Smallest tank for a Triggerfish?

porksoda · #1 12/30/2006, 12:50 AM

Well i am interested in getting Triggerfish but i want to know wat is the smallest tank they can live in? Like the smallest tank. Well thanks later

jwm2k3 · #2 12/30/2006, 12:37 PM

Most triggers grow very large. These fish swim all day and dont stay in one place. They traverse the reef, unlike other fish who are territorial.

By keeping it in a small (all tanks are small for a trigger) by aquarium standards, it will be aggressive and you will notice it 'paces' or swims the same loop constantly. This leads to a very stressful situation for a fish.

I was given a Queen trigger by another local aquarist who had it in a 90 gal, it was MEAN and would kill anything and everything in its tank. He couldnt keep it anymore, so I took it and put it into my 450gal with 6 other fish (most smaller than the Queen Trigger) and they all got along fine. No stress, no fighting. There was room for them to swim a bit, leading to way less stress and fighting.

I know I didnt answer your question with a tank size, but that was the point.

TTU_Reefer · #3 12/30/2006, 04:58 PM

It all depends on the type of trigger, what kinds do you like?

viggen · #4 12/30/2006, 05:06 PM

definantly depends on the trigger

The hawian trigger that I have anything under probably 240 gallons would seem cramped. He's in my 260g & I know he needs a lot more room. The is large (10+in) & swims more then tangs do. Thus..... he needs room!!

Small triggers like picaso's I am sure would be fine in something in the 75/90+ area

55gSW · #5 12/31/2006, 07:48 AM

I have read on this site of people keeping undulates in 40g's but you need to be warned that undulates are extremely aggressive fish that will not tolerate any other fish especially in a small tank AND that they tend to hide alot which means viewing will be limited.
If you are interested in a more social trigger then you could keep a picasso trigger in a 75g. Other triggers like pinktail, bluethroat, niger, etc, all get much bigger and/or need more swimming room so a bigger tank will be needed for them.
There is always the chance though, that any trigger may suddenly "turn" and kill any and all tankmates....

No Worries1979 · #6 12/31/2006, 10:37 AM

Viggen,
What does the hawaiin trigger look like? I thought picassos/humus were hawaiin triggers, or hawaiin black-bar triggers. Thanks

mikeosoft · #7 12/31/2006, 01:55 PM

Some of the smaller, less agressive varaties like the Blue Throat trigger would probably do ok in a 6ft tank (125+ gallons).

viggen · #8 12/31/2006, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by No Worries1979
Viggen,
What does the hawaiin trigger look like? I thought picassos/humus were hawaiin triggers, or hawaiin black-bar triggers. Thanks

they are known as hawiian, black hawian & also black durgeon

this is a pic of my trigger from a few years ago in a temporary 240g tank. He's 10 ish inches long

here is a little more info on the trigger. The native name is pretty cool

http://saltaquarium.about.com/librar...298blktrig.htm

frazier · #9 12/31/2006, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by viggen
they are known as hawiian, black hawian & also black durgeon

this is a pic of my trigger from a few years ago in a temporary 240g tank. He's 10 ish inches long

here is a little more info on the trigger. The native name is pretty cool

http://saltaquarium.about.com/librar...298blktrig.htm

thats a very nice looking trigger you got there....

splateee · #10 12/31/2006, 10:02 PM

I agree with a 90 gallon being to small. Triggers are very active and need alot of room o roam. We have a 240 gallon with a Niger Trigger, Pinktail, and a Black Hawaian Trigger. They are all over the place.

jcopp24 · #11 01/01/2007, 06:48 PM

IMO only... I guess it matters on how often you would like to upgrade your tank depending on the size on the fish. If you are able to supply a larger tank as the fish grows then you might be able to start small as I did. I found myself that I ran into issues with the high input/output of these Trigger fish, they eat a lot and they dont whipe well...
I started with a 48 gallon tank with a HOB pro-skimmer, 40ish lbs of live rock and a sand bed. BUT I did not want a bunch of fish, as a matter of fact I wanted one... a Undulated Trigger. I made up my mind that would be the only fish in the tank. I soon found water changes needed to become bi-weekly, and the skimmer itself would not cut the cleaning bill. I bought a Fluval 404 which was way overkill for the size of the tank, but it helped clean 300%
I bought the trigger very small... maybe 3 inches including tail and fins. About a year later I upgraded to a 75 gallon, and kept all the same equipment. The trigger is now about 5" and has a 125 being cycled as we speak. I have added another fish with the trigger since then and that is a Flag Tail Grouper that is about the same size.
I do believe by the tank being so small to start it caused the Undy to grow slower maybe due to tank size or stress from not getting the swimming it needs or both.
The cool thing is you are going about it the right way... ask, let some people give you feed back, and make your move... and always remember salt is to fresh as chess is to checkers!
Best of luck and happy new year!

audioaddiction · #12 01/20/2007, 07:02 AM

that's right (55gSW) about undulated trigger's in smaller tanks. i work at Petco and we've had 2 in a tank no bigger than 15 gallons for a while. this is absolutely not the correct habitat but fish in these stores are mostly sold very soon so it's a temporary thing. i could go on about it but anyway, they are actually perfectly healthy and look amazing. they're doing just fine fortunately, and like to cuddle in the top corners together around the powerheads. i do hope they are sold soon, and i definitely inform the uninformed who are sometimes interested in them when they don't have the proper setup.

i'm also researching the idea of eventually having a Picasso or Clown trigger in my upcoming 90 gallon. it'd definitely be the last of the fish to go in though, among lots of other requirements.

viggen · #13 01/21/2007, 01:02 AM

2 triggers in a 90g should be the ONLY fish in there.... ot just the last 2!

a small/tiny trigger would be OK for a year or so in a 90g. I have not lcue about 2 in there....... that's not a lot of room

audioaddiction · #14 01/21/2007, 01:30 AM

i said picasso OR clown, one or the other. i also also agree that two in there alone would atleast have to be the only roaming fish, if they got along in the first place. i would like the trigger's very small in size when purchased (no more than 2 inches long, hopefully younger) and i do not plan on keeping any fish that should grown over 5 or 6 inches. also if the rockwork is done correctly they would probably/hopefully each have their own marked home space.

zack

viggen · #15 01/21/2007, 07:41 PM

oops..... that's what I get for not wearing my contacts......