Rabbit Fish: Foxface ID, Venomous Spines, Care and Eating

A rabbit fish, or rabbitfish, is a member of the family Siganidae: 29 species in the single genus Siganus, found across the Indo-Pacific (Wikipedia). The foxfaces, such as Siganus vulpinus, are the rabbitfish best known in aquariums. Rabbitfish are algae grazers that carry venomous fin spines.

Why they are called rabbitfish: LiveAquaria describes their small, hare-like mouths, large dark eyes and peaceful temperament. The scientific name has a different origin: Siganus is a Latin form of Sidjan, the local Arabic name in Yemen for the marbled rabbitfish (Wikipedia).

A different 'rabbit fish': the name rabbit fish is also used for chimaeras, mostly deep-water cartilaginous fish that are not related to Siganus (Wikipedia). If your fish came from deep water and has a single gill opening covered by a flap of skin, see our cartilaginous fish page.

The foxface rabbitfish, Siganus vulpinus, is easy to recognise (Wikipedia):

• Colour: a bright yellow body and a white head.
• Face mask: a black band runs back from the mouth through the eye to the start of the dorsal fin, giving the fox-like face.
• Size: up to 25 cm (9.8 in), more often 20 cm; LiveAquaria gives 9 inches.
• Night colours: when threatened or at night it changes to a duller, mottled pattern, so a blotchy foxface in the morning is not necessarily sick.
• Spines: 13 dorsal spines and 10 soft rays, with venom glands in the spines.

It lives in the far eastern Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, from Indonesia to the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, north to Taiwan and south to New Caledonia and Australia. Adults are usually alone or in pairs; juveniles may form large schools (Wikipedia).

All rabbitfish in the genus Siganus have venomous fin spines. Wikipedia gives the spine count for the family: 13 robust spines in the dorsal fin, 7 in the anal fin, and 2 in each pelvic fin. LiveAquaria describes the dorsal and anal spines as well developed and venomous and warns that they inflict a painful sting.

How poisonous is a foxface? Wikipedia describes a rabbitfish sting as very painful but generally not medically significant in healthy adults. That does not make it harmless: children, older people, anyone with a reaction beyond the sting site, or anyone stung many times should get medical help.

If you are stung:

• get out of the water and take the fish out of your hands' reach;
• call poison control for advice (in the US, 1-800-222-1222, per Poison Control);
• get emergency care at once for trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, chest pain, fainting, or pain and swelling that keep spreading;
• see a doctor if a spine may be broken off in the wound or the wound shows signs of infection.

To avoid a sting, move rabbitfish with a net or container and never grab one by hand; wear thick gloves for tank work near them.

LiveAquaria's care profile for the foxface (Siganus vulpinus), checked 25 September 2026:

• Minimum tank: 125 gallons.
• Care level: easy.
• Water: 72-78°F, pH 8.1-8.4, dKH 8-12, specific gravity 1.020-1.025.
• Diet: herbivore; offer fresh vegetables and algae. It grazes nuisance algae in the tank.
• Temperament: peaceful, except toward other rabbitfish; it can live with more aggressive fish.
• Reef tanks: 'with caution', because a poorly fed foxface may nip and eat soft and hard coral polyps.

Across the 12 rabbitfish LiveAquaria listed, all were rated peaceful, 10 moderate and 2 easy to care for, and 11 of 12 reef compatible only with caution. So a rabbitfish can live in a reef tank, but keep it well fed with algae and watch the corals.

Starting prices on LiveAquaria on 25 September 2026: little spinefoot $29.99; gold spotted rabbitfish $49.99; decorated rabbitfish $53.99; two barred rabbitfish $73.99; foxface Lo $79.99; one spot foxface $89.99; blue spotted rabbitfish $98.99; yellow blotch rabbitfish $99.99; bicolor foxface $117.99; magnificent foxface $149.99; Tongan black foxface $198.99. Prices vary with size and stock.

Rabbitfish are caught as food in parts of their range: Wikipedia says the catch is mostly sold fresh, and juveniles may be dried or made into fish paste. Two Red Sea species, Siganus rivulatus and S. luridus, have spread into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal (Wikipedia), so they now turn up in Mediterranean catches too.

The spines stay venomous after the fish is caught, so handle whole fish with gloves when cleaning them. We do not give a verdict on eating any particular rabbitfish; follow local advice where you buy or catch it, and contact a doctor or poison control if anyone is stung or feels unwell.

Research and drafting for this page were assisted by AI and checked line by line against the sources listed below. Every number names the organisation it comes from, and where sources disagree we say so instead of picking one silently. Prices and rules are given with the date we checked them (25 September 2026); they change, so confirm before you rely on them. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it.