All fish / Monacanthidae

Horseshoe Leatherjacket

Meuschenia hippocrepis

Also known as horseshoe leatherjacket, horse-shoe leatherjacket, horseshoe filefish

This is a large leatherjacket from the cool temperate reefs of southern Australia. Males have a bright blue-grey body with yellow and orange areas, blue lines and a dark horseshoe-shaped mark on the side, while females are duller. Public aquariums and keepers of cool-water reef tanks value it for its colour and inquisitive character.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

35 cm

Temperature

14 to 22 °C

pH

8 to 8.4

Smallest tank

800 litres

Keep as

Keep singly or as a single pair

Diet

Omnivore: shellfish, crustaceans, mysis, chopped seafood, plus algae and greens

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 12 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Southern Australia (southwestern Western Australia to Victoria and Tasmania)

Breeding

It lays eggs on the bottom in pairs, and these hatch into pelagic larvae. It has rarely, if ever, been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

It needs a chilled, temperate system because tropical temperatures will not suit it long term. It grows to more than 50 cm in the wild and will nip at invertebrates and corals, so it is not reef safe.