FAQs about the Undulated Triggerfish Behavior

FAQs about the Undulated Triggerfish Behavior

Related Articles: Triggerfish, Balistapus Species, Red Sea Triggerfishes,

Triggerfishes for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Undulate trigger pattern question 8/20/10
Hey Crew, Grant here.
<Hi>
My undulated trigger, which I've attached a picture of, has some odd stripes, it isn't the normal pattern. I've Google image searched these
triggers and most have a very dense lined pattern down the sides that continues over the top of the fish and down the other side.
<Mmm, this species does exhibit quite a bit of variability of pattern. No worries>
Notice in this somewhat top down shot, the lines are much denser up on the dorsal area across the back, but as it gets down to the side of the fish the two stripes combine and form just one line which is pretty spread out from the other lines.
Do you think as the fish grows the lines will change to slowly move down the sides of the fish denser and denser until it doesn't have any more combined lines? Or is this the pattern it is locked in with for life?
<Likely the pattern will just "enlarge" ala a design on an inflated balloon>
I like the fish and I'll keep it regardless, but I like the higher amount of stripes better as far as the looks go, so if he was going to change to that I'd be great with it.
<Mmm, then restricted feeding is my advice... to maintain the pattern ala bonsai>
Thanks for all you do!
Grant
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Undulate trigger pattern question 8/21/10
Thanks for the reply, Bob.
<Welcome Grant>
I feed the trigger three times a day, either Mysis or formula one pellets.
I'll expand this to some raw fish every once in a while, along with maybe some crab. We eat a seafood dinner about once a week in my house, I figure I'm going to start cutting off a small portion of whatever we are eating before it's seasoned or cooked and feeding it to him so he is getting fresh marine meat at least weekly. He is a pretty new acquisition for me so I haven't seen any growth as of yet. I hear undulated are very slow growing so I'm not expecting too much size change. Something in the order of 1" a year sounds about average, even for relatively small specimens like my 3 incher. Sound about right?
<Can be double this in early years>
I sure wish there was a way to pair up triggers in the Balistapus genus, I'm not usually a fan of more than one of the same fish in an aquarium but I'd love to have two or three of these little swimming chainsaws.
Grant
<Mmm, some species of Balistids school and associate regularly (e.g. Xanthichthys spp., Odonus niger), but I've never seen Undulateds as anything but solos in the wild.... I suspect they are intolerant of each
others company except periodically during spawning. BobF>

Undulated Trigger Tail Spikes 03/07/06 Our Undulated can change her tail spot from black to the same color as her body. My question is can they retract their tail-spikes? <Mmm, not much, no> I've tried to get a close look but it's hard to tell. It seems as when her tail spot is matching her body color it looks as if just the tips of the spines are out; and when it's black in color they appear longer. Thanks for the help. Coady Keough <Are a bit like the tangs of the subfamily Nasinae... with their "tangs" out all the way pretty much all the time. Bob Fenner>

Undulated Trigger - When Will it Get Aggressive? Hello, I got a 3 or 4 inch undulated trigger about a week ago and was just wondering why he hides all the time. From what I hear they are supposed to be really mean and not shy. He is the only fish in my 55 gallon tank. It used to be a reef and still have some shrooms, snails and crabs in there and he hasn't even acknowledged that that stuff is in there. When I drop a silverside in there he swims out of his cave grabs the fish and eats it in his cave. Just wondering if I got a shy one or if it just takes some time for him to not be so shy. Oh and by the way my water is perfect and he is not breathing hard at all. <Patience Doug, the name of the game. He's eating, good. I haven't saw my watchman goby until about a week and a half after I got him. James (Salty Dog)>

Undulated Trigger Fish Shows No "Mean" - II Thanks for the fast reply!! Just hope that he doesn't turn out to be a shy fish because I gave up a lot of neat "reef" fish because I wanted an aggressive tank. I talked to one guy at my live fish store and he said that undulateds are known for hiding and being shy when first introduced into the home aquarium. Have you ever heard that about them? If so do you have any idea on how long this will take? I am trying to be as patient as I can. <Doug, I've never heard of them being shy. They are as mean as a mother-in-law on a bad visit, probably the most aggressive of all triggers. James (Salty Dog)>

Undulatus - Justin's Take - IIa Thanks for the fast reply!! <Justin Here> Just hope that he doesn't turn out to be a shy fish because I gave up a lot of neat "reef" fish because I wanted an aggressive tank. I talked to one guy at my live fish store and he said that undulated's are known for hiding and being shy when first introduced into the home aquarium. <This depends entirely on the personality of the fish. I have personally been bitten, smacked and even scratched by one very small 1.5" undulated trigger while trying to feed and later catch it. I have also seen the same fish take 6-8" groupers head on for food and space and win, as well as most other aggressive fish in its tank. I definitely rate them in the trigger family in the middle to the top as far as possibility for aggression.> Have you ever heard that about them? If so do you have any idea on how long this will take? <Find one that is very active and after he/she is acclimated then you will see them become the ruler of the tank as long as a more aggressive fish isn't apparent. Mostly Females are more cranky then their male counterparts, though I do not know how to sex them, I've just seen a female birthing in a tank then a few weeks later after removing the mother to a new tank, watching it chase everything out of the tank including the divers.> I am trying to be as patient as I can. <Don't worry this fish can be a holy terror at times if provoked. A great aggressive tank fish, though don't mix with other triggers usually, or anything that isn't as aggressive as it, and add it last to your tank as it will pick on any new arrivals to the tank.> thanks again <Justin (Jager)>

Undulated Triggerfish wants to be everyone's best friend! Hi all! I have a quick question... I have a female undulated triggerfish (about 4 inches long) in a 75 gal tank by herself. I've had her for about 3 weeks now and feel that my undulated is the exception to the rule that these fish are savage. I was wondering if there is any way, other then feeding live food, to make her live up to her name and become the terror of the sea(!) I keep hearing about. Right now the fish spends a lot of time hiding and if I feed it live food she will only eat it if the feeder basically swims into her mouth! Aside from the live food (minnows once a week) I feed krill, squid, Marine S and other pellets, and blood worms. The fish is physically 100% and so is the water quality. Any suggestions? Thank you Zack Newfoundland Canada <Time will tell, show the nature of this fish. Bob Fenner>

Triggerfishes for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner

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