Hypsoblennius invemar - The Tessellated Blenny is very rare in the aquarium trade. Not only are they stunningly beautiful with their bright red spots, they also tend to have adorable personalities that endear them to their humans. Like many other blennies, they tend to camouflage and change color depending on their mood and the environment. Some aquarists report that when they are happy or excited, the red coloration intensifies.
In the wild they like to live in empty barnacle clusters, but they'll also inhabit holes in rockwork or decorations. Their behavior is similar to other barnacle blennies. They only reach a couple inches in length, so they make great fish for nano tanks. This species is generally quite peaceful with other fish species but can become aggressive toward similar species.
This omnivorous species does well on a varied diet of pellet foods and frozen foods like small Mysis, Spirulina brine shrimp, and Calanus. They aren't picky eaters and will try most prepared aquarium foods and will even nibble on algae in the aquarium. The addition of Easy Reefs DKI β-carotene Fish Care pellet food to their diet can help intensify and maintain their bright red coloration.
Not much is known about keeping this species in reef aquariums, but they're likely as reef safe as other similar species. They have been safely kept with with Caribbean zoanthids, corallimorphs, soft and stony corals.
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.