Blue Jaw Trigger in 170 gal cube

[Fishf00d]

Just wondering if a blue jaw (throat) trigger would do well in a cube tank and how fast they grow to their full 12 inch size. The tank is 43x38x25 so its not a 6ft tank but it is 170ish gal.

 

[SPR1968]

If it’s 170 ish gallon you should be fine, I’ve got a mated pair in my S650 which is around 150g

They do like lots of swimming room but I think you would be ok

 

[Fishf00d]

If it’s 170 ish gallon you should be fine, I’ve got a mated pair in my S650 which is around 150g

They do like lots of swimming room but I think you would be ok

Yea I wasn't concerned with the size, just the footprint honestly. And having a foot long fish trying to turn about in a 43 inch wide tank, or 41 inch with inside measurements might be odd. I was going to load this tank with lots of wrasse, gobies and anthias. Lost 3 wrasses in QT the last two months so I might abandon the wrasse idea.

 

[SPR1968]

Yea I wasn't concerned with the size, just the footprint honestly. And having a foot long fish trying to turn about in a 43 inch wide tank, or 41 inch with inside measurements might be odd. I was going to load this tank with lots of wrasse, gobies and anthias. Lost 3 wrasses in QT the last two months so I might abandon the wrasse idea.

To be honest mine are at least 6+ years old, and they arnt going to be 1ft long in captivity

There around 6 inches now and they haven’t grown for a while

There’s a video here of them trying to spawn

Monster Build - Shaun's 2000 Litre (530 USG) Living Reef & Red Sea Max S 650 LED Design & Build

Lol... Start at about 21 mins. in the video. You might have to soak the tube in vinegar. I'm keeping my Bubble King. :) He doesn't know how to get in it either! Thought I was watching @2una (Red Sea main pump!) when he started with the fast hands lol! Why would soaking the tube in vinager...

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[i cant think]

Yea I wasn't concerned with the size, just the footprint honestly. And having a foot long fish trying to turn about in a 43 inch wide tank, or 41 inch with inside measurements might be odd. I was going to load this tank with lots of wrasse, gobies and anthias. Lost 3 wrasses in QT the last two months so I might abandon the wrasse idea.

Wrasses tend to be rather more sensitive to copper, that may be why you lost them. The rarer/harder ones are more sensitive to copper than the common ones too. As for the trigger, as said above it should be alright since they don’t reach max size all the time. I have never seen a 1’ blue throat grown from a 2-3” triggerfish. Usually they get to 6 or 8 inch then stop growing.

 

[Fishf00d]

Wrasses tend to be rather more sensitive to copper, that may be why you lost them. The rarer/harder ones are more sensitive to copper than the common ones too. As for the trigger, as said above it should be alright since they don’t reach max size all the time. I have never seen a 1’ blue throat grown from a 2-3” triggerfish. Usually they get to 6 or 8 inch then stop growing.

I've been using TTM that Humblefish has on his website. The version to treat velvet also without chemicals other than general cure. The two fairies seem to have had problems after the general cure treatment. Lost an exquisite and pintail. Then i had a new radiant in a acclimation box with a container of sand. He went in the sand on a Thursday and there was no sign of him until the following tuesday when it was dead on the sand. I know they are not the best shippers.

I'll likely head up to the lfs today or tomorrow and have him hold one of the two blue throats he has for me. I'm condensing 2 smaller tanks into a newly set up display and treating them all for ich with ttm in 10 gal tanks. I have 3 fish going right now and not enough equipment to do the trigger until those 3 are out and in the display.

 

[JGT]

I’ve used the same TTM method for wrasses and BT triggers, no issues . You could start the trigger with the wrasses and just extend his stay when they are done.

 

[Fishf00d]

I’ve used the same TTM method for wrasses and BT triggers, no issues . You could start the trigger with the wrasses and just extend his stay when they are done.

No wrasses right now. 2 died during ttm and 1 in an acclimation box. I'm running ttm on 3 fish currently in a 10 gal. Too late to add the trigger and 10 gal would be a problem with 4, one being a trigger. He isn't that small, probably 4 inches already.

 

[JumboShrimp]

I have two Blue Throat Triggers in a 150 gallon tank; they are growing slowly, and I highly doubt they will pass 8” in the “captivity” of my aquarium. Lol.

 

[R0C95]

I'll echo others here. My tank is an 80g deep blue frag. 48×24×16. I've kept my bluthroat pair totally happy and healthy for quite a long time now.

 

[Zionas]

Just my opinion but a cube isn’t ideal for fish that need swimming space, even if the max size of these Triggers in captivity as a number of members here pointed out isn’t going to reach what they could be in the wild. As someone who isn’t into cube tanks / corner tanks at all, just standard tanks (especially regarding length and width), a pair could be done in a 170 but IMO it will have to be 6ft in length. Just my opinion. Maybe their swimming patterns aren’t like that of many Tangs though.

I’d be much more inclined to do this pair in a 72” x 24” x 24” (1.8m x 0.6m x 0.6m) which gives about 172 gallons converted to 180. Or at least make a 5ft tank wider.

I have seen their max size listed from 9” (23cm) to 12” (30cm) but has anyone grown them to anywhere close to that size?

 

[Fishf00d]

Here is the tank in question. I would have loved a 250 to 300 6ft tank but this is the best I could do and it was custom at that. Cost 5 times as much as a used tank in the above size range.

This location use to have a brick planter that was just holding sand when we moved in. The sky light was removed and closed over as well. I had to take the brick sandbox out.

 

[Fishf00d]

I'm also not looking at a pair. Just a single male. But again thats why I asked about swimming space and length of my tank vs size.

Current fish in the tank a Carberryi anthias, 2 randalls anthias and yellow line goby. Going through TTM right now and where in my 25 lagoon are a royal gramma, red headed goby and a Springeri damselfish. In my 65 gal waiting for TTM to be moved are a yellowstriped cardinal, swissguard basslet and a squaretail bristletooth tang.

 

[JumboShrimp]

@Zionas makes some good points. But I'll add (seeing the shape of your tank), that if you were to ty a Trigger in there, the Bluejaw is probably your best bet. I have two in a 5-foot 150 FOWLR, and I must say they cover less of the tank than one might expect. They don't seem to take those long 'glide' swims from one end of the tank to the other as say a Tang might. And mine are pretty slow growers (after hitting about 4"... I guess time will tell.)

 

[Zionas]

That’s interesting to know. I do think that so much of the focus on open water fish seems to be wholly or largely dominated by Tangs at the expense of other appealing groups of fish. The fact that yours don’t utilize as much space as one would see from a Tang is cool to know.

 

[Tony the Fish]

I've had in the past and they love, hermits,snail and shrimp

 

[Fishf00d]

I was going to stick to a lot of smaller fish but the lfs has two nice looking blue throats and I had one years ago in a 135 that I lost to Hurricane Ivan. I downsized after that and never had anything bigger than a 65 for yrs. I got to thinking that my old one had a great personality and my kids would like that. Still have plans for a handful more anthias and a few wrasses if I can get them through even the simplest qt.

I guess if there is problems they become so use to you that catching it wouldn't be too hard if I needed to get it out of the tank.