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FAQs about Xanthichthys Triggerfishes, Selection
Related FAQs:
Xanthichthys Triggers 1, Xanthichthys
Triggers 2, & FAQs on Xanthichthys
Identification, Xanthichthys
Behavior, Xanthichthys
Compatibility, Xanthichthys Systems,
Xanthichthys Feeding, Xanthichthys
Disease, Xanthichthys Reproduction,
&
Triggerfishes in General, Triggerfish:
Identification,
Selection,
Selection 2,
Compatibility,
Behavior,
Systems,
Feeding,
Diseases,
Triggerfish Health 2, Reproduction,
Related Articles:
Xanthichthys Triggers,
Triggerfish,
Red Sea Triggerfishes, |
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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>> | 
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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.>>
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