Tropical Fish Species

Saltwater and Marine Species:

Foxface And Rabbitfish

Java rabbitfish (Siganus javus) feast on a jellyfish at Richelieu Rock

Java rabbitfish (Siganus javus) feast on a jellyfish at Richelieu Rock. Moments later the remains of the jellyfish fell to the seabed.

Photo courtesy of Bubble Vision underwater video

The Foxface or Rabbitfish are unique looking marine fishes; they have big eyes, small mouths that are at the end of a long snout and very “spikey” fins. Their fins are actually full of venomous spines that are used for self defense.

The Foxface can be found in the shallower waters along the Indo-Pacific region where they feed on algae and other vegetation. Several species are quite colorful and make for good aquarium inhabitants.

A large tank is required for the Foxface, as most species will grow up to 9 inches in length. They are hardy peaceful fish and should be provided with a lot of rockwork for shelter and retreats. Preferably, live rock should be used so that they have a supply of algae to graze on.

They will eat all types of food but their diet should consist mainly of vegetable matter such as dried seaweed sheets, frozen spirulina, lettuce, spinach, herbivore preparations, etc.).

It is best to keep just one Foxface per tank to prevent fighting and their tankmates should not include large aggressive fishes.

Unfortunately, these fishes are very difficult to breed in captivity.

TankConditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12

Compatibility: Gobies, groupers, grunts and sweetlips, jawfish, hawkfish, hogfish, lions, scorpions, parrotfish, pseudochromis, puffers, squirrelfish, live rock, sand.

Foxface And Rabbits Care

Use caution when handling these fish, as the spines will inflict a painful sting. It is best to use two nets to corral these fish into a container, rather than a single net to transfer these fish.

These fish are very hardy and disease resistant and make an excellent addition to a medium- to large-sized saltwater aquarium.

Rabbitfish are one of the few species that will eat problematic Bryopsis algae. Even though these fish are herbivores, use caution if they are to be housed in a reef aquarium, as they may nip at some corals and sessile invertebrates.