Triggers in a reef

[SteadyC]

It's absolutely ridiculous and unethical to have a niger in a 90g, so anything else believe at your own risk.

I’d say there are lots of opinions on the matter, means that no answer is absolute. vividaquariums and Blue Zoo don’t agree with you. 80 gallons minimize size per vividaquariums, and 75 per Blue Zoo.
https://vividaquariums.com/collections/triggerfish/products/niger-triggerfish
https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=1&pid=898&cid=288

A large Niger is between 3.5 to 7 inches. There’s plenty of 90 gallon tanks with fish that range between 3.5 to 7 inches.

Liveaquaria says 180 gallons. But that seems overly big. Anyway, i’d say the harsh words in your post were a little strong. And clearly not agreed upon across the industry.

I will add however, blue throats are a better choice long term, especially for a tank that size. I have one in a 110, and it’s her job to protect all the inhabitants from the aquarium keeper (me). She never bothers anything in the tank and I have many different kinds of fish and many kinds of corals, leathers, gorgonians, clams, LPS, and SPS. She only attacks me.

I only have hard shelled CUC, no shrimps, so not sure on that.

 

[nereefpat]

I’d say there are lots of opinions on the matter, means that no answer is absolute. vividaquariums and Blue Zoo don’t agree with you. 80 gallons minimize size per vividaquariums, and 75 per Blue Zoo.
https://vividaquariums.com/collections/triggerfish/products/niger-triggerfish
https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=1&pid=898&cid=288

A large Niger is between 3.5 to 7 inches. There’s plenty of 90 gallon tanks with fish that range between 3.5 to 7 inches.

Liveaquaria says 180 gallons. But that seems overly big. Anyway, i’d say the harsh words in your post were a little strong. And clearly not agreed upon across the industry.

I will add however, blue throats are a better choice long term, especially for a tank that size. I have one in a 110, and it’s her job to protect all the inhabitants from the aquarium keeper (me). She never bothers anything in the tank and I have many different kinds of fish and many kinds of corals, leathers, gorgonians, clams, LPS, and SPS. She only attacks me.

I only have hard shelled CUC, no shrimps, so not sure on that.

A large Niger trigger is 3.5-7"?

They grow to a foot, not counting streamers. Fishbase says max size of 50cm, which is more like a foot and a half.

 

[Ecvernon]

I have a pair of spawning blue throats in my 150 reef. They dont kill any coral.
They will irritate coral if they are spawning. While the fish are spawning if you have coral or clams on the sand bed they will pick them up and move them. They are about 5 or six inches in length. I have hermits, snails, cleaner shrimp, blood shrimp, harlequin shrimp(added after triggerfish). I also have a video somewhere that shows the triggers getting cleaned by the cleaner shrimp.

Here is a video of mine spawning in my tank.

with that said I am getting rid of them because I value my coral a nd the monthly spawning is causing them to bury everything. I wish I were able to start another tank.

 

[Darryl]

niger triggers are good as well
BUT
I have clown trigger, niger,
humma and undulated in mine

 

[CNDReef]

How many snails do you buy a week lol

 

[SteadyC]

A large Niger trigger is 3.5-7"?

They grow to a foot, not counting streamers. Fishbase says max size of 50cm, which is more like a foot and a half.

Yes, according to numerous sites, including the two links I already supplied, the sizes that they sell them by. That’s all I'm saying. They are providing information as to recommended tank size and fish sizes, public information that everyone looks at. You ever seen one a foot in the acquarium world?

All I’m saying is, it’s completely wrong to chastise someone, when there are multiple sources of information that says a 90 gallon tank is sufficient. We can surely state our opinion that 90 is too small, that they typically like to swim around (although mine was lazy) and have space, that they can grow large, that after a few years they will need a new home and there aren’t many aquarists looking to take in a large niger, that a blue throat might be a better long term option (as I stated), basically be a positive contributor/coach to the learnings and growth of our members. Berating them is not necessary. This should be a safe place for all skill levels to ask questions, learn, and become better acquarists without fear or judgement.

 

[Angel53]

I have a goldenback trigger in my SPS reef with no problems.

 

[CraigMixedReef]

Does anyone have experience with keeping a Bennett's Sharpnose Puffer, a Blue Spotted puffer, and/or a snowflake eel in a reef tank?

I have a blue spotted puffer and I tried her in my reef tank. When she was done taking perfect circular bites out of everyone’s fins, she started eating corals. She dined a bit, before she went back into a tank that only has GSP’s. She can eat those to her hearts content, but never does... She is best friends with a Valentini puffer, which isn’t supposed to happen, so the “every tank is different” theory is alive and well. Neither of my puffers get to visit my reef tank - not safe!

 

[murphy357]

I have a blue throat. He was extremely shy at first, but I defrost their food in a red solo cup. Needless to say, he had figured out that the red cup is his bringer of food and has become much more sociable. They are also a pretty intelligent species as well.

 

[Gator0930]

So what about mixing a male of one and a female of the other? I am gathering that it easier to keep singular then mated pairs

 

[CraigMixedReef]

I keep a mated pair of bluethroats in my reef rank - very active, social fish. No issues with them and the other fish or inverts. 125 Gallon tank.

 

[murphy357]

What if I just want one? Ok to keep 1 blue throat alone?

Yep. I currently have one blue throat male. Eventually I will add a female.

 

[SteadyC]

So what about mixing a male of one and a female of the other? I am gathering that it easier to keep singular then mated pairs

Really depends on tank size there, I bought a pair of blue throats that did the mating dance. But after time, the male would just chase the female. I think the aggression was too small of a tank, even though they both had their own sleeping caves, and plenty of food. Basically all I’m saying is that they are great by themselves if you just want to get one, and or mated pair if all proper conditions exist and they don’t get territorial against one another. Sadly, I did catch the male and take him to my great LFS who was able to find him a new home. He now gets chased by a 2 inch clown trigger. He’s easily 4.5 inches, probably more, so I don’t worry about him too much. . If you are considering two, I would get of the same species, that way they either come mated, or do so later. Having a male of one kind and a female of another (Which is what I think you are asking) doesn’t make sense to me, since you might not get the excitement of a mated pair.

 

[dmunyon8]

It's absolutely ridiculous and unethical to have a niger in a 90g, so anything else believe at your own risk.

Not to mention keeping a blue tang in a 90 Gallon tank...

 

[Ecvernon]

So what about mixing a male of one and a female of the other? I am gathering that it easier to keep singular then mated pairs

In the spawning video I posted, the pair you see is not a mated pair. I purchased the male from LA DD and the female from the LFS. They do not swim together at all. The female is usually found swimming in circles on the left side of the tanks glass.
The male is very curious and is usually roaming the tank picking up shells and making sure no one enters his cave.

I think that trying make a pair will not always work. In the pair that I have I got the male at about 3- 4 inches And the female at 4 inches. They pay each other absolutely no attention. They slept separately, and aggression was present if the female went anywhere near his cave.

They only get together in close proximity when they are ready for mating activities. I know this by looking at the male , his face lightens in color and they both travel the sand bed together blowing/stirrings the sand bed with their mouth and tails.

 

[Ecvernon]

So what about mixing a male of one and a female of the other? I am gathering that it easier to keep singular then mated pairs

After re reading @SteadyC post I may have misunderstood your question.

It seems you were thinking of adding a male of 1 species with a female of another. I don't have that experience, but I would guess it could be done depending on tank size and ensuring there is ample swimming space and hiding spaces as they grow. As my pair grew I've had to re aquascape to help them out. I always try to help when I noticed their skin scratched up as they like to sleep in close fitting caves with their triggers extended at night.
Like any thing else, YMMV when it come to the behaviors of a particular specimen. I hope this helps.

Good luck

 

[Shooter6]

I’d say there are lots of opinions on the matter, means that no answer is absolute. vividaquariums and Blue Zoo don’t agree with you. 80 gallons minimize size per vividaquariums, and 75 per Blue Zoo.
https://vividaquariums.com/collections/triggerfish/products/niger-triggerfish
https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=1&pid=898&cid=288

A large Niger is between 3.5 to 7 inches. There’s plenty of 90 gallon tanks with fish that range between 3.5 to 7 inches.

Liveaquaria says 180 gallons. But that seems overly big. Anyway, i’d say the harsh words in your post were a little strong. And clearly not agreed upon across the industry.

I will add however, blue throats are a better choice long term, especially for a tank that size. I have one in a 110, and it’s her job to protect all the inhabitants from the aquarium keeper (me). She never bothers anything in the tank and I have many different kinds of fish and many kinds of corals, leathers, gorgonians, clams, LPS, and SPS. She only attacks me.

I only have hard shelled CUC, no shrimps, so not sure on that.

I have seen niger triggers at a foot or larger.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I’d say there are lots of opinions on the matter, means that no answer is absolute. vividaquariums and Blue Zoo don’t agree with you. 80 gallons minimize size per vividaquariums, and 75 per Blue Zoo.
https://vividaquariums.com/collections/triggerfish/products/niger-triggerfish
https://www.bluezooaquatics.com/productDetail.asp?did=1&pid=898&cid=288

A large Niger is between 3.5 to 7 inches. There’s plenty of 90 gallon tanks with fish that range between 3.5 to 7 inches.

Liveaquaria says 180 gallons. But that seems overly big. Anyway, i’d say the harsh words in your post were a little strong. And clearly not agreed upon across the industry.

So what we are seeing is that there are some sources that are more reliable than others. Nigers reach over a foot in length, a foot and a half with the streamers on their tail. LA is correct, the others are not. Keeping a fish that gets that big in a 90g is unethical.

Yes, according to numerous sites, including the two links I already supplied, the sizes that they sell them by. That’s all I'm saying. They are providing information as to recommended tank size and fish sizes, public information that everyone looks at. You ever seen one a foot in the acquarium world?

All I’m saying is, it’s completely wrong to chastise someone, when there are multiple sources of information that says a 90 gallon tank is sufficient. We can surely state our opinion that 90 is too small, that they typically like to swim around (although mine was lazy) and have space, that they can grow large, that after a few years they will need a new home and there aren’t many aquarists looking to take in a large niger, that a blue throat might be a better long term option (as I stated), basically be a positive contributor/coach to the learnings and growth of our members. Berating them is not necessary. This should be a safe place for all skill levels to ask questions, learn, and become better acquarists without fear or judgement.

If a fish is not reaching its full size or not growing at the same rate that it should be, than something is stunting its growth. And that is almost always caused by poor husbandry. And I have seen full grown specimens in captivity.

Their are opinions that are based on fact and there are opinions that are based on hopes. @lion king and myself have extensive experience with triggers. Our experiences and recommendations are also backed up by facts( documented sizes of species). Life has value and if someone is going to blatantly disregard what is basic care for a living creature, then a blunt and direct comment is an obligation. You will also notice that in a later post @lion king said that a smaller tank may suffice temporarily for a grow out tank.

So what about mixing a male of one and a female of the other? I am gathering that it easier to keep singular then mated pairs

In a larger tank it will work. A male and female of 2 different species may behave as a pr if they are of the same genus and are the only 2 members of the genus in the tank.

 

[Gator0930]

So what we are seeing is that there are some sources that are more reliable than others. Nigers reach over a foot in length, a foot and a half with the streamers on their tail. LA is correct, the others are not. Keeping a fish that gets that big in a 90g is unethical.


If a fish is not reaching its full size or not growing at the same rate that it should be, than something is stunting its growth. And that is almost always caused by poor husbandry. And I have seen full grown specimens in captivity.

Their are opinions that are based on fact and there are opinions that are based on hopes. @lion king and myself have extensive experience with triggers. Our experiences and recommendations are also backed up by facts( documented sizes of species). Life has value and if someone is going to blatantly disregard what is basic care for a living creature, then a blunt and direct comment is an obligation. You will also notice that in a later post @lion king said that a smaller tank may suffice temporarily for a grow out tank.

In a larger tank it will work. A male and female of 2 different species may behave as a pr if they are of the same genus and are the only 2 members of the genus in the tank.

Is the 280 I have on order large enough? I want to minimize fighting and maximize enjoyment for me and the fish i keep.

 

[Halal Hotdog]

People have varied success with different triggers. I have kept an adult clown trigger 6-8" in my reef for over a year. He is relatively reef safe. For the most part does not bother corals, but will bite my monti every once in a while. I believe this is due to him trying to wear down his teeth. Besides that he leaves everything else alone. I feel a part of my success is how much I feed and size of my tank. I feed VERY heavily and he is in a 6'x2'x2' tank. He does eat snails and crabs that he can catch, but some still make it through. Space for triggers is critical. My personal opinion, most of the trigger that have been discussed on here should be kept in a 6' tank at a minimum. When I added my harlequin tusk I divided up my tank into a 4' and 2' sections. The tusk went into the 2' section. That decrease in 2' over a few weeks definitely caused an increase in aggression for my clown trigger. In the perfect world I would say 8' is what he would be the most successful in. Also keep in mind that all these fish have different personalities. I may have been successful with a very aggressive trigger, but that doesn't mean every member of the species will be as 'laid back' as he is. Also recently on the club forum someone listed a purple tang for sale because it ate his acans. That is an abnormal behavior for tangs, and most people would say they are lps safe. Being lucky is as important as being skilled when it comes to picking fish.