All fish / Siganidae

Orange-spotted Rabbitfish

Siganus guttatus

Also known as yellow blotch rabbitfish, goldspotted rabbitfish, orange spotted rabbitfish, golden rabbitfish, gold-spotted spinefoot, orange-spotted spinefoot, spotted rabbitfish, yellow-blotch spinefoot, ปลาสลิดหินจุดส้ม, ปลาสลิดทะเล, ikan dengkis, ikan debam

A deep-bodied, laterally compressed rabbitfish covered in small orange-gold spots over a silvery-grey body, with a bright yellow blotch near the rear of the dorsal fin. It is kept for its steady grazing on nuisance algae and its calm nature in large fish-only or reef systems. It tolerates brackish estuaries in the wild and is also an important food fish in Southeast Asia.

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

700 litres

Keep as

Singly or as a pair in a large tank; groups only in very large systems

Diet

Herbivore: nori and other seaweeds, spirulina and algae-based pellets, blanched greens, with some mysis

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

8 to 12 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Pacific: Andaman Sea, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines to southern China and Palau

Breeding

It is a pelagic group spawner that scatters adhesive eggs, often timed to the lunar cycle. It is bred routinely in aquaculture hatcheries in Southeast Asia, but spawning and rearing the tiny larvae in home aquariums is very rare.

Good to know

Fin spines carry venom and can cause a very painful sting, so handle with care and use a net. It grows to around 30 to 40 cm and may nibble soft corals or fleshy invertebrates when underfed.