🐠 Freckleface Podge (Suttonia lineata)
A Dark Red Body Mottled With Brown • A Rare Little Soapfish • A Secretive Ambush Predator for a Nano Tank
 
📋 The Freckleface Podge, also known as the Red Soapfish, has a dark red body mottled with brown and a reddish-grey head that pales abruptly toward the lower half. It's a rarity, only occasionally seen in the aquarium trade.
It lives across the Indo-Pacific on reef-associated rocky, cave-dwelling habitats at depths of about 12 to 24 metres. It's a fascinating little ambush predator that sits and waits, much like a small lionfish, ready to swallow passing prey whole, and it's secretive, hiding until food is offered. It has a low metabolism and only needs feeding every other day. Every Freckleface Podge we ship is feeding well.
It's reef safe with caution: it won't harm corals, but it will eat any fish or small crustacean it can fit in its mouth, so it suits a nano tank (from 75L) without vulnerable small tankmates. Like all soapfish, its skin mucus carries grammistin, which can be released as a soapy lather when it's severely stressed, so keep the tank calm, handle it gently, and never add shipping water to your display. It reaches up to 8cm.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Dark Red, Mottled With Brown: An attractive, distinctive soapfish
💎 A Rarity: Only occasionally seen in the trade
🎣 A Tiny Ambush Predator: Waits motionless, then swallows prey whole
🏠 Suits a Nano Tank: From 75L, up to 8cm
🛡️ A Calm Tank Is Key: Gentle handling, and no shipping water in your display