Rabbitfish ID help please

[my2rotties]

I aquired this really nice fish when a member tore down his tank, and I bought the last of his equipment. I know she is a rabbitfish but cannot find a picture that matches what she looks like. She is fairly big, about 6-7" long, and is very mellow. I was told she is a Scribbled rabitfish but the pictures show the same body shape buy different colouration. Do they change from youngsters to adults by any chance?

[Delphinus]

No, Razz had the common name wrong. (Part of the problem with common names is a lot of wholesalers and retailers get them wrong and then it perpetuates down to us commoners.) Anyhow, the only reason I know this because for the amount of time it took me to find a legitimate "scribbled rabbitfish" (Siganus doliatus) I became rather obsessive-compulsive about ID'ing scribbled rabbitfish. Anyhow what you have is not a S. doliatus.

What you DO have there is I think is one of Siganus stellatus or Siganus punctatus. I can't really tell from the picture to be 100% which one. A third but less likely possibility is Siganus guttatus.

Here's a good page with pictures of each species: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/rabbitfi.htm

My suggestion is try googling these species names and compare the pictures to what you see and which one of the 3 most likely suspects will probably become more apparent.

[fishoholic]

I was thinking he kinda looked like Siganus punctatus only I can't tell what colouration he is and it looks like he has some different markings/lines on him. Sort of looks like a cross between a Siganus stellatus and a Siganus punctatus.

[my2rotties]

She does look more like the first, but she does not have a lighter tail like the first one. Her colouration runs the same from from to back. She does look like a cross between the two, but I doubt fish do that, or do they? I know certain species of birds from the same variety can cross breed, so maybe fish do it too.

I do notice she has a film over her eyes, much like my last foxface rabbitfish. I worried about my foxface, but my research turned up nothing on the eye film. Other then that she is super healthy and really big. I was wondering what she was, since I just wanted a mature size on her.

Razz or Ray is a wonderful guy. It was really sad to see him tear his tank down. He was a wealth of knowledge and now I am in a better spot in the hobby because of him. He has a wonderful family and it was a pleasure to meet him for sure.

Thanks for the help!!!

[Alberta-newb]

Welcome to the world of rabbitfish! Indeed they can be somewhat difficult to ID, like Delphinus I was on the quest for Siganus doliatus Scribbled Rabbitfish and thought I had one when my order came in...unfortunately mine is what I believe to be a Siganus argenteus which could eventually grow to 16"! The hard part with IDing is that they are masters of disguise and change colors and patterns as their moods suit them. Mine is often almost completely black, other times silver, or disguised as rock... This picture shows just a few of his "moods"



This is the same fish with some photos on the same day! Fascinating to watch as he can change his color and patterns almost instantly. This is why IDing from photos on the net can be tough.

Francis "Alberta-newb"

[Delphinus]

I'm sure what happened was this fish was sold as a scribbled rabbitfish. The problem is common names (as opposed to latin names) are very loosely used and things just show up on lists and sometimes mixups occur. It's entirely possible that scribbled rabbit fish is a common name for this species too, it's just that it's more often used to describe S. doliatus (also called "bluelined rabbit" or "penciled rabbit" .. but then guess what, "bluelined rabbit" may also refer to S. virgatus or S. puellus ... etc. etc.) The basic gyst of my blathering here is that common names are more of a gong show. I prefer latin id's when possible but I guess that just means my geek is showing.

Anyhow, rabbitfish have very large eye lenses. That film you see is just how they are. I don't think I've ever seen a perfectly clear lens on a rabbitfish, I think it's just the way light refracts through them. It's not pop eye or cloudy eye at all - it will have a much milkier look to it if that were the case.

[Alberta-newb]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

...The basic gyst of my blathering here is that common names are more of a gong show. I prefer latin id's when possible but I guess that just means my geek is showing.

Tony, so very true! I guess I'm a geek too as the first thing I try to figure out is the latin name. With mine, I asked them to double check the shipping manifest and confirm I was receiving a doliatus as I ordered....seems even the wholesalers are wrong sometimes, oh well, I love my "brown trout" anyway

Originally Posted by Delphinus

..Anyhow, rabbitfish have very large eye lenses. That film you see is just how they are. I don't think I've ever seen a perfectly clear lens on a rabbitfish, I think it's just the way light refracts through them. It's not pop eye or cloudy eye at all - it will have a much milkier look to it if that were the case.

I'm glad to hear this, I was concerned that mine has these funky clouded eyes but he certainly doesn't appear to have any vision problems as he can gulp up food faster than any of his tankmates. The cloudiness also has some fluorescense as it will often glow a bright blue, especially under actinics only. Strangely, sometimes his eyes will clear right up and in his "night stealth" mode (when he's disguised as a rock) his lenses will develop a black cross pattern as part of his camo. Very strange fish indeed

[my2rotties]

I am glad to know about the eye lenses as well. I read it was normal, but what my research has turned up in the hobby, does not always apply

Doug told me to PM you Francis but I forgot the piece of paper at the store when when I left the other day. He said you had a huge rabbitfish... It is a really cool fish.

This morning my rabbitfish was white with the darker spots, instead of brown on dark brown. She is such a big and peaceful fish, and I am fortunate to have her. Thanks for the help guysx, you are awesome.

[300g]

in asia is call sesame rabbit fish from Maldive island.

[langdon reefer]

Originally Posted by my2rotties

I aquired this really nice fish when a member tore down his tank, and I bought the last of his equipment. I know she is a rabbitfish but cannot find a picture that matches what she looks like. She is fairly big, about 6-7" long, and is very mellow. I was told she is a Scribbled rabitfish but the pictures show the same body shape buy different colouration. Do they change from youngsters to adults by any chance?

Siganus stellatus
i agree if you got her from somoen in calgary she mak have been mine at one time...lol i got her shipped from florida...lol