Blue-spotted Rabbitfish – siganus corallinus
Species name: siganus corallinus. Has been called Siganus studeri in some publications.
Common names: Blue-spotted spinefoot, Coral Rabbitfish, yellow foxface Rabbitfish
Family: Siganidae (Rabbitfishes)
Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 13.77 in
Minimum tank size: 125 gallons
Hardiness:
Aggressiveness: Peaceful except when housed with other rabbitfish. Can be kept in pairs.
Reef Compatibility: With caution. It is possible for them to nip at some species of LPS and soft corals.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Aldabra Islands, Seychelles, Maldives, Andaman Sea, Thailand, Indonesia, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Singapore, Viet Nam, Philippines, Ryukyu Islands, Ogasawara Islands, Palau, ?Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Australia, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Replaced by Siganus trispilos in northwest Australia
Diet: Omnivore. It eats mostly vegetable matter but will also accept some meaty foods. They will eat macroalgae, microalgal and cyanobacterial mats as well. In fact, they are one of the better hair alga consumers. In captivity, a sheet of nori should be supplied as well as other foods like, Formula I & II, mysis shrimp and flake food. Should receive at least several feedings per day.
Additional information:
The Blue Spotted Rabbitfish, also known as the Coral Rabbitfish, is native to the Indo-West Pacific at depths of 10 to 100 feet. Juveniles are usually found in small schools in shallow seagrass beds and reefs (often among Acropora corals) while adults are usually found in pairs on shallow coral reefs.
The body elongated and yellow-orange in colour. There is also bright blue spots on the entire body and a dark area above and behind the eye. Spots are larger and more crowded on the head and sometime smaller on the side of the body. Very small juveniles (up to 2 in) may have vertical blue lines on side, fragmenting into spots with increase in size. They seem to “color shift” even more than the common Foxface rabbitfish.
Care needs to be taken with them, as they have poisonous spines. When stressed, they will flash and point their poisonous spines at any fish or hand in the tank. Their sting is similar to a Lionfish.
One of the most interesting thing about rabbitfish is their ability to change colour (from light to dark) depending on their mood and at night. This color changes is normal with this species, but if the dark shades persist, may take that as sign of problem. The following video is a great example:
The Blue Spotted Rabbitfish likes to live in a reef like environment so provide rock and plant matter along with room to swim. They need a good size tank of at least 4 foot.
The Blue Spotted Rabbitfish is best kept singly or in pairs and may be kept in aquariums of 125 gallons or more. If kept with corals, they should be monitored as they are known to nip at some species of LPS and soft coral. They are generally reef-safe if they are well-fed. The ideal aquarium should be at least 4 foot long, have a temperature of 72 to 78F with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4 and a specific gravity between 1.023 and 1.025.
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Article written by www.aquariumslife.com
References: FishBase, Australian Museum
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