Vaubans gurnard
Lepidotrigla vaubani
Vaubans gurnard exhibits a streamlined body with vibrant reddish-brown coloration and distinctive, wing-like pectoral fins.
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About the Vaubans gurnard
Lepidotrigla vaubani is a small, bottom-dwelling marine gurnard (sea robin) from the western Pacific. Like other gurnards its "walking" pectoral fin rays are the fun part - it creeps along the seafloor poking around for little crustaceans and worms, way more personality than you would expect from a bycatch-type fish.
Also known as
Quick Facts
Size
10.6 cm SL
Temperament
Peaceful
Difficulty
Expert
Min Tank Size
75 gallons
Lifespan
unknown
Origin
Western Pacific
Diet
Carnivore - small crustaceans, worms, meaty frozen foods
Water Parameters
22-26°C
8-8.4
8-12 dGH
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This species needs 22-26°C in a 75 gallon tank. Use our heater calculator to find the right wattage.
Calculate heater sizeCare Notes
- Give it a big, bottom-heavy tank with open sand to cruise and hunt - think 4+ ft footprint, not a tall reef tower. Fine sand beats crushed coral because they nose around and can scrape up on sharp stuff.
- Keep it cool-temperate, not tropical: aim roughly 60-68F (15-20C) with steady salinity around 1.024-1.026 and strong oxygenation. Warm water and low O2 is where they go downhill fast.
- They are messy carnivores, so plan on oversizing filtration and doing real water changes; nitrate creep will show up as poor appetite and lethargy. A skimmer that actually pulls gunk matters more than fancy lights.
- Feed meaty foods on the bottom: chopped shrimp, squid, clam, silversides, and sinking marine carnivore pellets once they take them. Use tongs/target feeding at first because they can be slow to compete at the surface.
- Tankmates need to be chill and not bitey: avoid triggers, puffers, big wrasses, and anything that nips fins or outcompetes at feeding time. Also skip tiny fish and small shrimp - if it fits in the mouth, it is food.
- Watch the spines on the head and pectorals when netting or handling - use a container to move it, not a net, unless you like untangling. Cover intakes and powerheads because they like to park on the bottom and can get pinned.
- Breeding in home tanks is basically a long shot; they are seasonal spawners and males/females are hard to sex without a group and a big, chilled system. If you try, give them a seasonal temp swing and heavy feeding, but do not expect larvae to be easy.
Compatibility
Good Tankmates
- Other mellow small-to-mid reef fish that mind their own business, like firefish (Nemateleotris) or dartfish - they stay up in the water column and the gurnard just cruises the bottom
- Gobies and blennies that are not super territorial, like watchman gobies (Cryptocentrus) or tailspot blennies - different niches, minimal drama as long as there are plenty of perches and caves
- Small wrasses with decent manners, like flasher/fairy wrasses (Paracheilinus/Cirrhilabrus) - active but usually not bullies, and they do not compete much for bottom space
- Cardinals and chromis (Banggai cardinals, blue/green chromis) - calm midwater schoolers, easy roommates that will not hassle a bottom walker
- Peaceful rabbitfish or smaller tangs in a roomy tank (one, not a crowd) - they are busy grazing and typically ignore the gurnard completely
- Bigger, non-predatory, non-pinchy inverts like cleaner shrimp and snails - generally fine, just feed the gurnard well so it is not constantly prowling for snacks
Avoid
- Aggressive or super territorial fish like dottybacks, big damsels, and many hawkfish - they will pester it and it will spend its life stressed and hiding
- Triggers and large wrasses that like to pick at things (clown triggers, some Thalassoma) - fin nipping and constant harassment is a real risk
- Big predators like groupers, lionfish, or large scorpionfish - if it fits in their mouth, it is on the menu, and gurnards are not fast sprinters
- Crabs and other pinchers that roam the sand (large hermits, emeralds that got huge, predatory crabs) - they can grab at those walking fins or hassle it at night
Where they come from
Vaubans gurnard (Lepidotrigla vaubani) is a bottom-dwelling sea robin from the eastern Atlantic and parts of the Mediterranean. Think coastal shelves with sand and rubble, where they can sit, sift, and pounce on small crustaceans. They are not a reef fish in the usual sense - they are a little predator that wants a seafloor.
Setting up their tank
If you try to keep this fish like a pretty reef display, you will spend a lot of time frustrated. Set the tank up like a shallow, open bottom habitat and life gets way easier. They want floor space, calm-ish flow down low, and a place to park themselves where they feel secure.
- Tank size: I would not bother under 75-90 gallons, and bigger is better because they use the footprint more than the height.
- Substrate: fine sand. Coarse gravel can scrape them up, and they like to rest and scoot around on their belly.
- Rockwork: keep it simple. A few stable rock piles or low ledges for breaks in the line of sight, but leave lots of open sand.
- Flow: moderate overall, but avoid blasting the bottom. Aim powerheads so the sand is not constantly shifting.
- Filtration: heavy. These are meaty-food fish and they put a load on the system. Oversize your skimmer and run carbon if you like clear water.
- Water: stable salinity around 1.025 and stable temp in the usual marine range. Consistency matters more than chasing numbers.
They are jump-capable in the worst way: calm for weeks, then spook and launch. Use a tight lid or mesh top with no gaps around plumbing.
Give them a couple of "parking spots". A shallow depression in the sand behind a rock, or a low cave with a sandy entrance, makes them settle and feed more confidently.
What to feed them
They are hunters that key in on movement and smell. Mine took frozen once it learned the routine, but it did not happen on day one. Live foods can be a useful bridge, then you transition to frozen and fresh.
- Best staples: thawed shrimp, chopped clam, squid, scallop, and good marine carnivore blends.
- Treats and training foods: live ghost shrimp or live blackworms (if you can source them safely) to get a new fish eating.
- Avoid: freshwater feeder fish. Not worth the parasites and fatty acid issues.
- Feeding style: target feed with tongs or a feeding stick. Drop food right in front of them on the sand so it is easy to find.
If they ignore food, kill the pumps for 5-10 minutes and feed near their face. In a busy tank, food gets whisked away before they commit.
Watch the belly line. A gurnard that is eating well looks solid through the midsection. A pinched look behind the head usually means it is losing the competition at feeding time.
How they behave and who they get along with
Personality-wise they are pretty chill, but they are still a predator with a big mouth for their body. They spend a lot of time perched on the bottom, then suddenly pivot and pounce. The walking fin rays are fun to watch - they sort of "feel" around in the sand.
- Good tankmates: medium to larger, non-bullying fish that will not outcompete them hard at feeding time.
- Risky tankmates: aggressive feeders (big wrasses, large dottybacks) that leave them hungry and stressed.
- Do not mix with: small fish and small crustaceans you care about. Shrimp, tiny gobies, and similar-sized snacks tend to disappear.
- Inverts: snails and tougher cleanup crew sometimes work, but anything bite-sized is on the menu.
Most gurnards do not belong in a decorative shrimp-and-nano-fish community. If it fits, it is food. If it does not fit, it might still get harassed during a hunting burst.
They are usually fine as a single specimen. Mixing gurnards can work in big tanks with a lot of floor space, but I would only try it if you can keep everyone well fed and you have room for them to spread out. Crowding turns "peaceful" into "grumpy".
Breeding tips
Breeding in home aquariums is not common. In the wild they are seasonal spawners, and like many marine fish the larvae are planktonic and tiny. That means you would be looking at live rotifers, phytoplankton, larval systems, and a lot of trial and error. I would treat this one as a display and behavior fish rather than a realistic breeding project.
If you ever see courtship or spawning behavior, document it. Even basic notes (temp, day length, diet, tankmates) can be useful because there is not much hobby-level info out there.
Common problems to watch for
Most issues I have seen with gurnards come down to shipping stress, not eating, and getting beaten to food by faster fish. Once they are settled and on a solid diet, they are fairly tough - but you have to get them through that first month.
- Not eating after arrival: dim the lights, reduce traffic near the tank, and start with smellier foods (clam, shrimp) or a short live-food bridge.
- Skin scrapes and fin damage: often from rough substrate, unstable rockwork, or panicked dashes. Use fine sand and secure your rocks.
- Internal parasites: if the fish eats but keeps losing weight, this is a suspect. Quarantine helps so you can observe poop and body condition closely.
- Ammonia and nitrate creep: heavy feeding plus a bottom sitter equals waste on the sandbed. Stay on top of siphoning and export.
- Aggression at feeding time: the gurnard may not fight back. Target feed so it actually gets its share.
Avoid "starve it until it eats frozen" games. A stressed new gurnard can go downhill fast. Get calories into it first, then convert to frozen once it is stable.
I like to run a quick sandbed siphon after messy feedings. You do not need to deep-clean the whole bed, just pull the obvious leftovers so they do not rot where the fish sits.
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