Pairing undulate triggerfish
Dear Bob,
I read in the net about the undulate trigger with great interest becausethey could identify the male from the female fish.
It say that the male lacks the stripe between the eyes and mouth but thefemale have the both the stripe.
If I could have both fishes, can I keep both in the tank?
Will they pair ?Is it possible?
Lastly I have decided to purchase the undulate this Saturday ( tired of
waiting ).
Keep in touch. David.
>>
<Maybe... starting with the two small... and keeping them in a very large... hundreds of gallons or more.... system... Only when spawning (male making a nest, dancing/swimming about to attract females... temporarily, do these fish associate as "pairs"... Hey, they're not us! Not human that is... and you're not Noah as in the Ark... You're looking for trouble, with the probable best outcome that one of these two will hide most all the time... but... it's your system.
Bob Fenner>

Don't Sweat The Aiptasia- He's "Trigger Happy"!
Hello -- WWM Crew
<Hey there- Scott F. with you today...Had server problems last night- I don't think that my reply got to you intact...Got me on the laptop in bed this AM (scary imagery, I know-but a great way to do WWM work!) trying again!>
I have a 125 gallon tank with a Undulated Trigger and a Huma Huma both about 4.5 inches. I am aware of the potential of both Triggers particularly the Undulated.  My intentions are to get a larger tank soon.
<Very good intentions, indeed! These guys will get quite large, and quite boisterous down the line. The 120 should be okay for a while, though>
However the two get along fine now an occasional snap by the Undulated during feeding but they typically swim right next to each other without confrontation.  The tank is loaded with coralline encrusted live rock which provides plenty of hiding
places.  I have two questions the first is how do you tell a Red Sea Undulated from the more nasty/aggressive I guess Indo Pacific?? variety/subspecies?
<As far as I know-this species does not have any instinct geographic color variations. I did check a number of non-aquarium resources for you, and was unable to find any information in regard to this.>
I understand Undulated Triggers are sexually dichromic --- I have a female with orange lines down to her mouth.
<Yep- the sexual color variation is a fact. And I concur- you seem to have a female, as males do lose the orange lines around the snout as they mature>
Reason I am asking is that I read the Red Sea can possibly become a long time tank mate with other predatory types --- but
the other subspecies? Makes survival of a tankmate highly unlikely --- is this accurate?
<To be quite honest with you, in my experience with this fish, as well as the experience of a few friends who currently maintain them- they are just tough customers, regardless of where they hail from. They tend to become more feisty as they mature. However, triggers are notorious for being "non-conformists" to our behavioral expectations of them in captivity! I have seen 10 inch Clown Triggers that seemed very "tame", and small Crosshatch Triggers (reputed to be more "gentle") just beat the @#$% over anything that they were placed with!>
The second question is I have live rock with what appears to be
anemones growing on them.  The anemones?? are small and not very colorful ---kind of a caramel brown color. Does this description sound familiar enough for you to guess if they are anemones?
<Yep- all too familiar, actually! Sounds a lot to me like the famous (or infamous, depending upon how you look at them) Aiptasia anemones! They tend to come in on live rock, and proliferate with remarkable speed in tanks with higher nutrient levels or bioloads (such as...a trigger tank!). Reefers freak out when they see Aiptasia because they tend to overrun other (desirable) sessile inverts and corals. However, in a FOWLR tank like yours, I would not be too concerned, other than to see if they are indicative of sub-par water conditions (probably not, though).
The anemones(?) are multiplying and the Triggers don't seem to bother them at all --- My question is can Anemones and
Triggers co-exist for long or will the triggers likely damage the Anemones??
<Well, I wouldn't go out an by that tank-raised Bubble Tip Anemone just yet! My personal theorem on anemones and triggers is that the possibility of the anemone becoming a chew toy for the trigger is directly proportionate to the value and attractiveness of the anemone! Just not a great idea, IMO. I wouldn' worry about the Aiptasia, at this point, however...Sounds like your pals aren't too interested in them- yet...Aiptasia are interesting animals in their own right- very efficient at what they do best...eating. In fact, Anthony (Calfo) has even gone so far as to suggest that they could be harnessed in a special raceway as a natural biological filtration supplement! They are that good at eating!>
Thanks in advance for your response
<My pleasure! Thanks for stopping by! Regards, Scott F>