMaps environmental-envelope estimate, not a husbandry range. The figures here follow ordinary practice for tropical Indo-West Pacific estuarine fish and should be read as guidance, not measurement; keep it at the warm end of the range. That thin husbandry record is why this entry is rated medium confidence, however well-sourced its salinity and taxonomy are. Whatever the shop label says, this is not a freshwater community fish.
Diet
Carnivore that takes small invertebrates in the wild. Frozen bloodworm and brine shrimp, small live food and ordinary prepared foods, offered low enough for a bottom-hugging fish, over sand it can forage through.
Tankmate compatibility
Gets along with (15)
Possible with care (11)
Avoid (392)
Computed by the AquaSage engine for a spacious reference tank — always check the full verdict for your exact setup in the calculator.
Telling males from females
There is no reliable way to sex this species by eye. That is the honest answer, not a gap in our data.
All the methods, with diagramsAlso in these lists
Similar species
Same category and the closest water parameters — if this species isn't quite it, start here.
Sold in Lithuania
These Lithuanian shops listed this species in their public catalogue (checked August 8, 2026). Stock moves — ask before you travel.
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Frequently asked questions
- What tank size does a Zebra Blenny need?
- A Zebra Blenny needs an aquarium of at least 60 litres (15.9 US gallons) with a footprint at least 60 cm (23.6 in) long — for this species, swimming length matters as much as raw volume.
- What water parameters does a Zebra Blenny need?
- Zebra Blenny does best at 22–28 °C (71.6–82.4 °F), pH 7.2–8.5 and a general hardness of 10–30 °dGH.
- Is the Zebra Blenny suitable for beginners?
- Zebra Blenny is a demanding species best attempted with some experience — it needs stable, closely watched conditions to thrive.