Ideas on Rabbitfish

Anybody out there have any experience with Rabbitfish. I know that they have some dangerous spines and that they like algae, but if any of you have kept either the foxface, variegated, or one-spot. Let me know how they do in a reef tank.

I am thinking of going this direction instead of a maroon clown because of the clowns propensity to fanning underneath the coral formations and causing structure problems.

The full complement of fish for this tank will be a goby (watchman, clearspot, or other), a blenny (bi-color, canary or midas), a blue damsel (they fan too), and either the clown or the rabbitfish.

I was going to put the goby and blenny in first so they can extablish their territory and then put the other two in simultaneously, at a later date.

That will be all the fish that I think this tank (80gal display, 38gal sump minus rock and substrate displacement = true water amount around 90gal) can handle.  [smiley=scholar.gif].

Drew

 

The rabbit fishes are very hardy and somewhat longlived (from experience not study) but i dislike thier shy and skittishness. They usually hit the dirt and change color at the approach untill they realize its feeding time. I have never had any problems with maroons bothering corals especially in large systems. I perfer Full grown true perculas for color and award winning character.

 

I've been keeping a foxface for about 3 months now and although it was skittish at first, this is no longer the case. As it is reputed to do, it cleans algae from the base of my sps corals as well as from the rock and glass. It is not at all aggressive with its tank mates (chevron tang, 2 true percs, purple firefish, blue chromis, pajama cardinal). Love that fish!

 

Ditto. I used to have one in an old tank. Very shy, wouldn't come out if we had friends over. One heck of a lawn mower though. Easy feeder.

 

I've decided on a Bi-color rabbitfish (siganus uspae). They don't get quite as big and seem to have all the traits of the other varieties. I think this will make a good addition to my reef tank. I really want to start with something that is relatively simple, it will be my first fish in the display tank. I have a neon damsel in the refugium right now and will throw her into the fray after the rabbit gets acclimated. I might add the blenny (midas or bicolor) and the goby(watchman or a clearspot if I put in the midas) when I put the rabbit in.

What do you think??  

Thank you all so much for your input!!
Drew

 

Sounds good Drew! Share some pics.
They don't eat plywood do they?

 

No I think plywood is off their menu, but I swear my neon hermit would eat the plywood if he could get past the epoxy paint!!! ;D

Pics coming soon!!

Drew

 

I got the Bi Color Foxface...it's a beauty. I put it in the tank with a Bi Color blennie and a Clearspot Goby and will have pics soon. The Rabbitfish was fairly shy but has come around in about a day...what a drama queen...you walk up to the tank and he turns into a splotchy looking "scared wittle wabbit" but has gotten more and more used to the commotion. The Blenny is a real character. ;D

The Clearspot has pretty much disappeared. Is this normal behaviour for a goby?..I do no know that much about them.. :-/

 

"scared white wabbit." ;D
I'd think they'll both come around after a week and they learn who feeds them now.

 

Clear Spotted gobies hide quite a bit at first.

I've kept varigated rabbitfish, love em in reefs. My friend recently told me that his cleaned the tank of all valonia, so I'm gonna give it a whirl next week as my valonia is outa hand. I have a bunch of baby varigated that I recently moved to a large macro tank to fatten them up. I'll bring the healthiest one home wednesday