Another Reef Tank for a Bluechin Trigger - 07/27/06
Hi Crew,
<<Hello Jeff>>
I have a question about the stocking of my system.
<<Okay>>
I would like to add a pair of Bluechin Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus).
<<Wonderful fish!  I introduced a pair to my reef tank a couple years ago...sadly I've since lost the female, but the male is doing great>>
But I am not sure if they will put me over the bio-load that my tank can handle.
My current system configuration is as follows:
-450 Gallon Reef Ready Custom 96" x 36" x 30" display tank.
-Euro-Reef CS 8-3+RC Skimmer and a Deltec APF600 Skimmer
-63 gallon sump, 55 gallon Refugium and 39 gallon rock Refugium
-2 Tunze 6000 Streams & 2 Tunze 6100 Streams
-Lighting: 3 250 watt MH HQI and 4 39 watt actinic T5's
-145Lbs Tonga Rock, 84Lbs Base Rock, 16Lbs Tonga Branch Rock, 60Lbs Indo Rock, and 60Lbs of Marshall Island rock
-420Lb Bioactive Live Aragonite Reef Sand
Current Bio-load in tank:
-Various Soft Corals, LPS, Zoo's, mushrooms and Clams.
-Also various crabs, snails and shrimp.
-8 Zebra Dartfish (Ptereleotris zebra)
-9 Blue-Green Chromis (Chromis viridis)
-1 Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus)
-1 Scooter Dragonet (Synchiropus ocellatus)
-1 Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma veliferum)
-1 Mimic Tang (Acanthurus pyroferus)
-1 Comet (Calloplesiops altivelis)
-3 Ochre-striped Cardinalfish (Apogon compressus)
-1 Pajama Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera)
-1 Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)
-1 Orchid Dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani)
-2 Percula Anemonefish (Amphiprion percula)
-1 Ornate Wrasse (Halichoeres ornatissimus)
-1 Twinspot Hogfish (Bodianus bimaculatus)
-1 Flame Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus jordani)
<<Hmmm...but for the Sailfin which will get quite large, and the Comet which will be of moderate size (Mimic and Copperband to a lesser degree), most everything else is fairly small.  Considering the size of this system, the (2) quality skimmers, the presence of a large sump and refugium, and plentiful though not "overdone" live rock...I would be tempted to add the triggers>>
Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide.
<<Try to get Hawaiian specimens if you can.  And make sure you acquire both the male and the female at the same time (in the same shipment even) to lessen the possibility of conspecific aggression.  When feeding, small portions of meaty foods (mysis, plankton, glass worms...all with a twice-weekly soak in Selcon) fed a couple to several times a day are best.  Mine even enjoys New Life Spectrum pellets...which do a fabulous job of soaking up Selcon/vitamin supplements.  Oh yeah, a cave/crevice (one for each) in which to hide/watch you move about will be greatly appreciated by the triggers>>
Jeff
<<Regards, Eric Russell>>
 

Last Fish...(Not The Best Choice) – 01/11/07 Hey Guys an Gals, <<Cheers David!>> My wife and I have a 50 G tank with several corals and 3 small fish.  1- Galaxea (yes I know all about the sweepers) got it cheap and it might be moving out in the near future for trade. <<Mmm, yes...a very aggressive genus with a very strong “sting”>> Has whole left half of aquarium to itself. <<Indeed>> Q: what is the proper item(s) to feed this coral?? <<Minced meaty marine foods, small mysis shrimp, Sweetwater Plankton, Cyclop-eeze...a mixture of these>> Looking on WWM using Galaxea as a keyword I only find tentacle warnings. <<That’s about to change [grin]>> 3- Ricordea Yumas have center of tank, placed a full 11" away from Galaxea. <<Wise...though the Ricordea can be quite nasty itself>> 1- LT plate coral far right side of tank on sand bottom. 2- Sarcophyton one 1" frag one 4" frag mid-level right side. <<Keep in mind these can/will grow large (some to a couple feet in diameter) and are quite noxious>> I use a Coralife lunar light. 1-96w compact fluorescent. 1-96w actinic and 2 small blue LEDs.  I keep 10000K on 9hrs, actinic comes on one hour before and stays on one hour after.  Blue LEDs are on at night.  Is this lighting enough for what I’m keeping? <<If the bulbs are close to the water and changed out regularly...just barely I think.  The addition of another 10000K bulb (even a smaller wattage, say 65W) is warranted here in my opinion>> I have two powerheads for movement one PowerSweep 228 and a Whisper 660. <<Another powerhead would not hurt either>> Use a Magnum H.O.T. 250 for carbon/phosphate remover. <<Excellent>> Running a Coralife Super Skimmer 65g which IMO works awesome, at least one inch of "nasty" in collection cup daily.  I had convinced myself that my fancy for trigger fish was not to be exercised until I read "Have you overlooked these fish" by Gregory Schemer in the 2006 annual Marine Fish and Reef magazine.  After reading that article I have read everything I can on the Blue Throat triggerfish. <<An excellent species for reef tanks (have on in my reef), though I consider your tank too small for the long-term health of this fish>> My tank has a Tomato clown that I have had for 3 yrs and is only about 2 1/2 " (the alpha fish in this new 50. He has been in for a month now).  I added a Firefish and Falco Hawkfish the same week I added the clown. <<Kudos on the choice of Hawkfish...a small species (to about 3-inches), and attractive too>> Almost two months have passed.  Everyone eats fine.  Firefish is NOT afraid of "Hanging with the big boys" and eats as well as the clown. <<Good to hear...these shy fishes are often easily bullied to the point of starvation>> I just went by the LFS and there Screaming "buy me !! buy me !!" is a very small Blue throat, 3-inches. <<Uh-0h>> Now, I had already been doing the research and I’m convinced that everything in my tank should get along with some warnings of course.  And this 3" specimen really seems to be "the one last fish" ha ha hopefully. j/k <<Mmm...>> I had the store put it on hold.  I got a week to talk myself out of it.  Can you help talk me INTO it? <<I’m sorry to disappoint you...though it may not seem so now, your tank just isn’t big enough (should be at least twice its size) for this large (grows to more than a foot), robust and active fish.  Many things affect the nature/behavior of fishes in captivity...and in my opinion an all too common practice in our hobby that mal-affects fishes more than many realize is placing them in too small volumes of water.  The argument that “I’ll upgrade when it gets too large for the tank” holds little weight as the fishes often develop behavioral disorders/develop health issues from the “growing up” in a too small system...not to mention these “promises to upgrade” rarely pan out for a myriad of reasons>> Ya think this fish will co-exist? <<The tankmates are fine...it’s the housing that’s inappropriate I’m afraid>> I have some small crabs, snails and such, and a sea hare that shows himself seldom (know about the possible ink too).  I am not worried about the clean up crew; they can be replaced if they disappear although I have read they will most likely be safe from the trigger.  My wife said "You know that’s the last fish right?" She reads WWM too.:) <<Best to make it an appropriate selection then>> Please help us with our decision. <<I’ve given you my position on the matter...not what you wanted to hear I’m sure...but truly best for the trigger in my humble opinion>> David Conway <<Regards, Eric Russell>>

Re: Last Fish... (Not The Best Choice) – 01/12/07 Thank you for your quick response Eric, <<Quite welcome David>> I should have told you more but my wife says I’m too "wordy." <<Ah...but tell here the more I/we know the better we can respond>> This 50 gallon tank was going to have a 20 H refugium added (we have 6 tanks in the house). <<That’s excellent...but doesn’t change my mind re the triggerfish>> The 20 was one of two tanks I combined for the 50.  After reading I kicked myself for buying the fifty not drilled and setting it up anyway. <<Utilizing the old siphon overflow eh?>> My plans of turning the 20 that is now my quarantine tank into a refugium really don’t work unless I want to go the overflow box way, not to mention it’s downstream. <<This is not a problem really/should not keep you from employing the refugium>> Among others we have a 125 drilled tank in our basement that we haven’t gathered enough supplies or live rock for (the fifty gallons is holds 75 lbs or so). <<Aha!  This would be a MUCH better proposition for the Blue Throat trigger...and as long as you can make some hiding places and a “cave” for the trigger to sleep this amount of rock may be fine as well.  I prefer to use a minimalist approach to placing live rock in a reef system.  It doesn’t take as much rock to provide sufficient bio-filtration as those selling the rock would like you to believe.  Not to mention you also give your fish more room to swim and both fish and corals more room to grow.  And honestly mate...a tank with less rock and large full growing corals looks much better than a tank full of rock and a bunch of stunted frags>> This fifty is NOT our last tank by no means and I agree I’ve read about juvenile Blue Throats in no less than 40 and the appropriate size for a larger one would be 75-100G <<Or bigger...yes>> I WILL have a larger tank --just gotta get the wife to imagine that empty tank in a cleaned out basement office };-> <<Perhaps a nice bottle of Shiraz will help...>> So If I get off my butt and do something with this larger tank, which I'll do slowly, then how long would a "conscientious" aquarist be able to keep a 3" B.T. Trigger in a fifty gallon tank before he grows any "fishy" behavior? <<Mmm...a truly “conscientious aquarist”  would setup/establish/mature the larger tank “before” making the purchase.  But since you already have the tank on hand (please don’t make me regret this David), three to four months would probably be ok.  These fish are slow growers and you likely won’t notice much change in its size in that time, but that doesn’t mean you can leave it longer...get that 125 up and going>> On another note I still want to add water volume to this fifty, is it worth it to have a downstream refugium? <<Indeed it is...I have a 55g downstream refugium (empties to the pump chamber in my sump) on my reef system>> Will anything alive make it to the main tank? <<It will...impeller-shear is an overrated concern...most of the beneficial organisms generated by the refugium will make the trip to through the pump just fine...and even those few that might be damaged will still provide a beneficial treat>> And what would be the best way to turn an established tank into a refugium without completely emptying tank and fowling the already 3 yr mature sand bed? <<Several ways methodologies could be employed.  The simplest would be to add some coarser substrate/live rock rubble and culture the myriad of micro- and macro-fauna that inhabits such...another option is to add some lighting and place a bit of macro-algae (my preference is Chaetomorpha for its “user friendliness” and its dense matrix which is a perfect environment to culture worms, amphipods, mysids, and associated epiphytic matter) above the sand bed to grow/compete with nuisance alga for nutrients>> Can I empty it down to the sand bed and dry the sides inside enough to glue in partitions? <<Probably...or maybe check out the article from one of the earlier editions on our on-line magazine where it is shown how to make install “removable/adjustable” baffles using weather-stripping to hold them in place>> Or is it even worth the time? <<Well worth it, in my opinion>> Oh yeah, the LFS that has the trigger is one of the most knowledgeable stores we frequent.  They can be more expensive so we usually go there for learning purposes and most of the time the guy who runs the fish room talks me out of stupid moves. <<Good to hear>> I’m surprised he hasn’t stopped me from wanting this fish. <<Mmm...>> He has seen my tank and he even has the Blue Throat in a fifty gallon at the store.  Now what’s up with that? <<Differences of opinion maybe...coupled with the fact that retail/transient facilities have different considerations compared to hobbyist aquaria>> Heck, he has even said to me (when my wife wanted a frogfish a year ago and wanted to know the price) "For anyone else $75, for you’re tank 199.99 !! "  He knew I knew better and he knew my wife wasn’t “reading up". <<Ah...then good for him>> This fifty is the largest tank I have running as of now, and as our passion for this hobby grows so have our tanks.  6 tanks was a crazy chore on weekends and this all started with removing some big Aiptasia from a 36 bow.  Now we got a species specific tank for "naughty rocks" a larger one to eliminate two was smart move, now we still have 4 to combine.  I have so many glass boxes downstairs full of old powerheads and lights, God help me if she ever sees a waterdog or something "cute" like the frogfish.  If we can’t mix it in "we could always start another tank,"  Doh!! <<Ah but you have a “problem” many, many hobbyists would like to have...a spouse that allows more than one tank in the house!>> After a trip to the fish store I’m happy to afford a Hacker Schorr or two. <<Indeed...do be careful not to cut “too deeply” in to the beer budget! [grin]>> I'm rethinking the B.T. even though I know this 125 will happen someday, Hell it’s there waiting.  All my friends will love coming over and sitting on boxes and old junk to look at the new tank in the basement   LOL <<If they’re pet-fish folk they won’t mind>> Thanks for your time Eric; I seemed to have time enough to get "wordy". <<No worries mate...and it’s been a pleasure to share>> Oh here’s a pic of the tank. <<Ah yes...is that a Rhodophyte at the upper right?  Very nice, Eric Russell>>

R2: Last Fish... (Not The Best Choice) – 01/14/07 In that pic the upper right contains "red grape Caulerpa". <<Mmm…okay>> And just to the left of it is my small Sarco frag.  The Caulerpa has been moved to the far left behind the rock under the PowerSweep (figured the Galaxea wouldn’t sting it) and the larger 4" tall Sarco frag has been put in its place on the mid-level right.  No worries on size here...Have read enough on the propagation of Sarcophyton that the 4" will grow another 2" if it’s lucky before I try the doughnut or pizza method of fragging. <<Ah…yes>> Speaking of fragging... We go to a monthly fish club at that same fish store. <<Neat>> I always see frags I haven’t read up on for free or for trade.  In the past I have asked if I could get a small list of compatible corals for my wife’s nano reef.  She keeps several little Kenya tree frags, one bigger Xenia frag and of course she has a small Sarcophyton no bigger than a pencil eraser.  She obviously likes "dainty frilly things" and I’m not sure what to research.  Can you give me a list of maybe 3-5 different things she could add without toxin or size problems? <<Hmm…pretty much impossible to meet those criteria.  There are many possibilities (on a small scale), as well as many possibilities for things to go wrong very quickly in these small volumes of water.  I am not a fan of nano tanks…but…these small reefs do seem to be popular and to be fair I have seen a few that looked quite nice…for a time.  As for stocking/maintenance/et al of these systems do start reading here (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/smmarsysstkgfaqs.htm) being sure to follow the associated links in blue at the top of the page.  This will afford you much more/broader info than I can share on this topic>> I went to look at the trigger again, Joe reminded me that all their tanks are 50 G size, except for the "show" tanks and "Q" tanks are sharing a 4500 gallon system and the fish get moved every few days to a different tank to avoid dominance issues. <<Mmm, this seems overly stressful to me…but just my opinion>> The BT trigger is really about 2" now that I can see him not locked in a hole. <<Pretty small…better to acquire in the 3” – 4” range…and preferably a Hawaiian specimen when possible>> He is in the fifty with a 7" pink tail trigger and two Hawkfish bigger than my Falco and bigger than him.  I didn’t get the chance to stay an watch him eat. <<Would suggest you do so…this fish “can be” problematic to get to feed>> DAMN I had to open my big mouth and question what could have been a really cool although dumb, impulse buy :) :/ <<Ah but Dave…you knew it was the right thing to do.  The fish, you, the hobby in general is better for your effort>> Now I’m afraid my clown might even kick his ass. <<This has crossed my mind as well.  Clownfish become very territorial/aggressive (they are a damsel, after all)…in fact the only fish to ever attack/draw blood from me in more than 30 years in this hobby has been…you guessed it…a clownfish…>> The clown is close to two months in and is starting to show dominance over the side of the tank with the plate coral.  Passers by get followed away, not chased yet. <<Likely to become more overt/physical in its actions>> Firefish has been moved to one of the nanos simply because the wife wanted it originally. <<Hmm…and one of the few fish suited to these tanks>> I'll still wait the LFS’s' quarantine out before I tell him I don’t want the trigger. <<Decided to wait until you can provide a proper home have you?  Excellent my friend>> Thanks again, Dave <<A pleasure to assist, EricR>>

I Want To Add A Bluechin Trigger (Not Enough Info About Current Stock List) – 06/18/07 Hi there, <<Hello there>> Just a quick one. I have a Percula 120 (110gallon) bow front Aqua Medic reef tank. In the tank I have 1 Comet, 2 Clowns, 1 Algae Blenny, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Flame Angel, 1 Peacock Wrasse, <<Several species with this “common” name...if this is ‘Iniistius pavo’ it can reach 18” in length and though if feeds primarily on benthic crustaceans in the wild, it likely will eventually consume some of your smaller fishes as it grows. If this is ‘Cirrhilabrus temminckii’ then it will reach a much more manageable length of around 4.5”...but without better/more info from you I can only speculate>> and 1 Dwarf Parrotfish. <<Again, I have no idea what this is. I don’t recall ever hearing of a “Dwarf” Parrotfish, nor can I find a reference. I can only hope this isn’t ‘Cetoscarus bicolor’ or the Bicolor Parrotfish which is arguably the most offered/sold Parrotfish species in the trade (as tiny juveniles) but is a bruiser that can reach three-feet in length>> In all about 35 inches of fish when fully grown (I think). <<I hope this is not your system for determining how many/how much fish you can put in this tank. The fishes must be evaluated on adult size, yes...but eighteen 2” damsels are much less burden on a system than four 9” fish would be...getting the picture?. Do also take in to consideration the fish’s temperament/compatibility/social interaction, as well as environmental needs (type cover/substrate, water flow requirements, etc.), nutritional requirements, et al>> My question is, I would love to add a Bluechin Triggerfish, I have done my research on this fish and it seems to be the best choice of triggers. <<A wonderful aquarium species, agreed...but needs places to hide/sleep>> They don’t get to big and are reef safe (ish) <<In my experience, yes...and likely much more “reef safe” than that Parrotfish you have>> Do I have enough room in my tank and would it be ok with my current stock? <<I’m inclined to say no...especially without better information on the fishes you already have. Please write back to me with the scientific names of your fishes (the Clownfish too) and I will be better able to help you>> Thanks for all your help. <<Quite welcome. EricR>> P.S do these fish get to about 8-9 inches? <<The Bluechin Trigger? Yes, this is likely close to maximum for many aquarium specimens...but the species has the potential to reach a foot or more, see here: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=6030 >> Re: I Want To Add A Bluechin Trigger (Not Enough Info About Current Stock List) – 06/18/07 Thanks for getting back, the scientific names are 1 - Calloplesiops altivelis, 2 - Amphiprion ocellaris, 1 - Salarias fasciatus, 1 - Zebrasoma flavescens, 1 - Centropyge loricula, 1 - Vermiculate wrasse (it was sold as Peacock Wrasse) and the "dwarf parrotfish” is a Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura. Hope this helps thank you. <<Ah yes, what a difference a proper and definitive ID can make. This is a much more suitable/proper mix of fishes than some of the “local common names” in your original query suggested. Although, the Vermiculate Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus bipartitus) is a decidedly difficult fish to keep and is not well suited to your 110-gallon system (would benefit greatly from an inline refugium). As for the addition of a Bluechin Trigger (Xanthichthys auromarginatus), these are robust, heavy fish, but I think you could possibly “just” squeeze one in...though this will definitely “fill up” this system and preclude any other piscine additions, in my opinion. Regards, EricR>> R2: I Want To Add A Bluechin Trigger (Not Enough Info About Current Stock List) – 06/19/07 Thanks for all your help. <<My pleasure>> Just one more quick question. <<Okay>> Which would be best suited to my tank, Bluechin or a Pink Tail Triggerfish? Thanks <<I think it best if you stick with the Bluechin for your system. The Bluechin is a slightly smaller species, and although there can be/are differences between individuals, Xanthichthys auromarginatus seems to be a bit more peaceful than Melichthys vidua (Pink Tail Trigger). Also, size for size, I feel the Pink Tail Trigger needs more open space/water than the Bluechin for proper “social” development. Regards, EricR>>

Sargassum Trigger...Adapting to Captive Life 3-30-08
Hi Crew,
<<Key Kirk.>>
I have a Sargassum Trigger set to arrive on Wednesday from an online company.
<<Exciting.>>
While I have kept several different Triggers successfully (Niger, Huma, Rectangle, even the dreaded Undy) in the past, I am a little nervous about my new addition. He will be the most expensive fish I have ever purchased, and the only Trigger I have kept that is considered somewhat challenging to keep in captivity. I often frequent the various message boards to learn, yet rarely see any info on this fish being kept.
<<Yes, they are definitely a more elusive species to collect than the ones you mentioned above. Also you have to take into consideration that Xanthichthys are pelagic triggers relying heavily on zooplankton; thus they do not adapt as easily to captive life. I would quarantine for a minimum of a month and avoid a large variety of foods, feeding relatively small amounts multiple times daily. Try mysis, mysids, krill, clams, scallop meant and finely chopped meats of a marine origin.>>
Tank is a fairly new 240 8x2x2, 160 lbs LR, 160lbs LS, custom sump with refugium, Aqua C EV 240, and Emperor Aquatics 40 watt UV, his new friends will be a juvi Sunset Wrasse, baby Niger, and Flame Angel.
<<Watch for aggression between this animal and the existing niger.>>
Just hoping for a little advice as to why this fish sometimes doesn't flourish in captivity.
<<See here; http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/triggers/xanthichthys/index.htm along with the linked FAQ’s and my above listed notes.>>
Thanks and best regards,
<<Good luck to you and your trigger.>>
Kirk
<<Adam_J.>>