All fish / Mullidae

Dash-and-dot Goatfish

Parupeneus barberinus

Also known as dash and dot goatfish, dash-dot goatfish, barberinus goatfish, barred goatfish, goatfish, ปลาแพะ, biji nangka, オジサン, ikan kuniran, 条斑副绯鲤, 单带海绯鲤

A pale, slender goatfish with a dark stripe running from the snout through the eye to below the soft dorsal fin and a black spot at the base of the tail. It is kept for its constant activity, sifting sand with its two chin barbels, which helps stir the substrate in big systems.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Singly or in a small group in a very large tank

Diet

Carnivore: frozen mysis, krill, chopped seafood, sinking pellets, several feeds daily

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to the Society Islands and southern Japan to Australia

Breeding

It scatters pelagic eggs in open water and the larvae drift for weeks, so it has not been bred in home aquariums.

Good to know

Grows large (up to 50 cm in the wild) and needs a huge tank with deep, fine sand; it will eat small crustaceans, worms and other invertebrates, so it is labelled 'with caution' for reef tanks.