Is this reef safe?

[A_Lee]

Is a rabbitfish reef safe in regards to basic SPS, and LPS? I saw one I really like - I believe it is Siganus doliatus. It was small too.
What kind of algae do they tend to eat?

 

[tapmorf]

The websites and articles I have encountered always say " Add with Caution" to a reef environment.

I have never had this particular type of rabbit fish.

My experience with the foxface and the virgate is a good one. I have never seen any of them go after SPS or LPS in my reef and I have had luck with rabbitfish in the past and they usually will clean off the hair algae.

 

[A_Lee]

I see, thanks for the feedback Joyce; it is because of those websites (and a book or two) that I wanted to post here and see if anyone has had any bitter experiences to speak of. I love the colors it has. Normally I see them a pretty good size, but I saw some nice small ones that would be perfect for my 33g cube.
What did you use to feed yours Joyce? I don't have [or plan] to have any hair algae in my tank ... do you know if it will rasp/pick at nuisance micro algae like diatoms?
Thanks!

 

[tapmorf]

The rabbitfish does usually like to pick at rockwork and even the sandbed. When I had tangs in my tank, I use to hang nori and the rabbitfishes would always be one of the first to take part. They will eat just about anything, frozen, flake to pellets, not too picky. That is my experience with them. Maybe others have a different experience.


[quote author=A_Lee link=topic=6296.msg80199#msg80199 date=1234327279]
I see, thanks for the feedback Joyce; it is because of those websites (and a book or two) that I wanted to post here and see if anyone has had any bitter experiences to speak of. I love the colors it has. Normally I see them a pretty good size, but I saw some nice small ones that would be perfect for my 33g cube.
What did you use to feed yours Joyce? I don't have [or plan] to have any hair algae in my tank ... do you know if it will rasp/pick at nuisance micro algae like diatoms?
Thanks!
[/quote]

 

[iani]

[quote author=A_Lee link=topic=6296.msg80199#msg80199 date=1234327279]
I see, thanks for the feedback Joyce; it is because of those websites (and a book or two) that I wanted to post here and see if anyone has had any bitter experiences to speak of. I love the colors it has. Normally I see them a pretty good size, but I saw some nice small ones that would be perfect for my 33g cube.
What did you use to feed yours Joyce? I don't have [or plan] to have any hair algae in my tank ... do you know if it will rasp/pick at nuisance micro algae like diatoms?
Thanks!
[/quote]

I would not put one is a 33 gallon. They grow really fast. It will outgrow your 33 very quickly.

 

[A_Lee]

It is only 1.5" Can easily be removed when it gets larger.
Either way, I'm reading more and more about they tendency to pick at LPS, so I'm not sure I am going to go with this fish ...

 

[tapmorf]

I would not put one is a 33 gallon. They grow really fast. It will outgrow your 33 very quickly.
[/quote]

Yes I tend to agree with Ian on the tank size. I would think at the least a 75g for a rabbitfish.

 

[tapmorf]

[quote author=tapmorf link=topic=6296.msg80334#msg80334 date=1234369677]
I would not put one is a 33 gallon. They grow really fast. It will outgrow your 33 very quickly.
[/quote]

Yes I tend to agree with Ian on the tank size. I would think at the least a 75g for a rabbitfish.

[/quote]

Sorry double post.

 

[Elite]

http://www.bareefers.org/discussion/index.php?topic=5921.0

My fish is smaller than the rabbitfish and my tank has a lot more swimming space than your tank. I listened to Gresham and traded the fish for coral.

 

[GreshamH]

They grow unusually fast for a fish (not Cobia or Talipia fast, but fast). I'd suspect you only have a couple months until he outgrows that tank. IN the wild they wrong large areas and aren't limited to the reef.

 

[badbread]

Do rabbitrish do some really funky color changing thing when stressed like a bi-color?

 

[GreshamH]

Yup, as do most marine fish In fact I can' recall one that doesn't do it (thinking back to all the fish I've processed)

 

[sfsuphysics]

I liked my blue damsel, turned a kick ass dark grey when I was moving him.

 

[Raddogz]

I keep mine in a 155g and it doubled in a little over a year.

 

[GreshamH]

Humans change colors depending on mood/stress

 

[badbread]

Good point Gresh, way to think out of the box Hunter.

 

[iani]

My rabbitfish went from like 2-2.5" to about 7 inches in a years time.

 

[A_Lee]

[quote author=iani link=topic=6296.msg80468#msg80468 date=1234387490]
My rabbitfish went from like 2-2.5" to about 7 inches in a years time.
[/quote]

what size tank was it in?

 

[Gomer]

Likely started in his ADA which is 36"X18"X18" (58g) then transfered to his custom 48x30x18(?)

 

[iani]

48x18x18 to a 48x30x20.