Triggers in a reef?
- Thread starter bellasdad0911
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bellasdad0911
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Those are two of the ones I have my eye on. I love there personality! I feed daily also so hopefully it wouldn't be a problem.
How about puffers? Anyone keep them reef safe?
Ashish Patel
2500 Club Member
I would say out of all the triggers I've had in the past, Niger was the most peaceful fish. However, it is a hit or miss, one might be great in someones tank but cause more damage in another. Nigers or blue jaw are generally the only ones I've seen in reef tanks. Don't think about adding the most appealing triggerfish such as clown, picasso, undulated triggerfish, etc.. Thinks will start disappearing 
Triggers of the genus Xanthichthys (sargassum, crosshatch, blue-jaw, golden-back) are generally coral-safe planktivores. Crustacean-safe ... is a different story. Some have good luck, others don't. When I brought home my male blue-jaw, I had a 65-gallon tank with plans to upgrade. (Actually had the 220 across the room, so more advanced than just an idle dream!) I had a pair each of cleaner and blood shrimp, a pistol shrimp, and a colony of five sexy shrimp.
The sexies disappeared within days. I think I should have expected that. The blood shrimp vanished, but I didn't worry about them, because they'd always been very shy. The cleaners took to tucking themselves away into the rockwork . . . When I moved all the rock over to the 220 last weekend, I found the pistol shrimp and _one_ cleaner. That's it.
Oh, and the triggerfish lost all the yellow in his fins, and darkened up so that he looks like a female - with a five-O'Clock shadow.
~Bruce
The sexies disappeared within days. I think I should have expected that. The blood shrimp vanished, but I didn't worry about them, because they'd always been very shy. The cleaners took to tucking themselves away into the rockwork . . . When I moved all the rock over to the 220 last weekend, I found the pistol shrimp and _one_ cleaner. That's it.
Oh, and the triggerfish lost all the yellow in his fins, and darkened up so that he looks like a female - with a five-O'Clock shadow.
~Bruce
DarthSimon
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Crosshatch is spectacular!!!!
Empress
Valuable Member
I have a niger, blue jaw, and sargussam in my reef tank, no problems to speak of. They don't bother a soul and only eat what I feed them, sargassum was just added a few weeks ago, other 2 have been in there for about 8 months.
Which one is this in the picture?
Yup, had him over a year and he's grown around 3 inches, great fish.
Sargassum trigger
luke33
2500 Club Member
Sargassum is my favorite but not easy to find and I never had luck past a year with them. Blue jaws are generally safe. I had a niger for a year or so, was a model citizen, then overnight became extremely aggressive. I came home from work and found every fish in my tank in corners breathing heavily and the niger was just going from one corner to another taking out chunks of them. Was a bad day. I have also seen people keep Picasso's in their reefs with success. Any trigger may or may not eat your inverts but generally they leave your coral alone.
twobytwo
Community Member
I have a Hawaiian Black Trigger - one of my favorites in the tank - lots of personality and doesnt seem to bother my inverts. Sometimes will let me pet it when my hand is in the tank
*I also have a Yellow Blotch Rabbitfish in my tank too. Great fish but has doubled in size in the last 6 months and is starting to bump into things in my 120G
*I also have a Yellow Blotch Rabbitfish in my tank too. Great fish but has doubled in size in the last 6 months and is starting to bump into things in my 120G
