Question for Bluejaw Trigger Owners

[tdileo]

Bluejaws have always been one of my favorite fish and I finally got a bigger tank. Assuming I bought one around the 1.5-2” mark, would it be happy in a 90 gallon tank? I would like to know long term but it only really matters for a few years since I will very likely not be keeping it after I go off to college (i’m a sophomore) unless I can get my parents into the hobby. I have heard that BJs are one the smallest and one of the most peaceful and slow growing species of trigger. My 80 is stocked pretty moderately with about 60 pounds of rock and 2 quarts of marinepure balls in the sump. I have a good amount of caves and open swimming space. Dimensions are 4x18x24 if anyone is unsure.

 

[Raindog3030]

Over a decade ago, I kept a Xanthicthys Auromarginatus (he was about 5" long?) in a 160 gallon where he was very happy! I had him for almost 2 years before a massive crash caused by power outage/fire. IMO, a 90 would be sufficient for a little guy like that! I would also note, LiveAquaria lists a minimum 125 gallon tank size. Maybe someone else can chime in with experience/opinion as well?

 

[Piranhapat]

I owned a male blue throat he was about 3 1/2" in a 90 gal. He was a good eater and grew pretty fast. Your be fine.

 

[shred5]

I would not, that is pushing it they grow big. I kept mine in a 6' tank and think the bare minimum would be 120 gallon..
They eat allot and get big fast. Mine ate a nori sheet a day so you need some heavy filtration. Remember fish do not stay small for long.

I was thinking of getting one for my 120 but am still debating if I should.

 

[tdileo]

Thanks for the input everyone. I have passed on tangs because I know they won’t typically be happy in smaller tanks but I absolutely love triggers, by far my favorite saltwater fish and I would love one. I just want to make sure it’s fair to the fish first. If it makes it any better, my system has a lot of flow as it’s SPS dominant so he may feel like he’s swimming further? Like I said earlier I’m not incredibly concerned about the long term size since it’s very unlikely he will be staying with me after I go off to college. I’ll likely have to take down the whole tank or at least remove all my acros so that my parents don’t have to worry about their slightly more specialized care.

 

[graffitireef]

Think of these guys like tangs. They like to swim and they get big. You'd be ok with a very small specimen in a 90G for a short term, not years though. I wouldnt do it. As much as you love the fish, wait until you graduate and get a 6 ft long tank to ensure you can at least enjoy your fish and watch it grow up instead of having to plan on getting rid of it in 9 months.

 

[tdileo]

Think of these guys like tangs. They like to swim and they get big. You'd be ok with a very small specimen in a 90G for a short term, not years though. I wouldnt do it. As much as you love the fish, wait until you graduate and get a 6 ft long tank to ensure you can at least enjoy your fish and watch it grow up instead of having to plan on getting rid of it in 9 months.

I figured they were around as active as tangs. I don’t plan on getting a 6 foot tank, going even better hehe. My plan is once I graduate and save some money up to get a custom built 9x3x2. It’ll take me some time but I think it’ll be well worth it. Have a good couple tangs and the trigger I want. I was hoping one would be okay for the year and a half I have left in high school, but I won’t jeopardize ones well being or even happiness, especially if this is the general consensus. Thanks for your opinion.

 

[HB AL]

I've had one in my 92g reef for almost 2 years, he's about 3 inches now and around 1.5 inches when I got him. A couple months after I got him he lost all his yellow on his fins and also the bluejaw , i figured if they could he turned female or it was a vital vitamin deficiency although I fed my fish a variety of frozen foods daily and some pellets occasionally. So I started soaking my foods in various types of vitamins and adding trace elements in the water. After a couple months I noticed absolutely no color returning. Then one day a little less than a year ago I added a Sargassum trigger to my reef. Unbelievably within a week of the Sargassum being added all the colors on the blue jaw came back with a vengeance, only thing I could think of was some kind of competition he sensed from the Sargassum so he colored back up. Throughout many years I have kept almost every kind of trigger, and would say a blue jaw would be an excellent choice. They are very docile, he won't bullie or attack any of your other fish and leave any clams, corals, snails, crabs etc. alone. As far as food they are not finicky and will eat anything you feed your fish. From my experience they are not fast growers as far as triggers go.

 

[Capitol Reef Corals]

I have a Red Sea Reefer 350 and I had a pair of Blue Throat Triggers. Both were around the 1.5-2" mark like you are looking at. They did extremely well and were happy! I got rid of them though because I wanted to make room for some other fish higher up on my list. If I had another tank or a bigger one I would definitely get them again. You are sure to be fine, especially if you are only doing one and not a pair. Would probably be suitable until it is around 5" I'd say. Ofc depending on your rockscape and other stocking list.

 

[Ironwill723]

Mine seems to grow slow but he does like to swim. I know people that have kept them when small in a 90gallon though.

 

[Faisal27]

I have one around 2-3 inches .. they seem to take time to grow so I’m my opinion if ur going to upgrade for sure then you have time and should be fine .. mine is in a 500 gallon reef tank looks super super tiny compared to my other triggers and fish

 

[Joseph Pagnotta]

I have A Niger Trigger in my 55 gallon Reef. He has been in the tank for 3 years. Never once bothered with any of my Corals, or really pushed any issue with other reef residents. But he definitely is the king of the tank. I do have many hideouts in my tank as I have about 100 lbs of Liverock. This is a recent pic. He is like 6 inches here. When I bought him he was like 2.5 inches

 

[Triggreef]

I have a bluejaw and a sargassum in my 200g for 2 or 3 years now... The saragassum trigger has only been in this tank for 6 months or so and was in a 125g prior to that. This 200g tank has a 4' x 3' foot print. Basically if you put your 90g in front of another 90g you have about the size of my tank.

I think my tank is fine for the long term on both triggers. And since I'm unsure if I've ever seen either trigger in the rear half of my tank, I would say your 90 will be just fine. In my experience these guys are always just following you waiting for some scraps. If I'm far away from the tank they both stay around the front anyway. Just my opinion. Very cool fish btw.

 

[FredsNJReef]

Do you guys feel the 4 foot length is more important than a wide tank? For example a 55 or 40 long Vs a 60g or larger 3 ft long tank? Just curious...

 

[Forsaken77]

Thanks for the input everyone. I have passed on tangs because I know they won’t typically be happy in smaller tanks but I absolutely love triggers, by far my favorite saltwater fish and I would love one. I just want to make sure it’s fair to the fish first. If it makes it any better, my system has a lot of flow as it’s SPS dominant so he may feel like he’s swimming further? Like I said earlier I’m not incredibly concerned about the long term size since it’s very unlikely he will be staying with me after I go off to college. I’ll likely have to take down the whole tank or at least remove all my acros so that my parents don’t have to worry about their slightly more specialized care.

I wouldn't even bother with getting anymore fish then if you're going to have to get rid of them.

Having said that, a 90 would most 100% be fine for a small Blue Throat for 2 years. I've had mine, which is almost 4 inches, in a 90 for 2 years, but is going into a 180 when I can finish it in a few months after my surgery.

 

[misspurl]

I have one and he's never caused any trouble, but it's a 300 gallon tank and he's still small.

I do have to chime in with my 2 cents and say that you shouldn't get any new fish if you are intending to tear down your tank in the relatively near future. That seems worse to me than having him in a tank that's 90 vs 120 gallons...

 

[tdileo]

I have one and he's never caused any trouble, but it's a 300 gallon tank and he's still small.

I do have to chime in with my 2 cents and say that you shouldn't get any new fish if you are intending to tear down your tank in the relatively near future. That seems worse to me than having him in a tank that's 90 vs 120 gallons...

This is something I enjoy and want to do it while I can.. I’m not going to be able to bring a 90 gallon tank to college with me and my parents won’t take care of it. I am completely willing to find suitable homes for all of my livestock and even give them away for free provided that I find a good home.

 

[schooncw]

 

[schooncw]

^^ My pair are good in my 120. Lots of rock and crevices and they are model citizens.

 

[ReefHog]

Joseph Pagnotta beat me to a post about the Niger Trigger which gets slightly larger than the Blue Jaw. I kept a Niger in a 90 gallon for a little over four years with absolutely no issues. He was about 2" when I got him. He's about 3&1/2" now, 4&1/2" if you include the streamers. I upgraded to a 220 last September but not because of the Niger. Eventually i'm sure he would require a larger aquarium but I wouldn't put the same requirements on Triggers as I would on Tangs. And I have kept a few other Triggers over the last 20+ years. Triggers, unlike Tangs, don't swim the length of an aquarium at speed. They cruise the aquarium randomly checking things out in open areas as well as in and around the rocks. Triggers do tend to eat a lot more than other fish (as they are aggressive eaters) and are not the cleanest of food consumers, so make sure you have a good skimmer or algae filter. I think a smaller Blue Jaw would do great in a 90. If you end up having to break down the aquarium in two years, you will have no problem finding a taker for the BJ.