Two Barred Rabbitfish – Siganus virgatus
Species name: Siganus virgatus
Common names: Barhead spinefoot, Two Barred Rabbitfish, Virgate Rabbitfish
Family: Siganidae (Rabbitfishes)
Order: Perciformes (perch-likes)
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 11.8 in.
Minimum tank size: 100 gallons
Hardiness: Medium
Aggressiveness: Peaceful except when housed with other Rabbitfish. May be housed with more aggressive fish and can be kept in pairs.
Reef Compatibility: With Caution. Safe if they are well-fed. If not, it is possible for them to nip at and consume some species of LPS and soft corals. They are not a threat to invertebrates or clams.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: southern India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands, Thailand, southern and eastern coasts of China, Taiwan, Ryukyu, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Northern Territory in Australia.
Diet: Feed on benthic seaweeds in the wild. In captivity, its diet should consists of a variety of fresh vegetables, algae and some meaty food. A sheet of nori should be supplied as well as other foods like, Formula I & II, mysis shrimp and flake food. It will eat a wide range of desirable and undesirable algae including all kinds of macro-algae and even bubble algae.
Additional information:
The Two Barred Rabbitfish, also known as the Barred Spinefoot or Virgate Rabbitfish is native of the Indo-West Pacific where it is usually found in shallow coastal waters (usually 1 – 20 m), around hard coral reefs and areas of sand with patches of rock and soft coral. Larger juveniles and adults occur in pairs in coastal reef flats, slopes and estuaries while small juveniles are found in mangroves and enter freshwater, moving to reefs usually in small groups among corals
It has an oblong shape to its body and has a beautiful series of blue markings. It also has a black band running diagonally from the bottom of the mouth to the top of the head and another behind the gill plate. Both bands are spotted with blue. It has venomous dorsal spines, which it will raise when stressed and to ward off aggressive tank-mates. For that reason, its predators will tend to leave it alone. 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 Two Barred Rabbitfish is terrific at algae control, especially for some of the really annoying hair algae strains. It is best kept singly, although pairs or small groups may be kept in aquariums of 125 gallons or more. They are generally reef-safe if they are well-fed. The ideal aquarium should 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
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