FAQs about Xanthichthys Triggerfishes
1
Related FAQs: Xanthichthys Triggers 2, &
FAQs on Xanthichthys
Identification, Xanthichthys Behavior,
Xanthichthys
Compatibility, Xanthichthys Selection,
Xanthichthys Systems,
Xanthichthys Feeding,
Xanthichthys Disease,
Xanthichthys
Reproduction, & Triggerfishes
in General, Triggerfish: Identification,
Selection, Selection 2,
Compatibility,
Behavior, Systems,
Feeding,
Diseases,
Triggerfish Health
2, Reproduction,
Related Articles: Xanthichthys
Triggers, Triggerfish,
Red Sea
Triggerfishes,
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Triggerfishes for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available
here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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Blue Face Trigger Fish
4/28/20
Good Day,
<Hi Adrian>
I recently came across your website seeking answers.
<I hope you find them>
I have a part of my question answered by the community blogs, however I
would like specific answer for my issues. I have a 50 gallon
tank from Waterbox.
The tank contains, 3 tangs,
<Which species/size?>
2 clown fish, a cleaning crew which consists of snails, blood shrimp,
peppermint shrimp and cleaner shrimp, hammer coral, torches and a few
hard coral. The water parameters are 78 degrees, Alkalinity is
between 8 and 8.5, Calcium is between 480-465,<A bit high> nitrites are
zero, nitrates are at .10 ppm based on my over feeding and I have a
bio-pellet reactor to help. The ammonia was at .25 ppm
but I did a 50% water change to help this and the salinity is at a
consistent 33 ppm but got up to 36 recently.
<Could you tell more about your filtration and water circulation?>
The issue I'm having with a male blue face trigger. He's been a member
of the tank for about a month and he is the only trigger in the tank. He
started off with a great appetite but now he has stop eating and hides
in the rocks. He has some dis-coloration in his face but reading the
message board, he possibly got stung by something.
<Could be the case...¿have you noticed the presence of Polychaetes worms
in your tank?>
What are my options for this trigger?
<If it got stung, it should heal on its own.>
I have also read it's possibly a digestive parasite or his teeth are
over-grown?
<I don’t think this is a parasite issue, neither the overgrown teeth
possibility, I suspect more of your water quality, try to keep ammonia
levels at zero and watch the trigger for the next days to see if it
resumes feeding.>
Thanks
Adrian
<You’re welcome. Wil.>
Re: Blue Face Trigger Fish
4/28/20
Thanks for returning my email quickly.
<Welcome>
I have a yellow, sail and Scopus tang. My return pump is a Hydor
universal pump and I have ice cap 3k flow pump. I checked the parameters
of my water and they are good.
The trigger most likely will not make it as he can't swim upright, arms
paralyzed, and is just riding the flow pump.
<Oh, sorry to hear that, it was likely poisoned by whatever that has
stung it, nothing much to be done at this point. Wil.>
I do water changes weekly and change filter socks. My skimmer is also an
ice cap nano. I have not seen any worms.
Thanks
<<WAY overcrowded... reads like not cycling. RMF>>
Blind crosshatch trigger - Urgent
1/12/17
Hello
<Sandip>
I've been an avid and appreciative fan of your website and its direct and sage
advice for over 10 years.
<Glad to hear you like our site. Thanks for choosing WetWeb>
This is my first question to you. Sorry for the urgency.
<No worries. Hopefully I have responded in time>
I have a crosshatch trigger that has been in my tank for about 3.5 years direct
from LFS and seemed happy until it slowly seems to have lost its sight
to the point in the last few days it stays hidden in different spots
than its favorite spot and when it comes out it is bumping into everything and
is not eating (I hand feed it).
<What have you been feeding? Any thoughts as too what happened? Did you witness
any trauma?>
I'm very concerned. It used to really enjoy the MP 60's and swim in front and
the full length and width of the tank (78x36x28). Last few days it tries but
knocks into everything including corals and glass. It is starting to look banged
up.
<Yikes>
I've thought of catching and setting up in a portable hospital tank but I am
concerned of over stressing and don't know what to medicate. I have a 3 ft long
35 gallon hospital tank.
<I would QT as soon as possible in an empty tank, i.e. no decorations or
excessive rock work. This will prevent further injury>
My mainly SPS 340 gallon display tank has been running for about 4.5 years.
Some fish and coral and water were transferred from by 90 gallon mixed reef set
up for 9 years. I also have an 80 gallon refugium with Chaetomorpha, 60 gallon
sump, 80 gallon frag tank all plumbed into same system.
<Sounds like a nice setup>
I QT and medicate all fish entering my tank for 4 weeks minimum (PraziPro and
Cupramine) and make sure the fish are eating well before they are introduced to
the DT. About two years ago I pulled out the trigger to a 90 gallon QT and feed
it medicated food hoping it would clear up one of its eyes that appeared cloudy.
I ended up keeping it there for 7-8 weeks and the eye didn't get better. So I
returned it to the DT hoping for the best.
<So it sound like this problem started a few years ago? If you dosed for eight
weeks, the eye should've gotten better if it were a disease or infection. Could
be an issue with the fish that it was born with or had some sort of physical
trauma beyond repair>
Water parameters: Alkalinity 7.5-8.5, calcium 350-450, magnesium 1350-1450,
nitrates 6 ppm, phosphates 0.16 ppm, temp 76-80 (winter and summer), salinity
1.025-1.026.
<Sounds like the water is fine>
Water changes with regularly maintained RODI every 7-10 days 10 percent of total
water volume. I vacuum the substrate in the DT when I do a water change. On
average 1/2 to 3/4 of substrate in the DT. About 80-100 lbs of
live rock with some very large colonies of SPS. I use a calcium reactor and
Kalkwasser stirrer and have started dosing Randy's baked baking soda for
magnesium. I have also started to supplement with calcium chloride after each
water change. I use a large skimmer. I occasionally use carbon in a high flow
sump area until I replace monthly when I'm using.
<All sounds good>
The only time I've ever medicated my tank was about a year ago with sentinel (3
treatments a week apart) to get rid of red bugs. It was successful and I didn't
notice any ill effects on the fish or coral.
Snails were fine but I certainly lost as expected a lot of micro fauna.
The trigger has generally been in apparent good health and has not had any
symptoms of disease. Eyesight is the only thing that has gradually gone and more
rapidly in the last few months. Now to the point I'm very concerned as the fish
won't even accept food when it is held directly in front of its mouth (last few
days).
<Is it not accepting the food, or is it not seeing the food? It could be
battling some other type of disease on top of the blindness>
Trigger was almost 4 inches when I got and is about 7 inches now. I hand
feed him daily Selcon soaked squid and scallops and the tank is fed New Life
Spectrum pellets 6 times a day on auto feeder. I hand feed to the tank
Spirulina and other flake food and Nori every 3 days. He doesn't eat the other
food as he cant see it (this has been in the last few months, prior to that he
would eat everything.)
<Keep trying to hand feed. You might try soaking the food in garlic as well.
This should help>
None of the other fish bother him except for a captive bred male percula clown
fish if trigger ventures too close to his space. Other fish in tank (and size in
inches): purple tang (6), yellow tang (5), regal tang (7), powder blue (4.5),
two dwarf angels and a majestic angel (4). Also Mandarin, Shrimp goby, two
Banggai cardinals, a leopard wrasse (5), and a pair of captive bred clownfish
and a skunk clown with a bubble tip anemone.
<All sounds good. The tangs may be bullying the trigger. I'm surprised you
haven't had a problem with all of them yet>
Lighting is 250 w de MH fixtures with a couple of T5's and 3 ReefBrite LED's.
<Sounds good>
Thanks for reading through this lengthy email and look forward to your advice.
Sandip
<Sandip, it sounds like your Trigger experienced some sort of physical
trauma that can't be helped by medication, as it isn't an infection or
disease. I suggest you either put it in QT or make room in another tank for it.
Use minimal rock and decorations. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do for
the blindness, but you can prevent more injury due to bumps and bruises by
moving it. Again, minimize decorations so there is less to bump into. Let me
know if you have any more questions. Cheers, Gabe><<Perhaps Thiaminase poisoning
here. RMF>>
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Re: Blind crosshatch trigger - Urgent 1/13/17
Gabe thanks for your help! Thanks team also in case anyone else responds.
Really appreciate your dedication to helping us out!
<My pleasure, Sandip. I'm glad I could help>
Sorry for long response!
<No worries :) It gives me something to do during boring school lectures>
I think even in another tank trigger will bump into the glass constantly though
admittedly not sharp coral.
<It will bump into the glass no matter what, but it won't crash into sharp
corals and rocks if the tank is mostly free of decorations>
This fish needs a lot of flow and wants to swim all the time.
<I am well aware of this, and it will be important to maintain a good flow rate
if/when you move it>
I wonder if it's giving up in a way.
<Possibly. I have had fish that have done this in the pas. It is unfortunate,
but it does happen>
I haven't seen a trauma event occur.
<It may have/probably happened when you weren't around>
I will try moving to another tank and garlic.
<Great choice. This will be better for the Trigger to spend its final time in>
The tangs have from time to time shown aggression to establish pecking order
with each other (purple with yellow, purple with PBT when it was introduced a
few months ago) but not current tangs with the trigger.
<This is all about body shapes with tangs. Sailfins fight with Sailfins (Purple
and Yellow), and Naso-shaped fight with Naso-shaped. Powder Blues on the other
hand fight with everything. I had a PBT go after a grouper one time, and the
grouper was almost twice its size. PBTs are evil...>
I feel like the purple may keep the PBT from becoming a tyrant.
<Maybe, I have witnessed fish keeping PBTs in check so to speak, but the peace
time usually ends when the peacekeeper dies>
It's stopped picking on the PBT. I've seen TOTM and large tanks on RC with more
tangs in smaller tanks with a lot more other fish too.
<Yikes!>
They seem ok for the moment.
<Emphasis on the MOMENT>
I may move some out as I've been thinking of a small imperator (I realize they
get big! This would be the largest in my 340) and want to reduce potential
aggression.
<They get enormous! I have a juvie in my tank right now that has grown three
inches in about four months>
I also wanted to get Tinkeri or a few butterfly potentially.
<Tinkeri are expensive, so make sure you find a healthy specimen. They also
enjoy picking on corals>
I love the dwarf angels and would like to get a midnight black in addition to
the flame and potters I already have. I'd also like to keep the PBT.
Do you think it would make a difference to remove purple, yellow and regal tangs
( the yellow and regal do a good job of cleaning the rocks...)
<It could. Depends on where you put them. It would make the PBT more of tyrant,
but if that's what you want you're good>
I had a Sohal which grew from 3 to 10 inches which used to get picked on but
became the alpha. One day I saw a clear bite mark the shape of the triggers
teeth on the Sohal and had to lol. I guessed Sohal took a swipe at trigger and
found out it shouldn't have.
<Never mess with a trigger>
I moved the Sohal out as it would purposely take a bite out of my arm and draw
blood when I vacuumed the tank. Never bite the hand that feeds!
<Haha! I wish my eel would learn this. My Tesselata moray bites me all the time.
That's why I bought some chainmail-Kevlar gloves. Moray teeth aren't the most
comfortable things to have touching the bones in your hands>
Your thoughts appreciated!
Sandip
<Hope everything goes well with the trigger. We'd love some pictures for the
site. Let me know if you have any other questions. As always, thanks for using
WetWeb. Cheers, Gabe>
Re: Blind crosshatch trigger - Urgent 1/13/17
Gage See comments below please
Here are some pics of tank (not great just iPhone) since you asked. Hope not too
big I will send in another email too.
Thanks
Sandip
Sent from my iPad
> On Jan 12, 2017, at 12:50 PM, WetWebMedia Crew<crew@wetwebmedia.com> wrote:
>
> Gabe thanks for your help! Thanks team also in case anyone else responds.
> Really appreciate your dedication to helping us out!
> <My pleasure, Sandip. I'm glad I could help>
> Sorry for long response!
> <No worries :) It gives me something to do during boring school lectures>
what are you studying?
> I think even in another tank trigger will bump into the glass constantly
> though admittedly not sharp coral.
> <It will bump into the glass no matter what, but it won't crash into sharp
> corals and rocks if the tank is mostly free of decorations> right I will move
him
> This fish needs a lot of flow and wants to swim all the time.
> <I am well aware of this, and it will be important to maintain a good flow
> rate if/when you move it> will do
> I wonder if it's giving up in a way.
> <Possibly. I have had fish that have done this in the pas. It is
> unfortunate, but it does happen>
> I haven't seen a trauma event occur.
> <It may have/probably happened when you weren't around>
> I will try moving to another tank and garlic.
> <Great choice. This will be better for the Trigger to spend its final time
> in> agreed
> The tangs have from time to time shown aggression to establish pecking
> order with each other (purple with yellow, purple with PBT when it was
> introduced a few months ago) but not current tangs with the trigger.
> <This is all about body shapes with tangs. Sailfins fight with Sailfins
> (Purple and Yellow), and Naso-shaped fight with Naso-shaped. Powder Blues
> on the other hand fight with everything. I had a PBT go after a grouper one
> time, and the grouper was almost twice its size. PBTs are evil...> I've had my
eye on a blonde Naso for a few years but I've read they just get too big and I
think it would be hard to part with and the wrong thing to do knowing a 340 sps
tank is too small? I would love one though!
> I feel like the purple may keep the PBT from becoming a tyrant.
> <Maybe, I have witnessed fish keeping PBTs in check so to speak, but the
> peace time usually ends when the peacekeeper dies> or leaves the tank so maybe
I shouldn't remove purple .... I just didn't want to create a
stressful place for imperator as I've read they are sensitive
> It's stopped picking on the PBT. I've seen TOTM and large tanks on RC
> with more tangs in smaller tanks with a lot more other fish too.
> <Yikes!>
> They seem ok for the moment.
> <Emphasis on the MOMENT>
> I may move some out as I've been thinking of a small imperator (I realize
> they get big! This would be the largest in my 340) and want to reduce
> potential aggression.
> <They get enormous! I have a juvie in my tank right now that has grown
> three inches in about four months> wow! I was also planning a juvie 2-3inches
as I've heard they might adapt better than an adult. Though I've heard if I can
get a small adult with its colours already showing it would guarantee the
spectacular adult colour which is not guaranteed with a juvie turning adult?
> I also wanted to get Tinkeri or a few butterfly potentially.
> <Tinkeri are expensive, so make sure you find a healthy specimen. They also
> enjoy picking on corals> yes this might be a pipe dream based on cost. Bryn
Roberts TOTM July 2015 has them and says they pick a bit but no damage like my
dwarf angels and possibly large imperator.
> I love the dwarf angels and would like to get a midnight black in addition
> to the flame and potters I already have. I'd also like to keep the PBT.
> Do you think it would make a difference to remove purple, yellow and regal
> tangs ( the yellow and regal do a good job of cleaning the rocks...)
> <It could. Depends on where you put them. It would make the PBT more of
> tyrant, but if that's what you want you're good> don't want a tyrant so maybe
I'll just keep the tangs as they appear peaceful to other fish and each other
until they stop
> I had a Sohal which grew from 3 to 10 inches which used to get picked on
> but became the alpha. One day I saw a clear bite mark the shape of the
> triggers teeth on the Sohal and had to lol. I guessed Sohal took a swipe at
> trigger and found out it shouldn't have.
> <Never mess with a trigger>
> I moved the Sohal out as it would purposely take a bite out of my arm and
> draw blood when I vacuumed the tank. Never bite the hand that feeds!
> <Haha! I wish my eel would learn this. My Tesselata moray bites me all the
> time. That's why I bought some chainmail-Kevlar gloves. Moray teeth aren't
> the most comfortable things to have touching the bones in your hands> LOL
you are braver than me!
> Your thoughts appreciated!
> Sandip
> <Hope everything goes well with the trigger. We'd love some pictures for
> the site. Let me know if you have any other questions. As always, thanks
> for using WetWeb. Cheers, Gabe>
|
Xanthichthys Blue Throat Color 7/8/16
I have had a juvenile blue throat trigger for about 8 months now in my 180g
mixed reef. I purchased him with a pronounced blue throat and yellow around his
tail. He still has the yellow around his tail but his blue throat is very faint
and hardly visible. Does this species change sex?
<Mmm; no... as far as I'm aware, Balistids are of determinate sex. MUCH more
likely a matter of diet, water quality, a lack of female to show off for>
Could it be possible that he is now a she? Or could it be the absence of a
female?
<Ah yes>
Huge fan of the site! Many thanks,
Spencer Hall
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Re: Xanthichthys Blue Throat Color 7/8/16
Thanks Bob
<Thank you Spence>
He's got a good diet, I switch between mysis formula 1 and 2 and large krill for
him to grind that beak down with. He also munches the algae wrapper I put in for
the tangs from time to time.
Thanks again for such a quick response!
<Welcome! BobF>
Spencer Hall
Blue Jaw Trigger night time freak outs
12/23/15
Hi again! I hope this letter finds you well during this Christmas season!
I'm hoping your infinite wisdom may help me find some relief for my poor blue
jaw. I've had him for about a year now. He's been very healthy and colourful.
But I do believe he's scared of the dark. Is this possible? I have my tank set
up in the den outside my room so at night I can hear all the commotion. Almost
like clock work about an hour after the moon light
has finally dimmed all the way off and everyone else is asleep he just starts
bolting to and fro. Smashing into everything. I'm convinced one morning I'll
find him on the floor and I desperately want to avoid that. I have LEDs on ramp
timers that take about three hours to go from full brightness to completely off.
I also keep a small LED nightlight on in the den for bathroom runs. There are no
kids or animals or human movement of any kind at this hour to prompt his
outbursts. Do you think perhaps he's sick or just getting spooked by hermits? Do
you have any suggestions to calm him down? This has been going on since he first
joined my home and is not a sudden onset symptom.
Thanks again for being so incredible!!
Renee
<Some key questions here... how big's the tank? What sort of tankmates?
Sufficient comfortable hiding places? Triggers are not especially easily
spooked, but they do have quite specific ideas about what makes a good home.
They need space, a fair amount given their territorial psychology, and won't
cohabit well with other triggers. Xanthichthys are at the mellower end
of the Balistid range (it's all relative of course; these aren't mindless,
harmless fish by any means). So anything more territorial can cause problems. In
terms of tank size and hiding places, if these fish feel confined, they're
unlikely to settle, and bear in mind that Triggers "bed down" for the night by
wedging into cracks and using their modified dorsal and anal fins to hold them
in place. If your chap can't find a crevice that feels right to him, he won't
settled down easily at night.
This is doubly true if there's an obvious "night shift" of predators (morays,
but even Ariid catfish in my experience) that the Triggers aren't au fait with.
Assess, and act accordingly. I'm not a fan of night lights (moonlight tubes for
example) but these might be useful. Cheers, Neale.><<Well done! RMF>>
Bluejaw Triggerfish Male and female..
11/20/09
Hey there, got a quickie for you. Basically a QT question. Should I or
shouldn't I.
<"When in doubt, keep them out">
My display tank is a 125 gallon reef ready tank. I have a MarineLand
model 4 sump and a MarineLand 300 skimmer, works awesome by the way. I
have 120 # 's live sand, and 140 # 's live rock. I have a
4" Blonde Naso tang,
<Will need more room in time, or perish>
3" regal tang, 2" juvy imperator angelfish,
<This also>
5" Foxface, a percula clown along with it's anemone,
<Which the Pomacanthus may well consume>
and a small Firefish, along with several snails, and crabs. I have a
Colt Coral, Stylophora, mushrooms, and some polyp's. Tank is
populated with copepods and other life... All parameters are good,
nitrates stay around 5-10, water is at 1.024, temp. is 77.5-79, PH 8.0,
do about 25 gallons a month for a water change. My question is that I
just ordered a Male and Female Bluejaw triggerfish.
<Your system will be over-populated psycho- and physio-logically all
the sooner>
My QT tank is a 29 gallon tanks with the same specs as my display. With
live rock. Question is should I QT these two together in the small QT
tank.
<I would, yes>
The last fish that I got was my Foxface and he didn't like it in
there at all, he just stayed in a corner with his fins spiked up and
all spotty colored.
<Good description>
He was very stressed and I thought I may be doing more bad then good.
So after he was eating in a couple days, I put him in the display and
he was fine. Swimming, and eating with the others. Will this be too
small for the two triggerfish.
<Only experience can/will tell>
I know they are somewhat resistant to disease from what I've read,
peaceful (For a trigger), and pigs... I am just concerned if I would do
more harm than good by putting them in the QT or should I just put them
right in the display, or QT one and not the other. What are your
thoughts.
You've helped me out a lot in the past and I always read here
first. But not a whole lot of info on the Bluejaw. Do you have any
links for more info on them.
<Nope; but there is always the library of a sizable college>
Thank you so much for all your help.
P.S. My Foxface (very fat and healthy) constantly eats at the sand, and
in always pooping out sand. I'm assuming she is eating algae that
is on the sand, but is it normal for her to actually eat it and be
pooping it out all the time.
<Is this a question? Yes? Yes.>
It's not bothering anything just wandering if it was normal
behavior or not.
You guys (and ladies) rock. You are by far the superior research
site.
Thank you much.
Aaron
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: Bluejaw Triggerfish Male and
female.. 12/13/09
Just an update. I've had the Triggers (Male and Female) for about 3
weeks now. I had a 55 gallon tank in my basement and changed the 29
gallon to that.
<Still too small if these fish are exhibiting territorial
aggression>
I used the same filter, water, and rock. Water is near perfect. It took
a lot of patience but they are both eating very well now.
<Ah, good>
The Female started about a week in, and the Male about 2 weeks in. Now
the hit everything I put in there. Mostly frozen Krill, Mysis, and
cocktail shrimp, and even flake foods. I've been soaking in
vitamins and garlic most of the
time. It took a while for them not to dart into a hiding spot whenever
I walked into my room. The female is still a bit shy, and the male will
dart recklessly about the tank if he gets startled. I try to be as
gentle as I can, but I have 2 kids so I want them to get used to
someone coming along the tank suddenly. In my display when I come up to
the tank everyone will follow me from one side to the other. It's
pretty neat. Anyway my question is I'm going to QT them for about
another week or so and first was just wandering
<and wondering>
if there is an easier way to net them without them darting all over the
tank and hitting there faces on the glass and possibly jumping.
<Two nets, moving slowly but deliberately, scooping upward...
Perhaps moving out any structure ahead of time>
I'm a little concerned about that. Then should I put them both in
the display at the same time, or add one first then the other a couple
days later.
<At the same time>
I was planning on just acclimating, and adding them both at the same
time.
<This is what I would do as well>
They were shipped in separate bags, but I acclimated them together in
the same container, and they've been together every since, and seem
to like one another just fine. They sleep right in the same spot next
to each other. Just afraid that if I separate them for an amount of
time that they may not take to each other again. What would you
suggest.
<Time going by; careful daily observation>
I am really excited to get them in the display, they are such a neat
couple. I've grown very fond of them. I've read everything that
I could on your site about them, and am always looking for more info.
Seems to be somewhat limited on the blue throat trigs.. Anyway thanks
for all your help. You all are great.
Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year...
<To you and yours, good will, peace Aaron. Bob Fenner>
Xanthichthys auromarginatus, repro.
4/25/08 Hello and good morning. I have been searching for
info regarding breeding habits of Xanthichthys auromarginatus.
All I have found so far is nothing. Could you point me in the
direction of anything that discusses their breeding habits, be it
in the wild or captivity. Thank you very much, Mike Nance a.k.a.
Reefmike - DFWMAS <Hi Mike... don't know that there is
much to state re the genus reproductive behavior (some spawn in
deep water...), most are bentho-pelagic... live in the upper/mid
water column in deep/er water... Have seen this species making
spawning nests, though... in Hawai'i... So I suspect it is
a/the usual Balistid pattern of male nest building, attracting
females, poly-mating, guarding the eggs... till hatch out... Bob
Fenner> Re: Xanthichthys auromarginatus, repro.
4/26/08 Thank you very much for the reply. It is greatly
appreciated! Could you describe the nest building that you saw
(materials, location, etc.)? <... sandy bottom, about 40-60
feet in general... individual males digging a smoothed out
pan/area of a couple feet diameter, swimming up/down apparently
trying to attract females> If you decided to attempt breeding
a pair what would you do as far as set-up (tank size, substrate,
rock, etc.)? <The larger the better... hundreds of gallons...
some mixed rock, sand areas... not too many other species of
fishes mixed in...> Sincerest thanks, Mike Nance a.k.a.
Reefmike - DFWMAS <BobF>
Re: Xanthichthys auromarginatus, visiting
HI 4/28/08 Again thank you very much for the
replies. I know y'all are very busy and I am very
appreciative that you take the time to answer sooooo many
questions. I can't even imagine the amount of email you must
get on a daily basis. <A handful... though all could be...>
Anyway, back to the subject. I have been told (and read) that
they can be kept in a harem (1 male, 2 or 3 females). What are
your thoughts on this? <Can... need a very large setting...
several hundred gallons... Likely very worthwhile for you to
get/come out and observe this species in the wild... lives in a
sort of Lek territory... of a few hundred to thousand cubic
feet... not really in "pairs" or permanent associations
of any sort... do "run off" same and alternate sex
individuals...> I'm planning on starting with juveniles. 1
male and 3 females. I'm going to grow them out in a 100g then
move them to at least a 240g as they reach adult size. <Will
need more room than this> I'm thinking just them with no
other fish in the tank though I wonder if they might not be more
"comfortable" with a school of "dither" fish
such as Chromis. Your thoughts? Thank you and have a spectacular
day! Mike Nance a.k.a. Reefmike - DFWMAS <Come out and visit
with us in Hawaii... we have some properties on the Big
Island/Kona... Observe the other life, habitat... will grant you
real input. Bob Fenner>
|
Sargassum Trigger...Adapting to Captive Life
3-30-08 Hi Crew, <<Key Kirk.>> I have a Sargassum
Trigger set to arrive on Wednesday from an online company.
<<Exciting.>> While I have kept several different Triggers
successfully (Niger, Huma, Rectangle, even the dreaded Undy) in the
past, I am a little nervous about my new addition. He will be the most
expensive fish I have ever purchased, and the only Trigger I have kept
that is considered somewhat challenging to keep in captivity. I often
frequent the various message boards to learn, yet rarely see any info
on this fish being kept. <<Yes, they are definitely a more
elusive species to collect than the ones you mentioned above. Also you
have to take into consideration that Xanthichthys are pelagic triggers
relying heavily on zooplankton; thus they do not adapt as easily to
captive life. I would quarantine for a minimum of a month and avoid a
large variety of foods, feeding relatively small amounts multiple times
daily. Try mysis, mysids, krill, clams, scallop meant and finely
chopped meats of a marine origin.>> Tank is a fairly new 240
8x2x2, 160 lbs LR, 160lbs LS, custom sump with refugium, Aqua C EV 240,
and Emperor Aquatics 40 watt UV, his new friends will be a juvi Sunset
Wrasse, baby Niger, and Flame Angel. <<Watch for aggression
between this animal and the existing niger.>> Just hoping for a
little advice as to why this fish sometimes doesn't flourish in
captivity. <<See here;
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/triggers/xanthichthys/index.htm
along with the linked FAQ?s and my above listed notes.>> Thanks
and best regards, <<Good luck to you and your trigger.>>
Kirk <<Adam_J.>>
Trigger Update... lost Sargassum -11/27/2007
Good evening Bob & Crew, <Mike> Snowing here now, so feel
good if you're diving in Hawaii, <Was ayer... very nice... about
82F., clear... Neener, neener, neeeener> or anyplace warm. Alas, the
Sargassum did not make it. Man, that's a few this year! Up until
now I could have said that either another fish killed them, or I did,
but I "think" this one was different. I could say I lost him,
but in hind sight, I'm not sure I ever really had him. He was
already slightly pinched in at the LFS, so I watched him for over a
week. He was still active, alert, eating and seemed stable enough
(although still pinched). I thought I would just have to fatten him up
at home. No such luck and another lesson learned - "Buy ones that
are already fat"!! (hmmm... where have I read that before?) R.I.P.
Sergeant Gas-em, and my nine year old son is no longer impressed with
my skills. <A hard, but necessary lesson> After many hours (and
hours... and hours - before, during and after) of reading WWM articles
and FAQ's, at least this time I can't come up with a list of
"would have, could have and should have" things that I missed
(other than buying a fish that was thin, of course - everyone wants to
be Mother Theresa in this hobby it seems- even guys). <Mmm, yes. And
we are neither infallible, nor immortal either> The only thing I
could come up with at all was if I had, perhaps, treated for the
"possibility" of an internal parasite while in QT. I've
often read that you should not medicate when you are not certain what
you are trying to treat. <Both approaches have adherents. There are
VERY large facilities that treat prophylactically...> There was no
sign of weight loss while in QT and when he started to go south on me
in the display tank, he went down in a hurry. By the time I really knew
there was something wrong, I would have needed some dynamite and a
crowbar to get him out of a hole in a rock at the bottom of the tank. I
did manage to get him out the next day when he was lying on the
substrate (when I e-mailed you - thank you for your response) but he
was gone by the next morning. Is there such a thing as treating for
internal parasites during QT "just in case"? <Yes> Is
this ever a preventive measure? <Yes> Other than a freshwater
dip, is there anything else that could be / should be considered as
routine during the QT stage? <Some folks use anti-protozoals
prophylactically... some add Vermifuges... there are other protocols...
but I'd rather not post them in this public address... for
"fear" of encouraging others too much/inadvertently in
pursuing such...> Another reason I'm asking is I have a
beautiful 2" Flame Angel (brilliant colour and not at all thin or
with any signs of problems) in one QT tank with LR and sand - and
another really beautiful specimen of a Copperband Butterfly (not quite
4" - spotless and as smooth as silk - alert and active) in another
tank with LR and sand (after I read hours of material on the challenges
of keeping this particular Butterfly prior to purchasing - I actually
added a rock with Aiptasia on it to his QT tank as an experiment - now
how crazy does that one sound? <Not at all... are food for this
species... used often enough as "chemical filters"...> -
another experiment of mine like QTing some fish with a cleaner shrimp
to help distress them - hey, that one seemed to work - we'll see
about this one). Just wanted to know if there is anything else I should
/ could be doing for these fish while in QT? I'd try soft music if
I thought it would help. <Might... at least calm you> One last
point, if I may. The Flame was a bit of a no-brainer choice in fish
(mind you, only a no-brainer because I have your book and burn the
midnight oil on WWM), but the amount of information available on your
site regarding selection, compatibility, behaviour, disease, the
feeding challenges etc., etc., "specific" to a Copperband
Butterfly was phenomenal (forgive me but I have to admit to liking
Anthony's trick of feeding the clam and then stuffing the empty
shell after with prepared food the best - that is a great trick).
<Is an oldie, but goodie... Pre-dates Antoine, myself even!> I
have yet to find another resource (and I do look) that comes even close
to what WWM has to offer. You just can't buy that volume of
information on a single type of fish (well... you could read WWM and
then donate through Amazon I suppose - ok, ok I'll make another
donation - I'm probably due again anyway). <Heeee! Thanks>
Just in case you need any more reminders that you are all doing wonders
for this hobby, I originally just wanted a small freshwater tank with a
few floaters and a couple of bubbles - then I read Bob's book and
found WWM - and now I'm up to four established tanks (including QT)
with Tangs, Angels, Puffers, Clowns, Hawks, Butterflies, Corals, and a
host of other living things that I have to check my notes just to
remember their names, not to mention enough equipment to land one of my
tanks on the moon. I have referred quite a few people to your site and
they are equally impressed - and strangely enough, some of their tanks
are getting bigger too?! <Madness, madness, I call it madness...>
It's not always easy (or successful), but it's always worth it
- and you all help a great deal. Thanks again, eh. <Thanks again...
you hoser!> Mike from Canada <BobF, in Kona>
Need some advice on my fish list for my 150-gallon Pull The
Trigger? (Considering a Triggerfish in Stocking Plan)
11/26/07 Hi there everyone, <Hey there! Scott F. in today!>
I'm hoping you guys can help me out. I've been reading through
the website and I must say I've learned an awful lot. <Glad to
hear that! We have some cool people who work very hard to bring it to
you every day!> I'm going to set up my first saltwater tank and
I need some help with my fish list. The tank is 150 gallons and
measures 48" long by 24" wide by 30" high. It's
going to be a future reef tank lightly stocked with LPS and fish. After
doing some reading on Tangs I've decided to stay away from them, as
I've learned they really need a six-foot tank to thrive. <I
think that you made a responsible decision!> Anyway, here are the
fish I'm hoping to have: 1 Bluejaw Trigger (Xanthichthys
auromarginatus), 2 common Clowns (Amphiprion ocellaris), 1 Orchid
Dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani), 1 Sixline Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus
hexataenia), and 1 Coral Beauty Angel (Centropyge bispinosus). What do
you think of these fish for this tank? I'd greatly appreciate any
feedback and any other fish suggestions you may have. Thanks in
advance, Shannon O'Rourke <Well, Shannon- I think that you put
considerable effort into researching and developing this stocking list!
My only reservation (always seems to be one, right?) is the Trigger.
Although this species is certainly one of the more "passive"
Triggerfish (an oxymoron, huh?), it can display some aggressive
tendencies on occasion, and it does have much of the same dental
equipment as the more nasty ones! There is potential for this fish to
nip or become more aggressive with age. My friend had one that started
out as a perfect gentleman, but grew into a holy terror, taking out a
few tankmates along the way. On the other hand, I've seen others
that were excellent citizens, living for years in community aquariums
without incident. It's kind of a dice roll, really. If you are
planning on keeping shrimp, I'd say that your odds of ending up
with an all-you-can eat shrimp buffet will increase as the Trigger
grows! Don't keep 'em with shrimp! Bottom line is that you
could include the Trigger in your plan if you're willing to accept
the potential risks that the fish poses. Do also keep in mind that this
Trigger can hit 8 plus inches in size, and the need for larger quarters
as the fish grows must be taken into consideration. Hope this helps!
Regards, Scott F.>
Crosshatch Trigger fading? 9/26/07 What's up guys and
gals? Just wanted to drop a line regarding the crosshatch trigger.
I'm interested in this fish for an upcoming 10 foot long reef tank
I am planning. However, I had planned on keeping a pair, but I feel
that they would be lacking space, so to my question, does a male
crosshatch trigger's color fade if he is not in the presence of a
female? <Not much, but some, yes> From every personal
documentation of crosshatch triggers in home aquariums I've read
that pairs never exhibit any courting or interactions other than just
merely putting up with each other's presence. If this is the case,
I might just get a male. Thanks for any help you can offer, Nick <Or
even a small school if there's room... Xanthichthys spp. live in
shoals in the wild. Bob Fenner>
Re: Crosshatch Trigger fading? 9/27/07 Thank
you for the reply Mr. Fenner! Just a quick follow up, if I were to do
multiple crosshatches, would it need to be set up as a harem or would
multiple males get along together? Not sure if I'd go this route,
but I'm curious. Thanks again! <A mix of sexes would be fine to
excellent here... Just try to find/start them small-ish... four-five
inches if possible. Have seen X. mento in very large aggregations in
the wild... BobF>
Male Blue Jaw Triggerfish? Wants Female? ? 09/08/07
Good morning and thank you as always for your wonderful site.
<<Hi Jeanne? we're all glad you like it>> I hope this one is
an easy question. <<Hmm is there such a thing in this hobby?
Easy, maybe simple, never? But I digress?[grin]>> I have a small
(5") male Xanthichthys auromarginatus (I have had him about 3
months) in my 150 gallon reef tank. <<Wonderful fish? I kept a
male/female pair in a 375g display for a number of years>> Lots
of zoos, leathers, mushrooms, a couple of Crocea clams -only one coral
banded shrimp and one large Sally Lightfoot crab and large Purple
lobster, because the stupid --and not at all shy, may I add--Blue
Hamlet ate all the other shrimp. <<Mmm, not the fault of the
fishies what a Blue Hamlet does (will happily gobble down small fishes
too!)?as research ?before purchase? would bear out>> He is such a
sweetheart that I would like to get a female Blue Jaw Trigger.
<<Triggerfishes are quite intelligent and seem to develop
distinct personalities very easy to see how a fish-keeper becomes
attached. He may seem ?sweet? (do be cautious if hand-feeding), but
adding another of the same species, even though female, may not be
possible>> Can she be added at this point without him acting
excessively aggressive to her? <<Probably not? at least not by
just ?dropping her in? the system. The pair I had were special ordered
as such? likely collected as a pair? Subsequently quarantined/held
together right up to their introduction to the display? And even so,
there was the occasional nip-and-chase. If you are willing to go to the
trouble? I suggest you set up a holding/quarantine tank of ?at least?
29g (bigger the better) with some bits of PVC pipe or fittings large
enough for the female to hide in. Place the female in this tank first
then add the male and watch closely for a while, and be ready to
intervene if necessary. Unless the aggression escalates to the point
where one or the other is being damaged, keep the fish here and watch
them closely for a few days allowing them to become ?familiar? with one
another. Maybe you'll get lucky and the fish will ?pair-up??but do also
be prepared to rescue/return the female>> He ignores even the
smallest fish--Pajama cardinals and the Royal Gramma and Blackcap
Basslet, but one of his own kind may provoke a different response.
<<Indeed, this fish is quite compatible with most inverts/other
peaceable fishes in my experience? quite ?reef friendly? in my opinion.
But conspecifics can be a whole different matter? especially so once a
fish becomes ?established? as yours surely has by now>> Thank you
very much in advance, Jeanne <<A pleasure to assist.
EricR>>
Sargassum trigger comp.; Dog face puffer size ?
07/30/07 Hi, sorry for another email, but here goes. I'm
looking for some info on a Sargassum Trigger. <Xanthichthys
ringens.> A LFS has one and it is a gorgeous fish. I first
read the bit on WetWeb about its identity, and then the
Compatibility FAQ on triggers. There was one mention of the
Sargassum in the compatibility FAQ, most are in regards to
undulates, clowns, and Picasso's, which, to my understanding
are quite different in temperament. <True. The Sargassum
trigger is more similar to the Bluethroat or Gilded Trigger
Xanthichthys auromarginatus. Both will reach around 1 foot, but
most often stay a little smaller.> In my 200 gallon (72"
x 24" x 27") I have a banded cat shark, a passer angel
(5"), a yellow tang and a dogface puffer (4"). I've
had this puffer for about 4 years, and he is really docile. He
has been a 4" fish his entire life, and I wonder if that is
his adult length. Hmmm. <Sure it is a dogface puffer aka
Arothron nigropunctatus? This one reaches 10 inches in the
aquariums and more than a foot in the wild. I have seen other
Arothron spp. labeled as dogface, too. However, most are even
bigger. Hopefully his diet is varied.> My question is whether
or not a Sargassum would be compatible with these fish, and more
specifically about a Sargassum's characteristics.
<Comparable to other Xanthichthys spp. (using the genus to
search for information is worth a try) and in general rather
docile (for a trigger) and hardy. Crustaceans, clams and urchins
may be eaten (most get along well with them, though), larger fish
are usually ignored. Beware all triggers are personalities and
may change their mind when becoming adult. Your puffer is another
species with a somewhat unpredictable personality and it is hard
to say for sure they will get along without trouble long term.
Another concern is that the trigger might bite the fins of the
shark. If you are lucky, it will work without problems, if not? I
would not buy this fish without another system or the option to
give it back.> I purchased Axelrod's Marine Atlas (for 6$
on eBay, no less!!), which is a fabulous book but very short in
specifics on care, it is much more of an identification book.
<Yes.> The other book at the LFS describes the fish as reef
safe and much more compatible than other triggers. His jaw
structure definitely looks different than a 'typical'
trigger like a clown or Picasso. I have not purchased the fish,
and maybe I won't at all, but it is certainly tempting and I
thought I might ask you guys first. We had the tank under the
quinine treatment for ick (still do, actually). The Powder Brown
did not make it, unfortunately, but all other fish are doing
extremely well, including the shark (and thanks again for the
quinine info). I'm going to continue the quinine treatment
for the prescribed duration before we think of adding anything.
<Good and good luck with your treatment. Be sure to let the
system run for a while even after the treatment to see if it
worked properly before adding anything.> Thanks again. Thomas.
<You are welcome. Marco.>
Re: Sargassum trigger comp.; Dog face puffer
size follow up ? 07/30/07 Marco, <Thomas> Fabulous
stuff, thank you very much. Arothron nigropunctatus, in the
puffer ID section of WWM, is identical to my puffer. He may be
closer to 5", realistically, but has been this length for
years now. <Interesting. Stunting and improper diet can
probably be excluded due to the large tank you have and the food
you offer. I also assume/hope the nitrates are permanently low
given the other sensitive fishes. Aside tank size, diet and water
quality I cannot think of a factor, which might stop the grow of
your specimen. Possibly some issues in its early life before you
bought him.> This is the one that bit my finger! Often times
when I feed my shark at night, I have to scoop him out of the
way. As long as he doesn't think my finger is food, he is
docile, likes being rubbed, and eats out of my hand. About 6
months ago I had purchased a tiny Picasso trigger, and the
INSTANT I placed him in the tank he attacked the puffer, so he
was removed and returned immediately. <Another case of
unpredictability. Some Rhinecanthus are quite docile, this
specimen not. A similar case cannot be excluded with the
Sargassum, but hopefully this time you are more lucky. I guess it
will rather be hiding for a while when introduced and not start
attacking.> He does receive a varied diet, of cocktail shrimp
with Zo? marine cuisine, krill, and angel formula. He also eats
his share of shark formula, unfortunately. <OK, good diet. The
dog face puffers I know/knew personally which have grown from 4
inches to almost 1 foot in captivity ate lots of mussels and
clams, because they seemed to like it and it abraded their teeth.
Could be worth a try in case you haven't tested yet.> He just
has remained this size. I have no idea why. For a while he was in
an 80 gallon before the upgrade, but for most of the time he was
pretty much the only occupant. Anyway, thanks for the info. We
won't be adding the Sargassum trigger for a couple of weeks,
while we observe the system to make sure all of the ick was
killed with the quinine. Thanks again! Thomas. <You are
welcome. Keep up the good work and enjoy. Marco.>
|
Crosshatch... trigger, Vlamingi tang incomp.
7/9/07 Hey guys, how's it going? Good I hope. So here's my
question. I have a 155 bow front established for about 6 yrs. For the
last 3 years I have 2 Vlamingi Tangs <Neat species, but need more
room...> and for about a year I have a male Crosshatch Trigger. They
have all gotten along very well. No problems during feedings or any
other aggressive behavior. Well yesterday I had the luck of coming
across a female Crosshatch, she was smaller than my male so I jumped on
the opportunity to get her. Well so far they are getting along perfect,
but now the male crosshatch is acting very aggressively towards the one
Vlamingi. I can only assume that he is a male, since they are both
young there hasn't been any way to tell. My question is, is this
normal behavior for a Crosshatch or just one male showing his dominance
to another? And do you think it will subside in time? Thank you. Jay
Uzzalinno <These more open-water species are indeed territorial...
and this is way too small a space psychologically... Maybe adding a
couple of "built up" arrangement of rock
("bommies") will alleviate this agonistic behavior for a
time... block the line of sight... Pile them well, and high... to the
surface if possible; and either start saving for a much larger system,
or plan to trade the Tangs in. Bob Fenner>
I Want To Add A Bluechin Trigger (Not Enough
Info About Current Stock List) ? 06/18/07 Hi there,
<<Hello there>> Just a quick one. I have a Percula
120 (110gallon) bow front Aqua Medic reef tank. In the tank I
have 1 Comet, 2 Clowns, 1 Algae Blenny, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Flame
Angel, 1 Peacock Wrasse, <<Several species with this
?common? name...if this is ?Iniistius pavo? it can reach 18? in
length and though if feeds primarily on benthic crustaceans in
the wild, it likely will eventually consume some of your smaller
fishes as it grows. If this is ?Cirrhilabrus temminckii? then it
will reach a much more manageable length of around 4.5?...but
without better/more info from you I can only speculate>>
and 1 Dwarf Parrotfish. <<Again, I have no idea what this
is. I don't recall ever hearing of a ?Dwarf? Parrotfish, nor can
I find a reference. I can only hope this isn't ?Cetoscarus
bicolor? or the Bicolor Parrotfish which is arguably the most
offered/sold Parrotfish species in the trade (as tiny juveniles)
but is a bruiser that can reach three-feet in length>> In
all about 35 inches of fish when fully grown (I think). <<I
hope this is not your system for determining how many/how much
fish you can put in this tank. The fishes must be evaluated on
adult size, yes...but eighteen 2? damsels are much less burden on
a system than four 9? fish would be...getting the picture?. Do
also take in to consideration the fishs
temperament/compatibility/social interaction, as well as
environmental needs (type cover/substrate, water flow
requirements, etc.), nutritional requirements, et al>> My
question is, I would love to add a Bluechin Triggerfish, I have
done my research on this fish and it seems to be the best choice
of triggers. <<A wonderful aquarium species, agreed...but
needs places to hide/sleep>> They don't get to big and are
reef safe (ish) <<In my experience, yes...and likely much
more ?reef safe? than that Parrotfish you have>> Do I have
enough room in my tank and would it be ok with my current stock?
<<I'm inclined to say no...especially without better
information on the fishes you already have. Please write back to
me with the scientific names of your fishes (the Clownfish too)
and I will be better able to help you>> Thanks for all your
help. <<Quite welcome. EricR>> P.S do these fish get
to about 8-9 inches? <<The Bluechin Trigger? Yes, this is
likely close to maximum for many aquarium specimens...but the
species has the potential to reach a foot or more, see here:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=6030
>>
Re: I Want To Add A Bluechin Trigger (Not Enough
Info About Current Stock List) ? 06/18/07 Thanks for getting
back, the scientific names are 1 - Calloplesiops altivelis, 2 -
Amphiprion ocellaris, 1 - Salarias fasciatus, 1 - Zebrasoma
flavescens, 1 - Centropyge loricula, 1 - Vermiculate wrasse (it
was sold as Peacock Wrasse) and the "dwarf parrotfish? is a
Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura. Hope this helps thank you. <<Ah
yes, what a difference a proper and definitive ID can make. This
is a much more suitable/proper mix of fishes than some of the
?local common names? in your original query suggested. Although,
the Vermiculate Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus bipartitus)
is a decidedly difficult fish to keep and is not well suited to
your 110-gallon system (would benefit greatly from an inline
refugium). As for the addition of a Bluechin Trigger
(Xanthichthys auromarginatus), these are robust, heavy fish, but
I think you could possibly ?just? squeeze one in...though this
will definitely ?fill up? this system and preclude any other
piscine additions, in my opinion. Regards, EricR>>
R2: I Want To Add A Bluechin Trigger (Not Enough
Info About Current Stock List) ? 06/19/07 Thanks for all your
help. <<My pleasure>> Just one more quick question.
<<Okay>> Which would be best suited to my tank,
Bluechin or a Pink Tail Triggerfish? Thanks <<I think it
best if you stick with the Bluechin for your system. The Bluechin
is a slightly smaller species, and although there can be/are
differences between individuals, Xanthichthys auromarginatus
seems to be a bit more peaceful than Melichthys vidua (Pink Tail
Trigger). Also, size for size, I feel the Pink Tail Trigger needs
more open space/water than the Bluechin for proper ?social?
development. Regards, EricR>>
|
Blue-Throat Trigger Not Eating - 05/03/07 Hi folks,
<Hello.> Great site, recommend it to whoever will
listen. <Awesome.> I have a question about a
blue-throat trigger. <...One of my favorites...> This is my
second attempt at one of these fish and it is getting
frustrating. <Well lets see if I can help you out.> For the
record I have been keeping saltwater fish for over 15 years and
this is my first attempt at a triggerfish. I have a 5
year old majestic angel, a 7 year old swallowtail angel and a 7
year old Naso tang along with a few little guys to keep things
hopping presently in a 90 gallon reef, <A bit on the crowded
side but okay...> all are happy and fat with no aggression but
now I figured I could try something new. The first
trigger died due to a bacterial infection that I couldn't get
to in time but this second one is not visibly sick but still
won't eat. <Blue throats tend to be a little more
flighty/finicky...in general exhibit behavior atypical of how
would expect a tiger to act. How long has it been?> He is
about 3" long and in a 30 gallon quarantine tank with a few
chunks of live rock, a skimmer, power head for movement and an
AquaClear 500 hang-on filter. There are a couple of
other fish in there, just to keep it cycled. I have
checked all the normal water parameters, all is
fine. I have tried PE mysis, smaller mysis, flake,
bloodworms, shaved shrimp, squid and clam - won't touch
anything. <Wow, you have pulled out all the stops. I have a
few more suggestions though; market scallops or mussels soaked in
a nutritional supplement like Selcon.> Is the quarantine tank
too small ? <No seems adequate...for a
quarantine.> The quarantine tank has had a small Pseudochromis
and a coral beauty in it for a couple of years until recently
when I nicely took a marine Betta because he had lateral line and
Lymphocystis. <Mmmm...with all these animals, yes
quarantine tank is too small, quarantine tank should be just
that....quarantine.> He has since been cured ( yes
the lateral line too ) but I don't really have any place to
move him so he is in the quarantine too. Is he
intimidating the trigger ? <Perhaps, the specimen
I have is extremely flighty; easily scarred.> There seems to
be no aggression between the two, in fact they use the same cave
at night. Any ideas would be great. I would
hate to lose the trigger because of a screw up on my
part. I intended to move him into my 90 gallon reef
after his quarantine period, which has been about 3
weeks. But I don't want to do that if he is not
eating because he will never get food in there with my other
fish. <Rob, how long has it been since the fish
has not eaten? Thanks for your time, <Anytime...I look forward
to your reply.> Rob in Syracuse, NY <Adam J in
California.>
Re: Blue-throat trigger STILL not eating -
05/03/07 Hey Adam, <Welcome back Rob.> Thanks for the
reply. <No problem.> I have not seen this trigger eat in 3
weeks. <Mmm...that is a little lengthy.> He doesn't
seem to be losing a lot of weight but I can't figure out what
he is eating. <This tank has other animals, how well
established is it? Perhaps micro-crustaceans.> I have soaked
all of the food offerings in Selcon. ( been using that stuff for
years ) <Cool.> I ended up putting the trigger into my 90
gallon reef last night. He hid for around a half an
hour and then started exploring the tank. <A good
sign, mine is till rather reclusive almost a year later.> My
majestic wasn't too happy but he got over it
quickly. I added some mysis and blood worms hoping
that he might get the feeding idea from the feeding frenzy that
occurs every time I put anything edible into that
tank. Nothing, in fact he hid. He does seem
to be more active in the larger tank but I want him to eat
soon. <I understand, I would also try to offer
food just after the lights go off...in his direction with a
turkey baster if you can get hold of one.> I am assuming that
he will figure it out any day now, he has got to be hungry and
with the other fish active and feeding, he has got to get
it. I have had other fish not eat in the past, but
they didn't live this long or I figured out what they
wanted. I do not want to lose this fish, he is way too
cool looking. Do you think I should just wait it out or should I
take him back to the LFS? <Well I would ask the LFS what they
were feeding him.> To be honest I don't know how much
effort the LFS would put out for a fish that won't eat.
<Not much.> Do you think I need to increase filtration?
I have a red sea skimmer, Fluval 404, a large emperor
hang-on, UV sterilizer ( 15w ), 3 powerheads and about 95 lbs. of
live rock and an inch of live sand. <Well I'm not a fan of
canister filters on marine tanks, I prefer macro-algae
refugiums.> So far I haven't had any big problems at all,
at least for the last 3 years. Any advice would be appreciated.
<A few more feeding suggestions, if an LFS has live brine or
live mysids.. give them a try. I know that live brine and live
foods aren't the best thing. and certainly not a long term
option but it's better than nothing. Also try some meats that
are more poignant to the sense of smell, mackerel, squid, along
those lines.> Thank you, <Welcome.> Rob in Syracuse, NY
<Adam still in SoCal.>
|
Adding another fish, Blue-jaw Triggers
(Xanthichthys auromarginatus) - 02/06/07 Hi Bob and crew.
<Crew here! Mich with you tonight!> I have a
125G FOWLR and some polyps. About 100-125 lbs of live rock. I
have one Red Sea Sailfin Tang (4in) one Scribbled Angel (3-4in)
one Cinnamon Clown one Christmas Wrasse One See-through Goby one
Green Mandarin six Yellow Tail Damsels. My fish are doing great,
but I have always wanted a trigger. My faves are Clown and
Picasso but I don't want to risk their
aggression. I have settled on the
Blue-jaw. I do have two reservations. One,
I think my tank may be overstocked with the addition of the
trigger. <If your nitrates aren't already elevated, I
think this would be a fine addition.> Two, I have read that
they are very easily frightened and spend a lot of time hiding.
<Blue-jaw Triggers (Xanthichthys auromarginatus) can be a
little shy and may spend a good deal of time hiding when they are
first introduced, but typically come around to become a more
social member of the community.> I wouldn't
want to add a fish that I will rarely see.
<Understandable. May be a problem initially, but I
think in the long term will be ok> What do you say? <Hey!
Hey! This was made in the USA?> Thanks <You're
welcome! -Mich> P.S., If you think the trigger is a
bad idea, what fish would you recommend that will fit well into
my community, or am I done? <I think you have made a good
choice!>
Adding another fish, Blue-jaw Triggers
(Xanthichthys auromarginatus) 2/7/07 <Mich here
again!> Thanks again for a timely reply. <Welcome!> You
guys are great. <We try.> If I do end up adding the
trigger, can I add anymore small fish, and if yes, what would be
your choices? <I would proceed slowly here. Take
one thing at a time. Add the trigger and see what
happens. You don't want to push your filtration
or psychologically crowd the tank. With any
possible future additions I would be thinking about where the
fish tends to spend its' time, i.e. is it a swimmer, a bottom
dweller, a percher etc., behavior type issues. Look at
the typically behaviors of the other fish in your system and
think about where a small fish might fit in. Don't
forget about compatibility issues here also. You
don't want to provide live food in this
instance! Patience here my friend.
-Mich>
|
Sick Trigger (Xanthichthys auromarginatus) ? 01/17/07
Greetings, <<Hello!>> First, I want to thank you for the
work your doing helping us make insightful decisions. <<Most
welcome...truly a pleasure to share>> I have a Blue Jaw Trigger,
Xanthichthys auromarginatus, <<Me too!>> that has not been
well for two weeks; it is very immobile, propping himself up on or over
something continually. <<Hmm, it's not unusual for this fish
to occasionally stop roaming/peer out at the world from its favorite
cave...but it shouldn't be lying around all the time>> He has
been eating, but only when fed directly and does not seek food.
<<Mmm, should be active/interested at feeding time>> A
couple of days ago he began spitting back out the large plankton, so I
made a batch of food in the blender of: shrimp, oyster, clam, Selco,
formula II, and daphnia; it is eating, but again only when basting
directly toward his mouth. The fishs colour is about a six
out of ten; there is yellow outlining the tips of the fins with a dark
band on the body at the fin's base. <<The yellow margin on
the fins is naturally occurring on a male X. auromarginatus...but the
dark band is possibly a sign if distress>> Its distinctive dots
and blue jaw are still clear. <<Good>> I QTed the
fish. He was housed with a Sebae and its GSM since May (8
months). The tank is too small; it is a 70-gal bow front and
has four feet in front and back of the rockwork to swim with two or
three nice caves underneath in which he'd sleep. Many
sites put the limits for this fish at 75 gal, and I knew Bob recommends
at least 100 gal. <<Yes...or larger>> Occasionally needing
to keep the money maker happy I ordered the fish. There are
no signs of trauma, or tumor. Are these symptoms of small
tank syndrome or something recognizable/treatable? <<If the fish
has not suffered some physical trauma, then this sounds to me like an
internal protozoan infection (lethargy is a telling symptom
here). These are difficult to treat, and often by the time
the symptoms manifest it is too late. The fact the fish is
still eating is a good sign and I suggest you try some foods post-haste
made for treating internal parasites (New Life Spectrum has such a
food).>> My wife is a veterinarian having many
medications/antibiotics available. <<Then perhaps try soaking
some thawed frozen food (mysis shrimp, chopped krill) with
Metronidazole. See here for information on dosages,
cautions, etc. : http://www.wetwebmedia.com/metranidazole.htm >> Lastly,
I've read to moderate length about hyposalinity, and while probably not
a cure, will reducing salinity ease fishes? metabolic demands?
<<Though it can be of use in some situations (dips/baths), I am
not a fan of long-term hyposalinity for the ?stress? it places upon the
fishes. They have evolved to live within certain saline
parameters, changing those parameters requires them to make
adjustments/work harder to maintain their osmotic balance >> I
maintain a salinity of 35ppt. <<Excellent...do keep it
there>> Thank you, Robert <<Good luck Robert...and please
let me know how the treatment goes. Eric Russell>>
Last Fish...(Not The Best Choice) ? 01/11/07
Hey Guys an Gals, <<Cheers David!>> My wife and I have
a 50 G tank with several corals and 3 small fish. 1-
Galaxea (yes I know all about the sweepers) got it cheap and it
might be moving out in the near future for trade. <<Mmm,
yes...a very aggressive genus with a very strong ?sting?>>
Has whole left half of aquarium to itself. <<Indeed>>
Q: what is the proper item(s) to feed this coral?? <<Minced
meaty marine foods, small mysis shrimp, Sweetwater Plankton,
Cyclop-eeze...a mixture of these>> Looking on WWM using
Galaxea as a keyword I only find tentacle warnings. <<That's
about to change [grin]>> 3- Ricordea Yumas have center of
tank, placed a full 11" away from Galaxea.
<<Wise...though the Ricordea can be quite nasty
itself>> 1- LT plate coral far right side of tank on sand
bottom. 2- Sarcophyton one 1" frag one 4" frag mid-level
right side. <<Keep in mind these can/will grow large (some to
a couple feet in diameter) and are quite noxious>> I use a
Coralife lunar light. 1-96w compact fluorescent. 1-96w actinic and
2 small blue LEDs. I keep 10000K on 9hrs, actinic comes
on one hour before and stays on one hour after. Blue
LEDs are on at night. Is this lighting enough for what
I'm keeping? <<If the bulbs are close to the water and
changed out regularly...just barely I think. The
addition of another 10000K bulb (even a smaller wattage, say 65W)
is warranted here in my opinion>> I have two powerheads for
movement one PowerSweep 228 and a Whisper 660. <<Another
powerhead would not hurt either>> Use a Magnum H.O.T. 250 for
carbon/phosphate remover. <<Excellent>> Running a
Coralife Super Skimmer 65g which IMO works awesome, at least one
inch of "nasty" in collection cup daily. I had
convinced myself that my fancy for trigger fish was not to be
exercised until I read "Have you overlooked these fish"
by Gregory Schemer in the 2006 annual Marine Fish and Reef
magazine. After reading that article I have read
everything I can on the Blue Throat triggerfish. <<An
excellent species for reef tanks (have on in my reef), though I
consider your tank too small for the long-term health of this
fish>> My tank has a Tomato clown that I have had for 3 yrs
and is only about 2 1/2 " (the alpha fish in this new 50. He
has been in for a month now). I added a Firefish and
Falco Hawkfish the same week I added the clown. <<Kudos on
the choice of Hawkfish...a small species (to about 3-inches), and
attractive too>> Almost two months have
passed. Everyone eats fine. Firefish is NOT
afraid of "Hanging with the big boys" and eats as well as
the clown. <<Good to hear...these shy fishes are often easily
bullied to the point of starvation>> I just went by the LFS
and there Screaming "buy me !! buy me !!" is a very small
Blue throat, 3-inches. <<Uh-0h>> Now, I had already
been doing the research and I'm convinced that everything in my
tank should get along with some warnings of course. And
this 3" specimen really seems to be "the one last
fish" ha ha hopefully. j/k <<Mmm...>> I had the
store put it on hold. I got a week to talk myself out of
it. Can you help talk me INTO it? <<I'm sorry to
disappoint you...though it may not seem so now, your tank just
isn't big enough (should be at least twice its size) for this large
(grows to more than a foot), robust and active
fish. Many things affect the nature/behavior of fishes
in captivity...and in my opinion an all too common practice in our
hobby that mal-affects fishes more than many realize is placing
them in too small volumes of water. The argument that
?I'll upgrade when it gets too large for the tank? holds little
weight as the fishes often develop behavioral disorders/develop
health issues from the ?growing up? in a too small system...not to
mention these ?promises to upgrade? rarely pan out for a myriad of
reasons>> Ya think this fish will co-exist? <<The
tankmates are fine...it's the housing that's inappropriate I'm
afraid>> I have some small crabs, snails and such, and a sea
hare that shows himself seldom (know about the possible ink
too). I am not worried about the clean up crew; they can
be replaced if they disappear although I have read they will most
likely be safe from the trigger. My wife said "You
know that's the last fish right?" She reads WWM too.:)
<<Best to make it an appropriate selection then>>
Please help us with our decision. <<I've given you my
position on the matter...not what you wanted to hear I'm sure...but
truly best for the trigger in my humble opinion>>
<<Regards, Eric Russell>> |
Re: Last Fish... (Not The Best Choice) ?
01/12/07 Thank you for your quick response Eric, <<Quite
welcome David>> I should have told you more but my wife says
I'm too "wordy." <<Ah...but tell here the more I/we
know the better we can respond>> This 50 gallon tank was
going to have a 20 H refugium added (we have 6 tanks in the house).
<<That's excellent...but doesn't change my mind re the
triggerfish>> The 20 was one of two tanks I combined for the
50. After reading I kicked myself for buying the fifty
not drilled and setting it up anyway. <<Utilizing the old
siphon overflow eh?>> My plans of turning the 20 that is now
my quarantine tank into a refugium really don't work unless I want
to go the overflow box way, not to mention it's downstream.
<<This is not a problem really/should not keep you from
employing the refugium>> Among others we have a 125 drilled
tank in our basement that we haven't gathered enough supplies or
live rock for (the fifty gallons is holds 75 lbs or so).
<<Aha! This would be a MUCH better proposition for
the Blue Throat trigger...and as long as you can make some hiding
places and a ?cave? for the trigger to sleep this amount of rock
may be fine as well. I prefer to use a minimalist
approach to placing live rock in a reef system. It
doesn't take as much rock to provide sufficient bio-filtration as
those selling the rock would like you to believe. Not to
mention you also give your fish more room to swim and both fish and
corals more room to grow. And honestly mate...a tank
with less rock and large full growing corals looks much better than
a tank full of rock and a bunch of stunted frags>> This fifty
is NOT our last tank by no means and I agree I've read about
juvenile Blue Throats in no less than 40 and the appropriate size
for a larger one would be 75-100G <<Or bigger...yes>> I
WILL have a larger tank --just got to get the wife to imagine that
empty tank in a cleaned out basement office };-> <<Perhaps
a nice bottle of Shiraz will help...>> So If I get off my
butt and do something with this larger tank, which I'll do
slowly, then how long would a "conscientious" aquarist be
able to keep a 3" B.T. Trigger in a fifty gallon tank before
he grows any "fishy" behavior? <<Mmm...a truly
?conscientious aquarist? would setup/establish/mature
the larger tank ?before? making the purchase. But since
you already have the tank on hand (please don't make me regret this
David), three to four months would probably be ok. These
fish are slow growers and you likely won't notice much change in
its size in that time, but that doesn't mean you can leave it
longer...get that 125 up and going>> On another note I still
want to add water volume to this fifty, is it worth it to have a
downstream refugium? <<Indeed it is...I have a 55g downstream
refugium (empties to the pump chamber in my sump) on my reef
system>> Will anything alive make it to the main tank?
<<It will...impeller-shear is an overrated concern...most of
the beneficial organisms generated by the refugium will make the
trip to through the pump just fine...and even those few that might
be damaged will still provide a beneficial treat>> And what
would be the best way to turn an established tank into a refugium
without completely emptying tank and fowling the already 3 yr
mature sand bed? <<Several ways methodologies could be
employed. The simplest would be to add some coarser
substrate/live rock rubble and culture the myriad of micro- and
macro-fauna that inhabits such...another option is to add some
lighting and place a bit of macro-algae (my preference is
Chaetomorpha for its ?user friendliness? and its dense matrix which
is a perfect environment to culture worms, amphipods, mysids, and
associated epiphytic matter) above the sand bed to grow/compete
with nuisance alga for nutrients>> Can I empty it down to the
sand bed and dry the sides inside enough to glue in partitions?
<<Probably...or maybe check out the article from one of the
earlier editions on our on-line magazine where it is shown how to
make install ?removable/adjustable? baffles using weather-stripping
to hold them in place>> Or is it even worth the time?
<<Well worth it, in my opinion>> Oh yeah, the LFS that
has the trigger is one of the most knowledgeable stores we
frequent. They can be more expensive so we usually go
there for learning purposes and most of the time the guy who runs
the fish room talks me out of stupid moves. <<Good to
hear>> I'm surprised he hasn't stopped me from wanting this
fish. <<Mmm...>> He has seen my tank and he even has
the Blue Throat in a fifty gallon at the store. Now
what's up with that? <<Differences of opinion maybe...coupled
with the fact that retail/transient facilities have different
considerations compared to hobbyist aquaria>> Heck, he has
even said to me (when my wife wanted a frogfish a year ago and
wanted to know the price) "For anyone else $75, for you're
tank 199.99 !! " He knew I knew better and he knew
my wife wasn't ?reading up". <<Ah...then good for
him>> This fifty is the largest tank I have running as of
now, and as our passion for this hobby grows so have our
tanks. 6 tanks was a crazy chore on weekends and this
all started with removing some big Aiptasia from a 36
bow. Now we got a species specific tank for
"naughty rocks" a larger one to eliminate two was smart
move, now we still have 4 to combine. I have so many
glass boxes downstairs full of old powerheads and lights, God help
me if she ever sees a waterdog or something "cute" like
the frogfish. If we can't mix it in "we could
always start another tank," Doh!! <<Ah but
you have a ?problem? many, many hobbyists would like to have...a
spouse that allows more than one tank in the house!>> After a
trip to the fish store I'm happy to afford a Hacker Schorr or two.
<<Indeed...do be careful not to cut ?too deeply? in to the
beer budget! [grin]>> I'm rethinking the B.T. even though
I know this 125 will happen someday, Hell it's there
waiting. All my friends will love coming over and
sitting on boxes and old junk to look at the new tank in the
basement LOL <<If they're pet-fish folk they
won't mind>> Thanks for your time Eric; I seemed to have time
enough to get "wordy". <<No worries mate...and it's
been a pleasure to share>> Oh here's a pic of the tank.
<<Ah yes...is that a Rhodophyte at the upper
right? Very nice, Eric Russell>> |
R2: Last Fish... (Not The Best Choice) ? 01/14/07 In
that pic the upper right contains "red grape Caulerpa".
<<Mmm? Okay>> And just to the left of it is my small
Sarco frag. The Caulerpa has been moved to the far
left behind the rock under the PowerSweep (figured the Galaxea
wouldn't sting it) and the larger 4" tall Sarco frag has
been put in its place on the mid-level right. No
worries on size here...Have read enough on the propagation of
Sarcophyton that the 4" will grow another 2" if it's
lucky before I try the doughnut or pizza method of fragging.
<<Ah?yes>> Speaking of fragging... We go to a monthly
fish club at that same fish store. <<Neat>> I always
see frags I haven't read up on for free or for
trade. In the past I have asked if I could get a small
list of compatible corals for my wife's nano reef. She
keeps several little Kenya tree frags, one bigger Xenia frag and
of course she has a small Sarcophyton no bigger than a pencil
eraser. She obviously likes "dainty frilly
things" and I'm not sure what to research. Can
you give me a list of maybe 3-5 different things she could add
without toxin or size problems? <<Hmm?pretty much
impossible to meet those criteria. There are many
possibilities (on a small scale), as well as many possibilities
for things to go wrong very quickly in these small volumes of
water. I am not a fan of nano tanks?but?these small
reefs do seem to be popular and to be fair I have seen a few that
looked quite nice? For a time. As for
stocking/maintenance/et al of these systems do start reading here
( http://www.wetwebmedia.com/smmarsysstkgfaqs.htm) being
sure to follow the associated links in blue at the top of the
page. This will afford you much more/broader info than
I can share on this topic>> I went to look at the trigger
again, Joe reminded me that all their tanks are 50 G size, except
for the "show" tanks and "Q" tanks are
sharing a 4500 gallon system and the fish get moved every few
days to a different tank to avoid dominance issues. <<Mmm,
this seems overly stressful to me? but just my opinion>> The
BT trigger is really about 2" now that I can see him not
locked in a hole. <<Pretty small? better to acquire in the
3? ? 4? range? and preferably a Hawaiian specimen when
possible>> He is in the fifty with a 7" pink tail
trigger and two Hawkfish bigger than my Falco and bigger than
him. I didn't get the chance to stay an watch him eat.
<<Would suggest you do so? this fish ?can be? problematic to
get to feed>> DAMN I had to open my big mouth and question
what could have been a really cool although dumb, impulse buy :)
:/ <<Ah but Dave? You knew it was the right thing to
do. The fish, you, the hobby in general is better for
your effort>> Now I'm afraid my clown might even kick his
ass. <<This has crossed my mind as
well. Clownfish become very territorial/aggressive
(they are a damsel, after all)?in fact the only fish to ever
attack/draw blood from me in more than 30 years in this hobby has
been? you guessed it?a clownfish?>> The clown is close to
two months in and is starting to show dominance over the side of
the tank with the plate coral. Passers by get followed
away, not chased yet. <<Likely to become more
overt/physical in its actions>> Firefish has been moved to
one of the nanos simply because the wife wanted it originally.
<<Hmm?and one of the few fish suited to these tanks>>
I'll still wait the LFS?s' quarantine out before I tell
him I don't want the trigger. <<Decided to wait until you
can provide a proper home have you? Excellent my
friend>> Thanks again, <<A pleasure to assist,
EricR>>
|
|
Questionable Aquarium Service...Trying To Do What's
Needed - 09/22/06 Dear Wet Web Crew, <<Hello>> My
employer has a beautiful 200-gallon salt-water tank, and has a tank
service that comes in and cares for this tank. <<Ok>> I
have a serious lack of confidence in this company because I did a
little research on your site and they have made many really bad
mistakes. <<Some do yes, but doesn't mean this one is
"bad". Have you been able to talk to
other/previous customers of this company? Have they done
anything to make you feel uncomfortable with their level of
service?>> First, they got the chemicals wrong in the tank,
which killed most of the fish. <<Ahh...I see...sounds like
you may have good reason for your concerns...>> Then, when
they replaced the fish, they brought us 5 crabs, a blue-throat
Triggerfish, 3 assorted angelfish <<Mmm...>> (in
separate bags. NOT introduced at the same time), and a pair of
ocellaris (among others). Of course, the Trigger ate the
crabs immediately. I am an administrative assistant with
little/no knowledge of fish, and have been tasked with taking care
of their diet, and making sure they get what they need.
<<Sounds like you need to start doing some
reading/researching my friend. Google searches on our
site and the NET re the species names will yield much
information>> So I need a little advice from professionals
that actually care about the fish. After the initial
eating of the crabs, and the disappearance of one of the smaller
Angelfish (which after reading on your site I found out why
<<...?>>), the blue-throat trigger has started
exhibiting odd behavior. He lies down at the bottom of
the tank on his right side, and just lays very still for long
periods on time. <<Maybe not all that "odd" after
all. Is there live rock in this tank? (should be if
there isn't)...Does this tank have any type of decor/rock
work? These triggers will very often "rest" in
a hole or crevice in the reef during the day, and definitely at
night. If the tank is not suitably aquascaped the
trigger may be merely "resting" on the bottom of the
tank>> He is still eating well (They get frozen shrimp, the
cubed kind once a day, and Formula 2 the blue-green algae variety
flakes twice daily). <<Do look in to obtaining some New Life
Spectrum Marine pellets and a frozen "Angel" food
formulated specifically for their care. Feed these AND
the frozen shrimp, with the flakes, twice daily>> His color
has faded a bit, but he doesn't have any spot or slime on him,
and he hasn't rearranged the tank in a while- he used to do
that all the time. I read one of your entries about one
having similar behavior in a 20 gallon tank, and you said the tank
was too small but I don't think that is the case here- the tank
is 200 gallons. <<Agreed...but that doesn't mean there
aren't more/other environmental factors at play here...such as
water chemistry or the "design" of the tank
itself>> Could he be malnourished or ill? <<Maybe...the
trigger needs several small feedings of meaty foods
daily. The Spectrum pelleted food and the frozen shrimp
fed at least twice a day will help. For even better
nourishment of ALL the fish, consider getting/soaking the food in
Selcon and/or Vita-Chem a couple times a week>> And is there
some product or variety of food I should tell my boss to get for
him? <<Ah yes!...as explained>> Cordially, Jane
<<I want to help Jane, do write back if you need further
clarification on anything...and try to give me as much information
about the system as you can (filtration/maintenance/aquascaping (or
lack of), etc.). Regards, Eric Russell>> Re:
Questionable Aquarium Service...Trying To Do What's Needed ?
10/11/06 Dear Eric, <<Hello Jane>> I just wanted to
thank you for your excellent advice. <<Was my pleasure to
provide>> It has been about two weeks since you emailed me
with the suggestions. We invested in New Life Spectrum
Marine Pellets, and we also purchased a lot more coral decorations
to go on the live rock. <<This pelleted food is an excellent
staple for your fish>> We hired a company to change out the
coral and clean the tank/maintain the filtration system every two
weeks. <<Excellent...but I do hope you/someone ?monitors? the
tank on a daily basis>> They have been instructed to bring in
lots of smaller shells and other such toys for the occupants.
<<Mmm...do be careful not to create detritus traps>>
Our Bluethroat Triggerfish has perked up considerably; I think he
may have been suffering from boredom. <<Indeed...these are
intelligent and personable fish...and somewhat ?shy? at
times. It's never good to place fish in a ?plain glass
box? devoid of proper structure/hiding places...is very
stressful>> All the fish seem to be a little brighter and a
lot more active. <<Good signs>> Thanks again for your
excellent advice and support. <<I'm glad it proved
useful...thank you for the follow-up>> Peace and Blessings,
Jane <<Regards, EricR>> |
Mating of the Sargassum and Crosshatch Trigger
10/2/06 We Have a Sargassum Trigger (Which we thought to have been
a male because of the red tail.) The past week our
Crosshatch has been acting strange, digging out sand from
the bottom of the tank and losing all of his colors for
about 2-5 minutes then getting it back. Today we noticed that
the Sargassum's lower stomach is huge and the opening
which I believe are where the eggs come out is dilated
(white around it like tearing). Is there a possibility that
the Sargassum that we thought was a male is pregnant
and actually a female. <Yes> Can't find out much
information on the Sargassum sex or how long they carry
their eggs. Please Help Penny <Need to visit a large/College library
for such information (if it exists!): http://www.wetwebmedia.com/litsrchart.htm Does read like
spawning behavior... Bob Fenner>
Finicky Sargassum Trigger ? 09/23/06 Hello from Alabama,
<<Greetings from South Carolina>> Thank you for the
wonderful site and all of the great information, my tank has
improved greatly after implementing many of your ideas over the
past year. <<Is a collective effort...you're quite
welcome>> I do have a question that I couldn't find
much info on though. I purchased a 5" Sargassum
Trigger one week ago, I had a problem with my quarantine and
after one day I had to put it into the main tank ( a 265
FOWLR). The fish looks great and is very active, which
surprised me because I have a Blue Throat Trigger that hid for
the first several days, but now swims constantly. I
assumed this fish would do the same. <<Indicative of the
difference in species/personality>> Even though it is
active it hasn't eaten anything this whole week.
<<Troubling...even more so if this fish has not eaten since
capture. Did you see the fish eat at the LFS before
purchase?>> I have tried pellets, flakes, frozen shrimp,
frozen Mysis, and even live guppies and ghost shrimp.
<<Hmm...is a planktonic feeder...though according to
FishBase they will also dine on crabs and urchins>> It
doesn't show any interest in food at all. <<Not
good>> Do you have any ideas of what else I could try and
do you know how long he can go without eating. Any
help will be appreciated. <<The fish can go a surprisingly
long time without feeding, but not eating for more than a week
becomes worrisome. If the problem were internal
parasites I would expect the fish to have expired by now...the
fact that it is still alive leaves "some" hope that
this is a problem of acclimation/finding the right stimulus to
get the fish to feed. Perhaps you could try some fresh
mussels/clams/oysters on the half-shell from your local grocery
store. I have had success in the past getting finicky feeders to
eat by offering (thawed) frozen glass worms (mosquito
larvae). Try soaking these in Selcon for a bit more
enticement/nutritive value. Another food you should
try is Sweetwater Plankton. This small soft bodied
food (Daphnia actually) is a great "plankton"
food. Both of these will likely be appreciated by the
Blue Throat as well>> Thank you, Jeremy <<Good
luck. EricR>>
Re: Finicky Sargassum Trigger (Refugium Plumbing) ?
09/28/06 First of all let me say thank you for your help with
my triggerfish, the night I received your response he began
eating the Mysis shrimp. <<Ah, super!>> He now will
eat anything, but I am still trying to find the zooplankton since
that is what they are more accustomed to. <<The Mysis are a
good ?staple?, but varying the diet is always
better. Both the Sweetwater Plankton (saltwater
formula) and the New Life Spectrum pellets should be easy to find
at many of the on-line vendors>> I now have another
question. >>Okay>> I have been struggling keeping my
nitrates below 20 ppm and I would like to be able to culture some
copepods and things so I have decided to add a refugium after
reading all the good reviews on them. <<Indeed...a very
worthwhile addition to any system>> I have a 265 gallon
tank with a sump and an AquaC EV-180, and about 150 lbs of live
rock. I have a 40 gallon Oceanic Trickle filter I am
not using that I wanted to try and convert to a
Refugium. I have attached a drawing
of what I have in mind. <<I see it>> <Graphic not
pasted here for space/dnld considerations... see Refugium
Designs... RMF> My problem is that I am very restrained by the
size of the stand I have and the space that I have. <<A
very common tale>> Most people seem to have the
space/height to drain from the tank to the 'fuge and then
down to a sump. I will have to have my sump and
'fuge on the same level with only about 2" height
difference in the two. <<Could be fine...do ensure there is
enough ?empty volume? left to handle the transient water volume
when the pumps/power go off>> My plan is to have water flow
from the tank to the sump and the 'fuge and then the
'fuge will overflow into the sump and be pumped back to the
tank. <<That's how I do mine (375g display, 75g sump, 55g
refugium)>> From experimenting in my garage I think I can
only put about 150 gph through the 'fuge this way to keep it
from overflowing (of course I could have powerheads in the
'fuge for better circulation in there). <<Flow-rate is
determined by the size/number of throughputs...but 150 gph
through this refugium should do fine>> I thought of adding
another overflow and pump, but besides the added cost, I was
afraid that would be too many variables (as far as keeping the
system from overflowing), but maybe I am wrong. <<All comes
down to not spilling more water in to the refugium than you can
spill out of it in the same amount of time. I guess my questions
are do you think the 150 gph would be enough for my tank to see a
real benefit, and looking at the picture can you suggest a better
way to get water through the fuge and to the sump. <<An
emphatic ?yes!? to the first...and as for the second, I suggest
you add a gate-valves to the pump output and to the refugium
input to allow for flow adjustments and be able to ?shut-off? the
refugium for maintenance. And if these are ?hard?
connections, you may also want to consider installing
unions>> Sorry for the length of the email, and thank you
in advance for all of your help. Jeremy <<No worries
Jeremy, am happy to help. Regards, EricR>>
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Funny Trigger Story - 09/23/06 I just moved my three-inch
male Blue Throat Trigger from quarantine to the display tank 24 hours
ago, and he has remained hidden in a nook in the rockwork of my 90
gallon tank ever since. <<Not unusual...can be rather shy/timid
as triggers go>> I'm not worried about him. He acted
the same way in quarantine for the first three or four days only to
come out and be friendly for the following month.
<<Indeed>> I have two RBTA (a recent split), a B/W
Ocellaris Clown pair, a Twin-spot Hogfish and a small Wheeler's shrimp
goby that hasn't found his pistol shrimp yet. I have
probably twenty snails, two large cleaner shrimp, one hermit crab and
one small porcelain crab that came with some live rock, all running
well and getting along for the past seven or eight months.
<<Excellent>> Anyway, the trigger has taken up residence in
the same cave as the porcelain crab. <<The porcelain crab
hasn't taken up residence in one of the anemones?>> Now here
is the odd thing. The crab, which can't even be an inch
long, seems to be trying to bully the trigger out of its hiding spot.
<<Amazing creatures we keep, eh!>> They seem to have come
to an arrangement and aren't bothering each other at the moment.
<<Ah, yes...and will likely cohabitate just fine>> I just
thought y'alls would like to hear about a tiny crab picking on a trigger
that is probably twenty times his size. Thanks y'alls for the
wonderful work you do. My fish and I owe you for all of your
great advice. Jonathan <<Were pleased to be of service...and
thank you for sharing. EricR>>
Another Reef Tank for a Bluechin Trigger -
07/27/06 Hi Crew, <<Hello Jeff>> I have a question
about the stocking of my system. <<Okay>> I would like to
add a pair of Bluechin Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus).
<<Wonderful fish! I introduced a pair to my reef tank
a couple years ago...sadly I've since lost the female, but the male
is doing great>> But I am not sure if they will put me over the
bio-load that my tank can handle. My current system configuration is as
follows: -450 Gallon Reef Ready Custom 96" x 36" x 30"
display tank. -Euro-Reef CS 8-3+RC Skimmer and a Deltec APF600 Skimmer
-63 gallon sump, 55 gallon Refugium and 39 gallon rock Refugium -2
Tunze 6000 Streams & 2 Tunze 6100 Streams -Lighting: 3 250 watt MH
HQI and 4 39 watt actinic T5's -145Lbs Tonga Rock, 84Lbs Base Rock,
16Lbs Tonga Branch Rock, 60Lbs Indo Rock, and 60Lbs of Marshall Island
rock -420Lb Bioactive Live Aragonite Reef Sand Current Bio-load in
tank: -Various Soft Corals, LPS, Zoo's, mushrooms and Clams. -Also
various crabs, snails and shrimp. -8 Zebra Dartfish (Ptereleotris
zebra) -9 Blue-Green Chromis (Chromis viridis) -1 Green Mandarin
(Synchiropus splendidus) -1 Scooter Dragonet (Synchiropus ocellatus) -1
Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma veliferum) -1 Mimic Tang (Acanthurus pyroferus)
-1 Comet (Calloplesiops altivelis) -3 Ochre-striped Cardinalfish
(Apogon compressus) -1 Pajama Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera) -1
Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) -1 Orchid Dottyback
(Pseudochromis fridmani) -2 Percula Anemonefish (Amphiprion percula) -1
Ornate Wrasse (Halichoeres ornatissimus) -1 Twinspot Hogfish (Bodianus
bimaculatus) -1 Flame Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus jordani) <<Hmmm...but
for the Sailfin which will get quite large, and the Comet which will be
of moderate size (Mimic and Copperband to a lesser degree), most
everything else is fairly small. Considering the size of
this system, the (2) quality skimmers, the presence of a large sump and
refugium, and plentiful though not "overdone" live rock...I
would be tempted to add the triggers>> Thank you in advance for
any advice you can provide. <<Try to get Hawaiian specimens if
you can. And make sure you acquire both the male and the
female at the same time (in the same shipment even) to lessen the
possibility of conspecific aggression. When feeding, small
portions of meaty foods (mysis, plankton, glass worms...all with a
twice-weekly soak in Selcon) fed a couple to several times a day are
best. Mine even enjoys New Life Spectrum pellets...which do
a fabulous job of soaking up Selcon/vitamin supplements. Oh
yeah, a cave/crevice (one for each) in which to hide/watch you move
about will be greatly appreciated by the triggers>> Jeff
<<Regards, Eric Russell>>
Trigger Update and Some New
Questions...Stocking/Compatibility - 08/06/06 Hi Crew!
<<Howdy!>> First, I have some good news to
report: Our blue throat triggers that we wrote about a while
back are now in the main tank (for the past two weeks) and seem to be
doing really well. <<Yippee!>> The fish seem happy and are
very active, eat like crazy and don't bother their tank
mates. Yeah! (Thanks again Eric R. for all of
your help!) <<Hee! Tis me again! ...and you're
very welcome!>> Now, for the new issue: <<Okay>> Long
story but it ends like this: Someone had a reef tank that
completely crashed and they were unable to care for the fish (tank was
without circulation for almost 24 hours, temp at 92 F, two dead fish in
tank which probably raised the ammonia). <<Only two?>> So,
we rescued the remaining (barely) live fish and put them in our Q-tank
to see if they would recover before we could get them new homes.
<<Smart>> Sad story turns good for most of the fish
including two very young Percula clowns, a Juv. Emperor Angel, and a
small adult Majestic Angel. They seem happy and healthy
now. Unfortunately the fish in the worst shape was the
Purple Tang which is still not eating after two weeks! All
of the fish are in the same Q-tank, but the poor Tang just seems to
tread water and isn't doing much else. We have tried all
kinds of different food - various flake, frozen, live, Nori (soaked in
garlic, or Selcon) but nothing seems to work. <<Mmm, if this fish
doesn't recover/feed it won't be due to your lack of
trying>> At first he was nearly completely faded and just leaned
against the side of the tank barely breathing. Now, his
color has improved a great deal and he looks pretty
good. But he's not active at all. We really
don't want him to die, but know if he doesn't eat soon, he
will. (We're dropping the temp in the Q-tank from the usual
80F to 78F to slow down his metabolism). Is there anything
you can recommend to get him to eat? <<I think you've
done/are doing all you can...is up to the tang at this
point. Keep offering food daily, optimize water
conditions...time will tell>>>> This story leads me to my
next and final issue for today: We did not plan on adding any more fish
after the Blue Throat Triggers, but we have grown attached to these
fish and have reconsidered finding them new homes. <<I
see>> Our friend will put the Majestic and the Purple Tang in
their reef, if he makes it, but we're considering keeping and putting
the Percs and the Emperor Angel in our main display tank. We
have no idea what is considered too many fish in a reef aquarium.
<<Highly variable...many factors to consider (system
size/filtration, adult fish size, species, environmental
considerations/constraints, etc.) It seems there are so many factors
that can make a difference, so we are hoping you can tell us if we are
about to go over our capacity in the 7 foot long 260 gal tank:
<<Mmm...I'll give it a go...>> The current inhabitants
are: Pair of Blue-throat Triggers (Male is approx. 7? and female is 6?)
1 Naso Tang (about 4.5?) 1 Yellow Tang (4?) 1 Blue Hippo Tang (4?) 1
Kole Tang (3.5?) 1 Coral Beauty (3?) 2 Firefish (2? each) 2 Purple
Firefish (2.5?) 1 Mandarin (2.5)?but really fat! 2 Tomato Clowns (2.5
and 2?) [moving them to a breeder tank soon] And: 3 Cleaner shrimp 2
Fire shrimp Lots of hermits Emerald crab Various Corals 3 clams All
fish seem to get along except the Tomato clowns which are really
territorial. <<Indeed...only fish I've ever had "draw
blood" was a clown fish>> We are planning to move them to a
29 gallon breeder tank with live rock and sand and the anemone they
host in. <<Excellent>> They have been laying eggs regularly
and with any luck we can try raising the fry. <<I'd like to
recommend you get a copy of the book by Joyce Wilkerson re
(http://www.fishlore.com/clownfishesbook-wilkerson.htm)>> The
main display reef has about 250 pounds of live rock, 40 gallon sump
with LR - ASM G3 skimmer - Aqua 25W UV - 3x250W DE Metal Halide/2x80W
T5 - CPR Aquafuge ? Kalk Reactor - and we are about to add another 20L
refugium to the system. <<...? 20 liters or 20 gallons?>>
Do we have enough room to add the Emperor (knowing the zoos could be at
risk). Would this put us over the capacity? <<The Naso
and Hippo tangs will grow to be big, beefy fish...and the Naso may even
outgrow this system in time. But what you propose could work
for a while>> Would the Emperor bother my other fish?
<<Hmm, coming in last like it is...likely all will be
fine>> Thanks as always for your advice. <<As
always...happy to assist>> -Pam and Rob <<Regards, Eric
Russell>>
Sargassum Trigger Fish - 07/18/2006 Hi
guys/girls <<Hi.>> Quick question for you if I may :)
<<Go for it.>> I have a Sargassum Trigger Fish.
<<Cool.>> I have had him for a few months
now. Slowly over this time he has become progressively
skinnier. Not really skinny, he eats a huge amount, but just does
not put on weight. I am just thinking he may have worms. <<An
internal parasite of some kind is likely.>> What would be the
best thing to worm him with? <<I use Levamisole, a commonly
available pig de-wormer.>> We don't have a huge range of
meds over here either, can you just use cat wormer? <<I'm not
familiar with cat meds.>> How much? How do you get it into
them? Soak some freeze dried krill in a solution of the Levamisole
and tank water. Do this for a few days.>> Thought
of mixing with food, but he tends to only eat whole things like
mussel, white bait etc. <<See above.>> Any ideas??
There is a photo of him (attached) when I first got him.
<<Glad to help. Lisa.>> |
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Blue cheeked Trigger Fish in a Reef
Tank? 6/5/06 Hello Crew, <<Hello Bob>>
I'd just like to get your opinion of Blue Cheeked Trigger
fish, (Xanthichthys auromarginatus ), in reef tanks.
<<Absolutely worthwhile...if you have the space>> I
have heard much recently of the suitability of these fish to reef
set ups due to their planktonic diet, but they are trigger fish
after all and those shrimps look so tasty!
<<Ha!...indeed. There's always the
possibility of trouble, but I've kept this species in my reef
for more than a year now without incident (I have shrimp and
snails but no hermits), and would heartily recommend you give
them a try. I think the biggest danger would be if you
tried to introduce more shrimp after the trigger is in the
tank...would have to be introduced very carefully, not just
"dropped" in to the tank>> My set up is 340
litre. <<Mmm, marginal...should be "OK" for a
time, but would like to see it in a larger system for the long
term>> Stock includes leather and mushroom
corals. 1 cleaner shrimp (Lysmata
amboinensis). Red- and blue-legged
hermits. Turbo snails. Fish list; 2 x Amphiprion
ocellaris 1 x Ecsenius midas 2 x Pomacentrus alleni 1 x
Neocirrhites armatus 1 x Centropyge bicolor 1 x Pseudocheilinus
hexataenia 1 x Gramma loreto 1 x Ctenochaetus strigosus Thank you
for your time and expertise! Bob Mehen <<A pleasure to
assist, Eric Russell>>
Re: Blue Throat Triggers in a Reef? - 07/18/06 Hi again
you guys! <<Hello Pam!>> So, I took your advice
(Eric) and I purchased two Blue Throat Triggers (BTT's)
directly from Hawaii a few weeks ago. <<Ahh,
Excellent!>> They arrived a lot larger than we would have
hoped, but they are beautiful (especially him, but don't tell
her!). <<Indeed...wonderful fish>> They looked very
healthy but apparently came to me very stressed.
<<Hmm...possibly handled poorly>> We weren't sure
they were going to make it through the acclimation process (the
male was particularly stressed, bobbing head down in the tank and
floating almost completely upside down, it wasn't pretty).
<<Yikes!>> Thankfully they did survive and once we
got them eating a whole week later, they seem great!
<<Yay!>> It was very difficult to get them to
eat. We tried everything from a homemade fish food
recipe all our other fish love, to live Brine shrimp, frozen
Mysis, krill, squid, and the list goes on. <<I'm
surprised by this, I must say>> We tried to feed them for a
full week to no avail......finally a fellow hobbyist (from Wamus)
told us about this frozen freshwater Mysis from Canada.
<<Yes, PE Mysis...an excellent food>> He brought some
over that night and we couldn't believe it...they inhaled the
Mysis! <<Very good>> I tried two other brands they
did not touch before that! <<Try them now...>>
Needless to say, I can't seem to feed them often enough-they
love this high protein stuff! <<Be careful...several
"small" feedings per day. Also, wouldn't
hurt to soak these in Selcon (or similar) a couple times a
week>> It is made by Piscine Energetic
(FYI). For the past three weeks these BT are
feeding well, and looking terrific (until yesterday).
<<Ruht-Roh>> We were planning on putting them in the
main population since we just did our water change in the main
tank and my Q-tank is small for them. We noticed some
spots on the fins (especially on the male). We have
been doing very regular water changes in the Q (a few times a
week) using water from the main tank and keeping a very close eye
on pH and ammonia. No issues. We did lose
power a few times about a week ago, but they had a battery air
stone in there the whole time (maybe it was stressful, but they
seemed fine and the temp didn't change. They are
acting normal and look healthy so I don't know what to do
about this (action or ignore). I don't think this is Ick
because it doesn't look like salt and they aren't
scratching against the live rocks or anything. Luckily
I am not a disease or parasite expert since that has not been a
problem in my tank and I have a UV filter on the main
tank. This looks like faded white spots on one of the
tips (not near the gills) of the male's fins and her lower
fin (under her belly). I am afraid to treat what I
don't know and I am also afraid to do a freshwater dip or
anything that could stress these fish we have worked so hard to
keep acclimated and stress free. Does this sound like
something that will treat itself? Should I be
worried? Do you know what this is? <<Is smart of
you not to panic/treat until you have confirmed the need to do
so. These spots are normal/natural markings...nothing
to worry about. At first glance they do appear very
much like parasites, but careful observation will reveal they are
indeed markings on the fins>> I have put some Kent Garlic
Xtreme in the Mysis when I feed the past two times-any other
ideas? <<I don't think you need be concerned...you can
continue occasionally with the garlic additive if you wish, it
may serve as a preventive measure towards internal
parasites. You might also try it with the other foods
as an enticement>> Long story short (I know, too
late).....I am so happy you helped convince me to get them.
<<It pleases me greatly to hear this>> I can't
wait to see them happy and swimming in the main
tank. It was difficult to get them acclimated and they
have had some stress, but all in all seem to be very happy and
don't even stress during water changes anymore! <<They
will much appreciate a cave/crevice in which to
hide/sleep...though they probably won't inhabit the same
one>> It's been three weeks and I would like to take
them out of the QT this week but need to know if
these barely visible spots are dangerous or if they
will harm my other fish. And what I should do if
anything. I can't send a picture-it doesn't
show up. <<No worries my friend. I believe all
will be/is fine>> Sorry to only write when I have a
problem....but you always seem to save the day.
<<Hee! High praise indeed!>> Thanks! Pam
<<Very welcome, do keep me posted on the pairs'
progress. Regards, Eric Russell>>
Blue Throat
Triggers in a Reef? III - 07/18/06 Thanks again Eric-my hero!
<<I'm blushing, or maybe just beaming! <grin>...
You're very welcome>> I will keep an eye on them but
feel much better now! I will try other foods again
with the garlic as you recommended. <<Ah yes, and the
Selcon/a vitamin product too>> Thanks for the very quick
reply and taking the time. You guys really are a
terrific resource and I appreciate that. <<The guys and
gals here are pleased to do what we can>> Have a great day,
Pam <<And you my friend. EricR>>
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Triggerfishes for Marine Aquariums
Diversity, Selection & Care
New eBook on Amazon: Available here
New Print Book on Create Space: Available
here
by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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