Goldline Rabbitfish

Siganus lineatus

Also known as Golden-Lined Spinefoot, Goldlined Rabbitfish, Goldspot Spinefoot, Lined Rabbitfish

SaltwaterFish

Goldline Rabbitfish (Siganus lineatus) — Rickard Zerpe · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 16.9 in (43 cm)
Minimum tank: 125 gal (473 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: Hard
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe with caution
Origin: Indo-West Pacific, Maldives to Vanuatu
Family: Siganidae

Overview

A hardy, fast-growing herbivore that grazes all day and eventually needs a spacious, long tank with open swimming lanes. It is peaceful with unrelated species but can squabble with other rabbitfish, and an underfed one may start sampling soft corals and fleshy LPS.

In the wild

Found around lagoons and coastal reefs of the Indo-West Pacific from the Maldives east to Vanuatu. Juveniles pack into mangroves and estuary seagrass, then move out to the reef, where adults gather in schools that can number in the thousands.

Good to know

Fine golden lines and dots cover the pale blue body, with a bright yellow blotch about the size of the eye sitting below the last dorsal rays. The fin spines carry venom like those of all rabbitfish, and adults grow large, up to about 43 cm.

Did you know

This is one of the few large reef herbivores raised in hatcheries at scale, and the Palau facility that supplies the trade has released more than one hundred thousand extra juveniles onto local reefs.