Pseudobalistes fuscus
| Common Names: | Jigsaw Triggerfish Yellow-Spotted Triggerfish |
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| Family: | Balistidae |
| Category: | Tetradontiforms |
| Distribution: | Indo Pacific; An Indo-Pacific species, found from the Red Sea, along the East African coast as far south as Durban, South Africa, along the Indian and Sri Lankan coastlines, eastwards to the Society Islands, thence northwards to Japan, southwards to the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Dsitribution extends into the Pacific around the islands of Micronesia, Polynesia and Hawaii. |
| Main Ecosystem: | Reef; An inhabitant of mature reef systems with coral crevices and caves for protection, plus open areas of sand bed over which the fish patrols in search of various invertebrate food items. |
| Temperament: | Aggressive; This fish is one of the more strongly territorial Triggerfishes, which means that it is likely to exhibit considerable aggressive behaviour toward other fishes in all but VERY large aquaria. Notable among the Triggerfishes for being the species most likely to rearrange rockwork and other aquacaping: the combination of size, powerful body muculature and powerful mouthparts make this a fish requiring considerable ingenuity to house, as even rockwork that has been glued together can be dismantled by a determined enough large specimen! Electrical cables, filter tubing, and most of all, heaters in glass casings, require protection from the attentions of this inquisitve and potentially VERY destructive fish. Probably best kept in a species aquarium, though the fish can be maintained (in suitably huge quarters!) with certain other large and aggressive fishes. Consequently, this fish is NOT REEF SAFE, as it will kill corals with its wholesale rock moving activities, and devour many sessile and motile invertebrates into the bargain. |
| Diet: | Carnivore; A carnivore that is superbly equipped for dealing with hard shelled molluscs and crustaceans. Some hard shelled foods should be provided to help keep its mouthparts in good working order. Diet in the wild includes crabs, shrimps, a wide range of molluscs including small clams (which it is capable of crushing wholesale in its jaws!) and sea urchins - the latter are flipped upside down to expose the tender underside and then attacked. Consequently, these invertebrates will be added to its diet if the aquarist mistakenly places this fish in an aquarium housing them! Saltwater fish flesh such as tuna (but NOT from a tin!), crab meat (this fish will relish crushing crab limbs fed to it) and squid flesh are all suitable fare for an adult specimen: small juveniles will take Mysis shrimp and other meaty foods for smaller marine fishes until size dictates a change in the size of morsels offered. |
| Care: | This Triggerfish, if bought and maintained in captivity, should be housed in an aquarium of AT LEAST 300 gallons for long term maintenance, particularly if attempts are made to keep it with other fishes, all of which must be similarly sized. Provide aquascaping consisting of live rock and coral skeletons, but expect these to be rearranged by the Triggerfish to suit its own idea of how the aquarium should be furnished! Provide at least some open area of sandy bottom for the Triggerfish to patrol as it would in the wild. Hardy and robust, capable of tolerating a wider variation in water chemistry parameters than many other marine fishes (and is on a par with Damselfishes in the hardiness stakes) but of course relishes pristine water conditions and careful maintenance as much as any of the more delicate fishes. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 55cm (21.7") Female: 55cm (21.7") |
| Water Region: | Middle, Bottom; Alternates between cruising close to coral and rock rubble, and venturing out onto open sand beds in the wild. Likely to replicate this behaviour in the aquarium. |
| Activity: | Diurnal; Spends daytime hours patrolling coral/rock rubble and open stretches of sand. At night time, wedges itself into a coral crevice to sleep. |
| Gender: | No external visual differences between male and female known. |
| Breeding: | Unlikely to take place in the aquarium, as the size of quarters that would be required to house even a mated pair of Jigsaw Triggerfishes would be colossal. |
| Variants: | None currently documented, though the formation of the vermiform markings upon the body of each individual fish is as individual as a fingerprint. In addition, juvenile colouration is significantly different from that of the adult, being bright orange with irregularly scattered blue spots. |
| Comments: | A large, imposing and challenging show fish for the dedicated Triggerfish enthusiast. Despite its hardiness, not advisable for beginners because of its large size, aggression and destructive capabilites when rearranging aquarium furnishings. However, this intelligent fish can become a real pet, displaying a range of behaviours indicative of recognising its owner. While the fish is intelligent enough to learn to accept being hand fed, the powerful jaws, which are easily capable of amputating human fingers if considerable care is not exercised, require that owners be cautioned against trying this. Considerable care (and ingenuity) is required to protect aquarium technology from its inquisitive nature and its periodic spells of rock demolition. |
| Main Colours: | Blue, Yellow |
| Markings: | Not Specified |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Convex |
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| Image Credit: | © FishProfiles.com |
| Submitted By: | Calilasseia |
| Contributors: | Calilasseia |
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