[kevinpo]

I just added male and female Blue Jaw/chin Triggers (Xanthichthys auromarginatus) to my reef 2 days ago. They are my last additions (to this tank anyway ).

I thought they looked a little large at the LFS but when I got home and added them some of my Lyretail anthias were bigger . They headed staight for the rockwork. The school of anthias formed a very tight goup and followed them swimming in a very jerky fashion and peering into the rocks like a bunch of gossiping women who have just seen a new neighbor move in . The anthias do this everytime a new fish is added. It is quite comical. They continue checking every few min until the lights go out and by the next morning they completly ignore the newcomer.

I was afraid my Purple or Sailfin tangs would harass the triggers but they ignored them. The next day they came out a bit but did not join it with the others at feeding time. The female however watched the other fish go swarming to the corner I always feed them at and appeared to be taking notes . At the next feeding she hung around the edge of the crowd and got a few scraps by the evening feeding she was completely unafraid. The male was slower (typical huh ladies ) and came around this morning.

I hope they will pair up and be well behaved community members. I wll keep tou posted. IMO they are so different and cool looking.
This is the female.

Regards,
Kevin

[kevinpo]

And this is the male.

[almostdiva]

Cool!

They are pretty... so they're about 3 or 4 inches?? How big do these guys get when they grow up?

And thanks for the advice on the peppermint shrimp!

Rebecca

[Skunk Clown]

looks good!
i know those type of triggers and others with the more upturned mouths are more or less reef safe. but what about the shrimps snails and crabs......... wont they still go after those?

[Chris Lakies]

What other types of Triggers are reef safe?

[tendar]

Very cool.
I had a small niger trigger in a reef for a while till it jump into a overflow and got stuck down inside a drain pipe and I didnt notice it missing for 2 days till my drain was slowing down and it was way to late by then for him.

[kevinpo]

Rebecca,
You're welcome They are a little over 4" long. They stay rather small for a trigger under 9".

Skunk Clown,
If they are introduced when they are small and you already have shrimp, crabs, and snails they will almost always ignore them (this goes only for certain triggers).

Chris,
I really wanted a pair of Crosshatch Triggers (Xanthichthys mento) but they are a bit rare and expensive.
A few other reef safe triggers are:

Sargassum triggerfish (Xanthichthys ringens) I have never seen one.

Pinktail triggerfish (Melichthys vidua) These are fairly common but are seldom as colorful as the photos you see. More of a blackish green with a whitish pink tail. They get about 14" also and at that size they can move some rock around if they want to. Triggers usually eat a lot and if not fed often will start moving rocks around looking for critters to eat.

Niger triggerfish (Odonus niger) I know several people who have small ones. The main problem is they are more hit and miss and reach adult sizes of 20+ inches.

Regards,
Kevin
PS: As with all fish they can learn to eat foods they normally wouldn't if they get hungry enough. Then your prized shrimp might start looking pretty good to them

[zhenya]

Hi Kevin,

it's just happens that this is my favorite trigger fishes When I had fish only tank I had a pair of this and a pair of clown triggers.Most enjoyable fish to watch and after a while they get quite bold and feed from your hand,got to watch your your fingers though
Sadly,I've lost both pairs in the move.
Good luck with yours and I'm sure they'll pair up for you

PS.Forgot to add that fresh shrimp were favorite food of theirs

[kevinpo]

Thanks Gene. Raw shrimp and freeze dried plankton is what I've been feeding them.

Regards,
Kevin

[Skunk Clown]

whow, i wish i had a bigger tank,,,,,, those triggers look nice!

[zhenya]

Kevin,
Do you by any chance know where your fish came from?I mean region ofcourse

TIA.

[kevinpo]

I think from the Palau collection station of ERI but I'm not sure.

Regards,
Kevin

[zhenya]

Thank you Kevin
BTW,my J.Veron trilogy finally arrived today and you were right,it's amaizing work.Now if I could get some time to myself and read and read

PS.Forgot to ask how's male doing.Is he eating well?You know,I found triggerfishes to be a sloppy feeders Those razor teeth go trough the shrimp in one bite and whatever falls down,falls down.I hope you have good pick up crew there I remember my clownfish eating only scraps from them and do quite well.

[kevinpo]

Gene,
The female was right in there with the gang tonight. The male finally got some food but I had to keep feeding until the rest of the pigs couldn't hold another bite. Let me tell you feeding time in my tank isn't pretty. I have 31 fish and they swarm like piranha in a feeding frenzy at dinner time . I always hand feed my fish over about a 10-15 min. period to make sure they all get their fair share. I will get my son to take some pictures

These triggers have very small mouths and with the school of anthias food never makes it within a foot of the bottom

Regards,
Kevin

[zhenya]

31 fish,I can just imagine this dinner time
Do take some pictures of this and share
happy to hear that male is coming arround and feeding.In my tank the clown triggers were the dominant fishes and even my large grooper stayed away from them , or risk to be bitten otherwise.
My maroon clown rarely left her spot at feeding time but the ammount of scraps were abundant and she did just fine.

[PerryinCA]

I saw some of those at ecorals last week.. Those are some sweet fish!

[Gary Majchrzak]

Nice addition. Let us know if they spawn!