Barred Rabbitfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Give it a 400 litre or larger tank with open swimming room and algae-covered rock at 24 to 27 C. It is a great algae grazer and generally coral-safe, but it can nip soft corals such as Xenia when hungry, so keep it well fed and treat it as reef safe with caution. Feed plenty of nori, spirulina and marine algae several times a day plus some prepared foods. Handle it carefully, since the fin spines are venomous.

In the wild

The barred rabbitfish is a blue-lined, yellow-backed grazer marked with dark bars, often seen in pairs on lagoon and outer reefs. It spends the day eating algae off the rock. It is peaceful and hardy but armed with venomous spines. Adults are strong, active algae-eaters.

Good to know

Siganus doliatus reaches about 25 cm and, like all rabbitfish, carries venomous spines in its dorsal, anal and pelvic fins. A jab produces a painful sting similar to a bee sting. It is an efficient herbivore that helps control filamentous and turf algae.

Did you know

It raises venomous fin spines when threatened, so most predators, and careful aquarists, leave it well alone.

Related species

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  Bicolor Foxface

  Siganus uspi

  9.4 in (24 cm)124 gal (470 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Foxface Rabbitfish

  Siganus vulpinus

  9.4 in (24 cm)75 gal (285 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Magnificent Foxface

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• 

  Two-barred Rabbitfish

  Siganus virgatus

  11.8 in (30 cm)119 gal (450 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  One-Spot Foxface

  Siganus unimaculatus

  7.9 in (20 cm)70 gal (265 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Lamarck's Angelfish

  Genicanthus lamarck

  9.8 in (25 cm)124 gal (470 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)