Parupeneus macronemus

(Lacepede, 1801)

Longbarbel Goatfish

Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: Red Sea to Papua New Guinea, north to the Philippines, and south to Natal, South Africa.

Size: 16 inches (40 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits lagoon reefs, reef faces, and fore-reef slopes at depths between 3 - 100 feet (1 – 30 m) and mainly feeds on crustaceans and worms.

General Husbandry: Rarely ever seen in the trade, often with a silvery body (sometimes reddish) having a horizontal dark band beginning on the snout and extending to the aft body, and a black spot on the caudal peduncle.

Best maintained in very large fish-only aquariums with wide-open swimming and unencumbered substrate areas and with several areas to hide, as this is a shy species. 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 any ornamental crustaceans and small fishes in the aquarium.

Live glass/ghost shrimp, live black worms (Lumbriculus variegatus), and sinking shrimp pellets are also welcomed foodstuffs.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Percoidei

Family: Mullidae

Genus: Parupeneus

FYI: Mostly unsuitable for hobbyist aquariums due to its physical size, and that it is not a sand sifter, but more a small fish and live crustaceans consumer.

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: 200+ gallons

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

Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5