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Can anyone tell me if a blue-line trigger is a good fish to buy. If not, what would you choose between a clown trigger or a queen trigger. I need this info cause i got a 72 gallon bowfront about 5 weeks ago and it is now cycled and I'm looking to purchase 1 good sized fish, and i want one of these triggers.

Both will outgrow a 72 gallon tank, and it wont take them that long to do so. I would also suggest that they are not the first fish that you start out with as they can be sensitive to water parameter changes.......and a new tank WILL have them.

Also, this question is similar to your other one so I closed it. Please try to continue in this thread if the question is similar instead of posting another thread.

DRO

How long will it take to outgrow it because I'm looking to purchase around a 4-5 inch trigger. My friend has several triggers in his 55 gallon for about a year and a half

One can then conclude that your friend is a irresponsible fish keeper.

mikey,
The last 4 SW fish stores that I have been in have had trigger fish in them. All of them seemed to be in great condition and without stress. One had an overloaded system and due to a very large sump filled with live rock, none of the fish seemed to be suffering.
My point is, you can keep a "smaller sized" trigger in a 72gal tank for a good while. Enjoy the time you have before it gets too big and then, there are plenty of options when it finally outgrows the tank.

Just because someone has a 55 gal tank and a couple of trigger fish doesn't mean he is irresponsible. Who knows what his conditions are AND future plans might be.....

I'm just trying to say....... do the right thing but don't stop enjoying the hobbie....

Also, don't look for ways to stop people from enjoying it. Look for ways that people CAN enjoy it. New options are what we should be giving.

Last edited by razz at 28-Oct-2004 02:49

I like your comment razz.... I agree that a 75gal for a young trigger is not a problem depending how much work you want to do and be good enough to take actions if when the trigger is getting too big....it takes them years to grow...

Point taken.

I do think the LFS example is a bad one, considering the fish should only live there very short term, 1 week maybe 2. Unless of course it was a display tank at the LFS.

He's got several, which implies at least 3, maybe more, in a 55 gallon tank. For 1.5 years now. Thats more long term than short term. If well taken care of they should grow at a pretty decent rate, and with that many would probably be pushing the bounds if not already past that of a 55. If an upgrade was going to take place, it problably should have already. Anyways, I've never been in favor of the whole "well I'll just keep him untill I get a bigger tank" because often times people that say that never get a bigger tank. You should buy fish on the basis of what you have, not what you hope to have. Of course thats just my opinion.

I have a baby clown trigger, i bought him about 3 months ago at 1 inch. He's grown about an inch and a half, when i first got him he was in a 30 gallon tank but now he's in a 120. He eats alot and by this time next year i imagine him to be over 5 inches, where he is likely to change from the social happy fish to the mental institue escapee. He'll be moved from my reef tank before that instinct kicks in tho, he hasn't touched anything at the moment.

I posted a large article on Triggerfishes a while back, before the board archiving.

Clown triggers can reach, as far as I am aware, 8 inches with ease, and it would be wise to allow space for them to grow to 12. And, while their temperament is variable (the odd docile one appears now and again), some of them can be vicious. Don't forget also that Triggers have mouthparts designed for cracking open clams, which means that they can take a VERY large chunk out of a forearm if they're in a bad mood!

Queen Triggers can be HUGE. 16 inches in the wild is frequently encountered. These things aren't usually as psychotic as the worst specimens of the Clown Trigger, but they have definite likes and dislikes, and will not hesitate to dispatch tankmates they don't like to the afterlife. They're powerful enough to pick fights with some of the smaller Groupers.

Let's see, a Queen Trigger at 16 inches ... just for the one fish on its own you're looking at 200 gallons (UK) as a minimum spec. If you're going to keep it with anything else long term, and its tankmates had better be big, tough critters like Lionfishes, then you're heading toward 500 gallon plus territory at a rate of knots. While that would make a stunning display, it would cost you a king's ransom.

Finally, Triggers can be hardy, tough fishes, but one problem that has been cited in one reference source I've consulted is that they are sensitive to high concentrations of aluminium salts in the water, which causes them fatal osmotic distress. You'll need to check a new aquarium for excess aluminium to be safe, which is why Triggers, despite being fairly hardy and robust, are not ideal for cycling an aquarium. It just takes one minor fluctuation in aluminium salt levels to send them to the great aquarium in the sky.

Last edited by Calilasseia at 04-Nov-2004 07:01

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Hey, good info calilasseia,

I have never heard of checking for aluminum salts. Do you know where aluminum salts come from?

It's pretty unusual to find aluminium salts in large concentrations in natural seawater (I can look up the data in Kaye & Laby's Tables Of Physical & Chemical Constants) but it might be an issue in tapwater. While the majority of aluminium compounds are only sparingly soluble in water, aluminium nitrate is an exception. Which means that if you have over 20ppm nitrates *and* aluminium ions dissolved in your water, your Triggers will take exception.

Apparently the documented symptoms of aluminium poisoning in Triggers are: [1] Sluggish disposition, with increased failure to maintain proper orientation in water; [2] sloughing of copious quantities of greyish white mucus from body sides; [3] if not dealt with in time, death can follow in as little as 8 hours.

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Hey, that's some great info Thanks

Triggers should never, never be housed with lionfish. With their powerful jaws they can bite the spines off a lion and harrass them to death in the similar way they treat a tuxedo urchin, I have never heard of a long term success with triggers and lions. The most ideal fish to go with a trigger is the moon wrasse its quick, inexpensive, large and colourful.

Choosing tankmates for Triggers is always going to be an interesting exercise. Remember, while there are one or two relatively peaceful (and I use that phrase advisedly) Triggers, some have a well-deserved reputation for being aquatic Bin Ladens Balistapus undulatus, the Orange Striped Trigger, is the worst in this respect - it comes with all the bad temper you'd expect of one of the nastier Cichlids, along with clam crushing jaws and a set of mouthparts than can amputate fingers with ease. This one usually ends up relegated to a species aquarium because it picks fights with just about anything that moves ...

Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002