Rhinecanthus aculeatus
| Common Names: | Blackbar Triggerfish Humu Triggerfish Humuhumunukunukuapua'a Lagoon Triggerfish Picasso Triggerfish |
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| Family: | Balistidae |
| Category: | Tetradontiforms |
| Distribution: | Indo Pacific; From the Red Sea and Africa to eastern Australia and Hawaii. |
| Main Ecosystem: | Reef; Normally found in shallow water near reefs, also found in and around lagoons. |
| Temperament: | Territorial; Not typically aggressive in the wild unless guarding eggs or a nighttime retreat, they are much more dangerous in the confines of an aquarium. The humu trigger is less belligerent than most other triggers but is still known to be a threat to all tankmates. If keeping with other fish in an aggressive tank, add this trigger last or close to it. Some aquarists prefer to house a single triggerfish in an aquarium by itself. |
| Diet: | Carnivore; Carnivorous, just like all triggerfish. This species is a benthic invertebrate hunter in the wild, and in captivity will voraciously tear into almost all food offered. Clams, squid, krill, and mysid shrimp make excellent foods. Commercial frozen triggerfish diets are available. |
| Care: | Humu triggerfish are very hardy and are forgiving of low quality water or unstable parameters. The most they require is rockwork, which they will hide in at night or when threatened. They will often rearrange the rocks in their aquarium as suits them, be careful that they cannot crush anything when doing so. Protect all tubing, wires, and equipment from the powerful jaws of these fish. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 28cm (11") Female: 28cm (11") |
| Water Region: | Middle, Bottom; Will patrol off the bottom in search of edibles. |
| Activity: | Diurnal; These triggers wedge themselves into a chosen rock crevice at night to avoid predation. |
| Gender: | No external method of sexing is known. |
| Breeding: | Not known in the aquarium. A pair of triggerfish will dig a nest in the substrate and deposit their eggs. They will then guard the nest against any and all intruders. The planktonic larval stage is protracted, helping to explain the wide natural distribution. |
| Variants: | Slight variations in pattern and colors are common. |
| Comments: | A very popular trigger species because of its somewhat smaller size and more subdued nature. This is a very interesting fish to keep, as it is intelligent, curious, and endearing. It can make grunting noises when excited or upset. Triggerfish are willing to test-bite anything which is new to their senses, and this includes their keeper. Be careful when feeding or performing tank maintenance. |
| Main Colours: | White, Brown |
| Markings: | Not Specified |
| Mouth: | Normal |
| Tail: | Flat |
| Search: | Show similar species Find compatible species |
| Image Credit: | sirbooks |
| Submitted By: | sirbooks |
| Contributors: | sirbooks |
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