Latin name | Upeneus tragula - Richardson, 1846 |
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Local name | Freckled goatfish |
Family | Mullidae - Upeneus |
Origin | East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, Japan, The Red Sea, Indonesia, Central/West Pacific |
Max length | 25 cm (9.8") |
Minimum volume | 1500 l (396 gal) |
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Hardiness | Average |
Suitable for aquarium | Experience, preparation and extra care required |
Reef safe | Reef safe with caution |
Aggressiveness | Docile |
Recommended |
Fish Larger crustaceans (Shrimp, crabs...) Other invertebrates Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) Zooplankton (Cyclops, pods...) |
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This species is known to jump out of open aquaria.
This species can be a threat for small fishes, crustaceans, worms, snails etc.
This species searches through the sand for food, which can make the water cloudy and shakes up detritus.
In an aquarium their natural food source in the sand is quickly exhausted.
This species revels in swimming and requires an aquarium with ample space.
This species is very shy and docile, so one should be careful when keeping it with more aggressive fish.
Goatfish (Mullidae) have a very characteristic "beard" which they use when searching the sand for food. The aquarium should therefore have a large open area with both sand and coral gravel for example.
These fish are not particularly well suited to aquaria as they often die after a few months due to malnutrition.
To succeed with these fish, one must feed them a varied diet 4-5 times a day, this in addition, to them finding their own food in the aquarium.
It can be difficult to fulfil their dietry needs, as they quickly consume the natural food in the tank and the amount of feeding places a large strain on the aquarium.
They require a large amount of food when young, but less when fully grown.
Goatfish are considered predators, as they will eat small fish and crustaceans.
Aquarium trade | Yes |
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Distribution | Eastern Indian Ocean to Western Pacific: from Andaman Islands to E Australia and to Japan and New Caledonia. |
English common names |
Darkband goatfish Freckled goatfish Mottled goatfish Bar-tail goatfish Bartail goatfish Bar-tailed goatfish |
French common names |
Capucin d'herbiers Capucin souris à bande sombre |
Scott W. Michael. 2004. Angelfishes and Butterflyfishes (Reef Fishes Series Book 3) TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Bob Fenner. Mulling Over the Goatfishes, Family Mullidae, Part I - Wet Web Media - (English)
Bob Fenner. Mulling Over the Goatfishes, Family Mullidae, Part II - Wet Web Media - (English)
Bob Fenner. Mulling Over the Goatfishes, Family Mullidae, Part III - Wet Web Media - (English)
Bob Fenner. Goatfishes in Indonesia, Family Mullidae - Wet Web Media - (English)
Minimum volume
"Minimum volume" indicates the size of the tank needed to house this species under optimal conditions.
This is based on a medium size animal, which you want to keep for several years.
It might be possible to keep smaller specimens for a limited period in a smaller tank. A larger tank might be needed for fully-grown specimens.
Hardiness
"Hardiness" indicates how resistant this species is to disease and how well i tolerates bad conditions in general.
Some species doesn't handle transportation very well, but that doesn't mean that the species isn't hardy under the right conditions.
Suitable for aquarium
In this case, a "normal" aquarium is a reef aquarium with mixed corals or a fish only aquarium with an approximately salinity of 1.026 (sg) and a temperature close to 26°C.
Species requiring more than a 4000-liter tank are considered not suitable for home aquarium.
Special aquariums may cover tanks with low salinity, sub-tropical temperature, deep sand bed, sea grass etc.
Reef safe
Always reef safe: No sources indicate that this species will harm corals or other invertebrates.
Often reef safe: Only a few aquarists has reported problems keeping this species with corals and other invertebrates.
Reef safe with caution: This species may be a threat to some types of invertebrates.
Reef safe with luck: Most specimens will harm corals and/or other invertebrates, but you might be lucky.
Not reef safe: This species is a threat to most corals and/or other invertebrates.