Maze Rabbitfish
Siganus vermiculatus
Marine Marine Indo-Pacific
A deep-bodied herbivore decorated with an intricate labyrinth of brown vermiculated lines across a light grey base. It makes a tireless grazer of nuisance macroalgae in massive reef systems. Take extreme care when netting or moving it, as its dorsal and anal spines carry venom.
Also called: Vermiculated spinefoot, Maze rabbitfish, Maze rabbit-fish, Rabbitfish.
Try it in the planner Opens a tank sized to its minimum with 1 fish added.
What it needs
| Item | Value | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Adult length | 35 cm | Used for the Space check: the tank must be long enough for the fish to turn round. |
| Smallest tank | 700 L, at least 180 cm long estimated | The least water and floor length this species is kept in for good, as a single fish or smallest group. |
| Extra water per added fish | 200 L estimated | What each further fish adds once the minimum is met. |
| Waste load | Class 4 of 5 estimated | How much waste an adult makes against its size. Feeds the Load check. |
| Temperature | 24 to 28 C | Stock sharing a tank need overlapping ranges. |
| pH | 8.1 to 8.4 | Compared with tankmates in the Water check. |
| Hardness | GH 8 to 12, KH 8 to 12 | Degrees of general and carbonate hardness. |
| Flow | High | Low-flow fish are stressed in a strong current. |
| Light | Bright | Matched to the lighting class on the needs sheet. |
| Group size | Single fish is fine | Not a schooling species. |
| Temperament | Peaceful | Not territorial. |
| Swims in | All levels | Fish that use different levels share a tank more easily. |
| Lifespan | About 12 years | A fish is a long commitment. |
| Experience | Some experience helps | A guide to how forgiving the species is of mistakes. |
| Jumps | Yes | Keep the tank covered. |
| Salinity | Marine, about SG 1.023 to 1.025 | Needs salt water, a different build and a longer-running tank than a freshwater set-up. |
Tags marked estimated are judged from the size and habits of the species rather than measured, so treat them as a sensible default.
Diet and tank layout
Maze Rabbitfish is an herbivore that swims in all levels of the tank. It eats or uproots plants, so choose hard-leaved species or none. Give it some cover.
Tankmates
Works with
- Blue Tang
- Ocellaris Clownfish
- Banggai Cardinalfish
- Firefish Goby
- Foxface Rabbitfish
- Green Mandarin
- Percula Clownfish
- Royal Gramma
- Sixline Wrasse
- Bicolor Blenny
- Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse
- Copperband Butterflyfish
- Diamond Watchman Goby
- Lawnmower Blenny
- Midas Blenny
- Neon Goby
- Orchid Dottyback
- Purple Firefish
- Spotted Mandarin
- Tailspot Blenny
- Yellow Clown Goby
- Yellow Coris Wrasse
- Yellow Watchman Goby
- Atlantic Blue Tang
- Bristletail Filefish
- Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
- Citron Clown Goby
- Convict Tang
- Golden Head Sleeper Goby
- Green Clown Goby
- Harlequin Tuskfish
- Lemonpeel Angelfish
- Longfin Bannerfish
- Longnose Hawkfish
- McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
- Moorish Idol
- Naso Tang
- Niger Triggerfish
- One-Spot Foxface
- Pink Skunk Clownfish
- Raccoon Butterflyfish
- Randall's Shrimp Goby
- Scopas Tang
- Sixspot Sleeper Goby
- Threadfin Butterflyfish
- Valentini Puffer
- Wheeler's Shrimp Goby
- Yellow Seahorse
- Yellowhead Jawfish
- Zebra Moray
- Arc-eye Hawkfish
- Banded Sleeper Goby
- Bird Wrasse
- Blackcap Basslet
- Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
- Bluejaw Triggerfish
- Bluestripe Pipefish
- Disco Blenny
- Dragon Wrasse
- Eibl's Angelfish
- Engineer Goby
- Exquisite Fairy Wrasse
- Filamented Flasher Wrasse
- Forktail Blenny
- Golden Butterflyfish
- Harlequin Filefish
- Herald's Angelfish
- Hi Fin Red Banded Goby
- Klein's Butterflyfish
- Lamarck's Angelfish
- Leopard Wrasse
- Longhorn Cowfish
- Longnose Butterflyfish
- Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse
- Orange Skunk Clownfish
- Orange Skunk Clownfish
- Pinkbar Goby
- Pinktail Triggerfish
- Radiant Wrasse
- Regal Angelfish
- Ruby Dragonet
- Rusty Angelfish
- Saddleback Clownfish
- Silver-Belly Wrasse
- Spotted Prawn Goby
- Starry Dragonet
- Stars and Stripes Puffer
- Steinitz' Shrimp Goby
Depends
- Blue Green Chromis
- Yellow Tang
- Bicolor Angelfish
- Clark's Clownfish
- Coral Beauty Angelfish
- Emperor Angelfish
- Flame Angelfish
- Lyretail Anthias
- Pajama Cardinalfish
- Sailfin Tang
- African Flameback Angelfish
- Blue Chromis
- Blueface Angelfish
- Cherubfish
- Flame Hawkfish
- Koran Angelfish
- Lined Seahorse
- Majestic Angelfish
- Schooling Bannerfish
- Bicolor Anthias
- Bicolor Chromis
- Chalk Bass
- Dispar Anthias
- Falco Hawkfish
- Goldrim Tang
- Kole Yellow Eye Tang
- Mimic Tang
- Pyramid Butterflyfish
- Queen Angelfish
- Scissortail Dartfish
Avoid
- Volitan Lionfish
- Blue Damselfish
- Domino Damselfish
- Four Stripe Damselfish
- Maroon Clownfish
- Powder Blue Tang
- Purple Tang
- Snowflake Moray Eel
- Three Stripe Damselfish
- Tomato Clownfish
- Antennata Lionfish
- Azure Damselfish
- Lemon Damselfish
- Longspine Porcupinefish
- Magenta Dottyback
- Picasso Triggerfish
- Royal Dottyback
- Sebae Clownfish
- Achilles Tang
- Cinnamon Clownfish
- Clearfin Lionfish
- Clown Tang
- Clown Triggerfish
- Diadem Dottyback
- Freckled Hawkfish
- Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish
- Humuhumu Triggerfish
- Lunar Wrasse
- Neon Damselfish
- Neon Dottyback
- Rock Beauty Angelfish
- Sohal Tang
Compare any two fish on the compatibility page, or print the equipment for a stock on the needs sheet. How this is worked out: the method.