are any triggerfish reef safe?

[jaydm93teg]

i really wanted a picasso trigger but read they are not reef safe.

i then found the clown trigger and was wondering if there are any triggerfish at all that are safe to keep in a reef tank?

 

[steve]

Not too many. Most of every trigger has an appetite for crustaceans/inverts, you'll have to keep them very well fed if you were to even think about that, the first few that come to mind are the Niger Trigger, Sargassum Trigger, Bluethroat/Blue Jaw Trigger, Crosshatch Trigger, and I believe the Pink Tailed Trigger, but don't quote me on that one.

Niger Trigger being the easiest to obtain, and also the cheapest. Sargassum are a little bit more rare. Bluethroats are pretty common, Crosshatches are very expensive, we're talking about 600-700 for a pair. Not sure about how common/expensive the Pink Tailed one is.

But those are the first few that come to mind.

 

[sshindell]

Crosshatches are reefsafe, but not for crustaceans or snails.

 

[soarin']

It depends on how "reef safe" you mean. Do you mean coral safe, or invert safe?

My niger trigger was a wonderful fish, and never bothered any of the corals at all. I notice more snails on the glass without him, but they are all still alive after sharing the tank with him. He also shared the tank with a peppermint shrimp, who would always hide (which is how he probably stayed alive).

I think cleaner shrimp would probably be toast, but I didn't try it. He bossed the maroon clown around pretty well, and tried to get all the food, but was a beautiful fish, I would definitely recommend them as long as the tankmates are tough enough to handle the pressure. (think maroon clown tough)

 

[jetchris]

Most reef safe to least IMO

Blue throat, Pink Tail, Crosshatch, Sargassum, Niger. I might have missed one but all others are not reef safe.

 

[jaydm93teg]

well i already have a firefish and a ebili angle and wanted to get a tang so im guesssing i should stay away from the trigger

 

[drnecropolis]

I have a niger in my tank.. I don't have any inverts though..if I did im sure my wrasse would eat them first though

 

[steve]

acroporas;186775 wrote: Pretty much all triggers are coral safe, none are crustacean safe...

No they're not, a majority of them are not anywhere near reef safe. About 5 out of about 100+ different species are reef safe, that's no where near all.

 

[jaydm93teg]

well the one i want to know about is the picasso has anyone kept theses without them eating their coral and other stuff in the tank?

 

[james s_]

Sure try it. I have a Bursa in my reef tank. He has been a Model citizen for about a year now. Two weeks from now he may kill everything....Its always going to be a gamble with triggers. If you can't stomach the realization that he may/will eat all your cleanup crew and possibly terrorize your livestock then don't do it. Personally I love triggerfish and will always have one in my tanks. The ones listed in this thread are all hit and miss. No two triggers are going to act the same way, no matter what species.

 

[drnecropolis]

Yup.. +1 46
They more then likely clean out a clean up crew.. I can say I have never seen one nip at coral.. They are considered non reef safe because of eating crustys.. Not because they eat coral

 

[kwl1763]

I've had 2 pairs of blue throats in my life and both were model pairs for years (I currently still have 1 pair of them) I had/have cleaner shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, small fish (anthias, etc.) No issues whatsoever!

I have on rare occasion heard of them munching shrimp if you add in the middle of the day and drop them in. same with some hermits, etc. Add them and fish for that matter at night and you'll be fine.

 

[jmaneyapanda]

acroporas;186787 wrote: So which species have you SEEN eat coral? Or are you just citing what you read in some book?

I personally have kept just about every common triggerfish species in with coral and have never had a one touch coral. Of course there are oddball cases where a fish that should not will develop a taste for coral (for example yellow tangs), but these are a rare exception rather than the rule.

I personally have keep the following species in reef tanks in my home with absolutely no problems.

Balistoides conspicillum
Balistapus undulatusBalistes vetula</em>
Odonus niger
Pseudobalistes fuscus</em>
Rhinecanthus aculeatus
Rhinecanthus rectangulus
Rhinecanthus assasi</em>
Rhinecanthus verrucosusSufflamen bursa</em>
Xanthichthys ringens</em>
And have seen others with the many other species in reef tanks, never with any (coral eating related) problems.

So which species have you SEEN eat coral?

And some people who play russian roulette live to tell the stories. It is well documented that many triggers will readily crunch up stony corals. Maybe eating them, maybe not, but destroying the corals nonetheless. I think it is very poor advice to suggest you vcan keep any trigger in a reef system.

FWIW, 10+ yeras ago, I tried to keep a clown trigger and queen trigger in a small reef. They killed all their tankmates, and made the tank unliveable for corals. Lesson learned.

 

[jaydm93teg]

well if it could eat all my other fish then i think i will stay away from it.......i dont want a tank that will only have 1 fish in it.......

 

[james s_]

The Blue Throats and Crosshatches would be your best bet in a Reef. The others are 50/50.

 

[FutureInterest]

I had a wonderful male blue throat. I never had a problem with inverts going missing. One day though he ate one of my flashers... and so he had to go. I was amazed at how large they could stretch their mouths. I truly thought the flasher was large enough to not be lunch. Oh well.

 

[jaydm93teg]

well i have a firefish that is 2 inches an eibli angle that is maybe 3 inches and 3 little green chromis.......i will have to pass on the trigger......maybe later on down the road in a diff. tank

 

[nickskains]

I have a Niger in my 75g. When I first got him he was about 1" long and I had to keep him in my 20g first. He picked on all my snails and hermits and the Purple Dottyback. But he messed with the Dottyback over a rock that it wanted for its own. But didn't bug the clowns. This tank has no corals so I am unsure if it would nip at them or not. But it used to knock the snails off the glass and then harass' em while they were on thier back.