Upeneus

Upeneus tragula

Richardson, 1846

Freckled Goatfish, Bartailed Goatfish

Not Reef Tank Suitable

Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Red Sea to Vanuatu and New Caledonia, north to Southern Japan, and south to Norfolk Island.

Size: 12 inches (30 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits seagrass beds and sand flats in lagoons and fringing reefs at depths between 3 - 30 feet (1 – 10 m) and mainly feeds on crabs, shrimps, and worms.

General Husbandry: Rarely ever seen in the trade, and has an elongated silvery white body with reddish brown blotches, a red stripe beginning on the snout and through the eye to the caudal peduncle and five or six black bands on its tail.

Best maintained in large fish-only aquariums with wide-open swimming and unencumbered substrate areas. As to diet, feed a wide variety of frozen and fresh meaty foodstuffs (chopped squid, scallops, fish flesh, shrimp, clam, etc.) at least several times daily. Will also consume ornamental crustaceans in the aquarium, and possibly small fishes.

May need live glass/ghost shrimp and live black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus) to get feeding.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Percoidei

Family: Mullidae

Genus: Upeneus

FYI: This species does not probe the substrate, it uses its barbels to find shrimp and crabs in the crevices of rubble, therefore will not stir the aquarium’s substrate.

Sometimes sold in the trade as the ‘Assorted Goatfish.’

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Peaceful

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: No

Fish Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Peaceful or non-aggressive

Minimum Tank Size: 150 gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 79°F (22 – 26°C)