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Rabbitfishes
Siganus spp.
Common Species: Foxface rabbitfish (Yellow Rabbitfish), Onespot Foxface Rabbitfish, Coral rabbitfish, Pencil-streaked rabbitfish, Lined Rabbitfish, Masked rabbitfish, Peppered rabbitfish, Goldspotted rabbitfish, Scribbled rabbitfish, Stellate rabbitfish, Threeblotched rabbitfish, Uspi rabbitfish, forktail rabbitfish, Whitespotted or Seagrass rabbitfish, (Sometimes referred to as badgerfish)
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Reef Fish Guide designation and why
Take it home
In general, Siganus species are good for new aquarists because they are extremely hardy when taken care of correctly. Not only do they have a high resilience in captivity, but also their minimum population time in the wild is less than 15 months—making them a sustainable catch with good survivability. Since these fish live in shallower water, capture methods usually include hand nets and barrier nets which are not known to be harmful.
Distribution
Ranging widely in the tropical Indo Pacific and eastern Mediterranean in shallow lagoons. More specifically: Western Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, Great Barrier Reef, Vanuatu (sighting), New Caledonia, Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru (sighting), Kiribati (sighting) and recently recorded in Tonga (sighting). These fish are mainly reef fish so it is wise to emulate a reef habitat when keeping them in the home aquarium. This would include artificial corals (not coral skeletons) and/or rockwork that allow the fish to browse comfortably.
Maximum Size
50 cm (9.4 inches), however they rarely grow to be half that size in captivity
Care Requirements
The minimum aquarium size is 75 gallons. This particular fish is one of the most hardy and disease-free animals that can be put in your home aquarium. Due to this fish’s continuous daytime browsing and waste production, it is recommended that circulation be medium to strong and accompanied by power filtration. In order to keep this fish successfully, it is important to provide a large stress-free water space with peaceful tankmates. Rabbitfishes seem to adapt and grow more readily when they are smaller; the optimal purchasing length is between three to four inches. The dorsal fin spines of a Rabbitfish can inflict a sting, so always exercise caution when handling them and cleaning the tank.
Food: Rabbitfishes naturally feed on algae growing in the aquarium. Therefore it is good to always grow that locally as a possible resource although the diet can be supplemented with other foods. In general they can survive on a varied diet consisting of mostly vegetable matter. Suggested food is dried and frozen foods that contain marine algae and blue-green alga spirulina. You can also add pieces of zucchini, broccoli, leaf lettuce, and dried seaweed (nori). Rabbitfishes may eat meaty, flake or palletized foods but an absence of veggies will cause the fish’s brilliant colors to fade contributing to a possible loss of health. This fish must be fed two to three times a day.
Compatibility: Rabbitfishes are mildy aggressive and non-predatory. In the wild, these fish usually occur singly or in pairs, but juveniles and sub-adults will swim around in large schools near coral where they like to feed on algae growing in the bases of the dead branches. Adult Rabbitfishes are known to be more aggressive and will fight with their own unless they are of the opposite sex or already paired. With that in mind, it is best to keep only one of these fish at a time unless acquired with a partner. On the other hand, they tend to ignore all other types of fish in an aquarium and others will disregard them due to their venomous spines. This fish should not be kept with other invertebrates and non-fishes because it will damage coral polyps, tubeworms and macro-algae by grazing.
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