Golden Rabbitfish - Medium

These fish are becoming increasing popular with aquarists due to their beauty and algae-eating activity.

Its body is a silvery-white colour that covered in many beautiful browny orange spots. This camouflage pattern that includes a distinctive posterior yellow false eye to confuse predators. This yellow false eye is also the origin of one of the other names that this fish is known by which is the Yellow Blotch Rabbitfish.

Its dorsal spines are venomous (which it can raise when disturbed) take care when handling to avoid being stung by the spines.

In the wild, the Golden Rabbitfish are on seaward reefs, where it feeds, as all Rabbitfish do, on benthic algae. Younger fish live in shallow estuaries and often travel in large shoals. As the fish matures, it pairs off and inhabits coastal reef zones. It lives on reefs in the Western Pacific region.

Tank Recommendations for Golden Rabbit Fish

It requires a 473 litre (125 gallon) or larger aquarium with plenty of open swim space.

Rabbitfish are usually reef-safe when well fed, if not they may nip at and eat some soft corals.

When these fish are juveniles they will appreciate live rock in the aquarium so that they can use it to hide if they feel threatened.

Suitable Tank Buddies

This is a very peaceful species which makes it a good reef fish except when housed with other Rabbitfish. The Golden Rabbitfish can be housed with more aggressive fish and can be kept in pairs.

Usually Compatible

Good tank mates for these Rabbitfish are most reef fish, as they are peaceful they won’t harass other fish in your aquarium. So Angelfish, Clownfish, Basslets and Damselfish all make good reef mates for these fish.

Sometime Compatible

Monitor these fish when you keep them with Tangs, Sharks, Rays and Triggerfish. If they aren’t kept well fed then they may start pecking at invertebrates and live corals.

Rarely Compatible

You shouldn’t keep Rabbitfish with slow swimmers like Seahorses and Pipefish as they will get out-competed for food by the Rabbitfish.

Feeding Your Golden Rabbit Fish

The Golden Rabbit Fish is a herbivore and will eat algae growing on live rock in your tank. Their diet should also algae sheets and other foods formulated for algae-eating fish which can include pellet foods and nori seaweed sheets.

In the aquarium, they may also take live food like brine shrimp, frozen foods like shredded shrimps or fish being offered to other tank mates. Keep them well fed if you have live corals or invertebrates in your tank so they don’t start looking at them as a meal.