Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > General Interest Forums > Reef Discussion
Blogs FAQ Calendar Mark Forums Read

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 10/15/2016, 09:31 AM   #1
djgarryb
Registered Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 2
Triggers in Reef Systems

A little back ground, I work in a Fish Store and have had tanks for years most of them are nanos. I am getting ready to set up a 75 and deciding what fish to put in there. Has anyone had any luck keeping triggers in tanks with corals, i have a theory that if you get them small and keep them well fed they wont mess with coral or any other fish i put in there. I also realize that i will have to rehome them as they out grow my tank. Again not an issue since i work at a store. Just thought i would get some people thoughts on this. Thanks.


djgarryb is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/15/2016, 09:41 AM   #2
Kt8
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Indiana
Posts: 64
Have kept a blue throats without any problems. Have mainly lps with a couple of softies.


Kt8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/15/2016, 03:44 PM   #3
anthonys51
Registered Member.
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Kings Park, NY
Posts: 2,789
The best triggerfish for the reef aquarium belong to the genera Melichthys, Odonus, and Xanthichthys. Of those three genera, the latter is the very best for the reef aquarium—this includes the bluechin (X. auromarginatus), the crosshatch (X. mento), and the sargassum triggerfish (X. ringens). The niger triggerfish (Odonus niger) is more likely to hunt down motile invertebrates and may occasionally eat sessile invertebrates like sponges. The triggers in the genus Melichthys—including the Indian (M. indicus), black (M. niger), and pinktail triggerfish (M. vidua)¬—feed heavily on floating algae and thus usually behave well with sessile invertebrates. While those species usually do well with corals, they may occasionally decide to dispatch a crustacean here or there, especially if the latter are introduced after the trigger is already in the tank.


anthonys51 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/15/2016, 08:23 PM   #4
BigBlueTang
Registered Member
 
BigBlueTang's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Posts: 1,430
Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonys51 View Post
The best triggerfish for the reef aquarium belong to the genera Melichthys, Odonus, and Xanthichthys. Of those three genera, the latter is the very best for the reef aquarium—this includes the bluechin (X. auromarginatus), the crosshatch (X. mento), and the sargassum triggerfish (X. ringens). The niger triggerfish (Odonus niger) is more likely to hunt down motile invertebrates and may occasionally eat sessile invertebrates like sponges. The triggers in the genus Melichthys—including the Indian (M. indicus), black (M. niger), and pinktail triggerfish (M. vidua)¬—feed heavily on floating algae and thus usually behave well with sessile invertebrates. While those species usually do well with corals, they may occasionally decide to dispatch a crustacean here or there, especially if the latter are introduced after the trigger is already in the tank.
Perfect response. I wholeheartedly agree.

You're going to see a decline in your invert population, but honestly, for a trigger, it's worth it

How big is your tank? I wouldn't put a trigger in anything less than a 125, and that's really only for a Bluejaw (Xanthichthys Auromarginatus). Anything else you'll need a 180+

Edit: Whoops, just saw you have a 75. I highly highly recommend not putting a trigger in there.


__________________
75 gal, 20 L using as sump, MP40Qd , Eheim 1260 Return,Royal Exclusiv Bubble King Mini 160,Kamoer FX-STP Calcium Reactor Setup, ATI Sunpower 6x54W
BigBlueTang is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/15/2016, 08:30 PM   #5
anthonys51
Registered Member.
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Kings Park, NY
Posts: 2,789
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBlueTang View Post
Perfect response. I wholeheartedly agree.

You're going to see a decline in your invert population, but honestly, for a trigger, it's worth it

How big is your tank? I wouldn't put a trigger in anything less than a 125, and that's really only for a Bluejaw (Xanthichthys Auromarginatus). Anything else you'll need a 180+

Edit: Whoops, just saw you have a 75. I highly highly recommend not putting a trigger in there.


Thanks. Did have to look up the spelling on some of the named though. You can keep a trigger in a 75 if it's the only fish in the tank. I kept a clown in a 75 for yeArs. But it wasn't a reef tank


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


anthonys51 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/15/2016, 08:32 PM   #6
Darryl Hey
Registered Member
 
Darryl Hey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: walden ny
Posts: 73
niger triggers


Darryl Hey is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/15/2016, 08:55 PM   #7
BigBlueTang
Registered Member
 
BigBlueTang's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Posts: 1,430
Quote:
Originally Posted by anthonys51 View Post
Thanks. Did have to look up the spelling on some of the named though. You can keep a trigger in a 75 if it's the only fish in the tank. I kept a clown in a 75 for yeArs. But it wasn't a reef tank


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Mmm.. I disagree. As a growout tank? Sure. But just having the 75 as your only option will just lead to failure.


__________________
75 gal, 20 L using as sump, MP40Qd , Eheim 1260 Return,Royal Exclusiv Bubble King Mini 160,Kamoer FX-STP Calcium Reactor Setup, ATI Sunpower 6x54W
BigBlueTang is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 10/16/2016, 06:22 PM   #8
Buzz1329
Premium Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Staten Island
Posts: 2,414
Aside from just wanting to keep a trigger fish (which I completely understand), is there any advantage to keeping one in reef tank? Do they perform any useful functions (like eradicating pests, etc.)?

Mike



Last edited by Buzz1329; 10/16/2016 at 06:22 PM. Reason: Typo
Buzz1329 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
coral, reef, trigger

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:37 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2024 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.