This weedfish is found in a variety of habitats, from jetty pylons, to rocky reefs and coasts, to seagrass beds. It is also variable in colour, but usually has around seven wide dark bars on its body, and a dark patch underneath each side of the first dorsal fin. Weedfish can commonly be identified by their tentacles, and this species has very small and simple nasal tentacles, and small branched orbital tentacles. Expert examination is often required to positively identify many species of weedfish.