LobsterOfJustice
Recovering Detritophobe
Wanted to start a showoff and discussion thread for those like myself who are fans of the genus Siganus. I am particularly a fan of the non-Foxface Rabbits, but I'll let Foxface owners get in on this too 
Reasons why Rabbitfish are better than Tangs:
1. They eat algae better. I have never seen a Tang chew on rocks the way a Rabbitfish will.
2. They are less aggressive than Tangs.
3. They are less active swimmers than Tangs, meaning a similar sized Rabbitfish does not require as large a tank as a Tang.
4. They have better pattern/markings than Tangs.
4 1/2. You can tell their mood from their coloration (you can do this to a point with Tangs, but with Rabbitfish it's really night-and-day different).
5. Everyone and their mother has Tangs. Rabbitfish aren't something you see every day.
I won't be completely one sided though... even as a card carrying fan club member I will admit Rabbitfish have some drawbacks:
1. Not as reef safe as Tangs, although usually not worse than Angels/Butterflies
2. They get BIG
3. They can be kind of skittish/spastic, and to paraphrase another RC member from memory (I believe it was snorvich) "skittish and venomous is not a good mix"
So that said... let the showoff/discussion begin!
Here is a picture of my new Gold Spot Rabbitfish (Siganus punctatus). They don't have the best record in reef tanks, but I figured it was worth the risk... I mean come on, look at this fish! Also, he was eating frozen cubes out of my hand literally the day after he was introduced to the tank. He wiped out a small colony of flame algae the first day in the tank, but hasn't touched corals yet (but it's way too early to call him safe).
And here is a picture of a Scibbled Rabbitfish (Siganus doliatus) I had when I first got in to the hobby. At first look they don't seem to look that great, but when they are settled in they have a great mix of color and pattern (the latter of which is missing in Tangs IMO). They have some great bright blue highlights that don't show up well in this photo. This particular guy ate some kinds of zoanthids but left others alone. Didn't bother any other corals. I eventually sold him to someone with a larger tank.
Reasons why Rabbitfish are better than Tangs:
1. They eat algae better. I have never seen a Tang chew on rocks the way a Rabbitfish will.
2. They are less aggressive than Tangs.
3. They are less active swimmers than Tangs, meaning a similar sized Rabbitfish does not require as large a tank as a Tang.
4. They have better pattern/markings than Tangs.
4 1/2. You can tell their mood from their coloration (you can do this to a point with Tangs, but with Rabbitfish it's really night-and-day different).
5. Everyone and their mother has Tangs. Rabbitfish aren't something you see every day.
I won't be completely one sided though... even as a card carrying fan club member I will admit Rabbitfish have some drawbacks:
1. Not as reef safe as Tangs, although usually not worse than Angels/Butterflies
2. They get BIG
3. They can be kind of skittish/spastic, and to paraphrase another RC member from memory (I believe it was snorvich) "skittish and venomous is not a good mix"
So that said... let the showoff/discussion begin!
Here is a picture of my new Gold Spot Rabbitfish (Siganus punctatus). They don't have the best record in reef tanks, but I figured it was worth the risk... I mean come on, look at this fish! Also, he was eating frozen cubes out of my hand literally the day after he was introduced to the tank. He wiped out a small colony of flame algae the first day in the tank, but hasn't touched corals yet (but it's way too early to call him safe).
And here is a picture of a Scibbled Rabbitfish (Siganus doliatus) I had when I first got in to the hobby. At first look they don't seem to look that great, but when they are settled in they have a great mix of color and pattern (the latter of which is missing in Tangs IMO). They have some great bright blue highlights that don't show up well in this photo. This particular guy ate some kinds of zoanthids but left others alone. Didn't bother any other corals. I eventually sold him to someone with a larger tank.
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