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Juvenile white tail... trigger... ID, comp. 9/13/07 Hi Bob and all at WWM! <Howdy Phil!> Always a pleasure to visit your site. I recently bought a baby white tail trigger, about 2 inches long, purported to be a Sufflamen chrysopterus, but it has a complete white border around its tail. Does that indicate that the specimen is a Sufflamen albicaudatus? <Mmm, yes, likely so> Also, I know the adults of this species are sexually dimorphic (males have more blue in their throat area, I understand), but is this feature present in juveniles, or does it appear later as the fish matures? <The latter... and faint at first> My specimen is just a dark gray brown on its dorsal half and cream-colored on its ventral aspect. Lastly, how suitable are Sufflamen for reef setups? <I rate them highly... always found in association... don't seem to be quite as adventitious as other genera... in "trying" sessile invert.s> My trigger is rather docile now because he's so tiny, but can they coexist with mushrooms, anemones, and other sessile invertebrates? I realize that crustaceans are always dicey. Best wishes, Phil S. <I do give you good odds of all getting along here... with food training of the trigger from such a young age especially. Bob Fenner> Bursa trigger, sel. 6/30/07 Hello all at WWM! <Phil> I am a former marine aquarium aquarist, <"Come on back to the fold"> getting back into the hobby after a hiatus of a few years. I saw a nice 4.5" true bursa trigger (Sufflamen bursa) at my LFS. As triggers go, I have heard that they are a little on the smaller, more docile side, relatively speaking, so I'm thinking it might be a good candidate for my new FOS. <For one of size, yes... relative to most Balistids> I like their color scheme--attractive, but not garish. Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. Love your site! Best wishes--Phil in Lancaster, PA ... <Ooh, near the fab TFP retail outlet> <Thank you... Do please send along a/the "rest" of your intended stocking plan, perhaps some particulars re the size, shape, make up of this system. Cheers, Bob Fenner> Adding A Whitetail Trigger - 12/24/06 Today I purchased a 2-inch Whitetail Trigger for my 165 gallon FOWLR. <<Neat!>> I probably have somewhere between 150-200 pounds of rock. <<...! What about "room for the fish?">> Counting the trigger my tank has 7 fish total, and I'm not planning to add anymore. I have a pair of Black-White Clowns (2 1/2 to 3 inches), a Half Black Dwarf Angel (3 inches), a One Spot Rabbitfish (5 inches), a Swallowtail Large Angel (4 inches) and a Yellow Tang (5-6 inches). I have always wanted a trigger, and have done quite a bit of reading, but would like to know your opinion. All 6 have lived rather peacefully in my tank for over a year. Did I make a mistake? Thanks! <<Well Scott, I'd rather see you "finish" your research "before" you make a purchase...but in this instance I think you will be fine. Sufflamen albicaudatus is considered a rather peaceful species...as triggers go...though I'm sure you are aware all fish are individual in their temperament and this is no "guarantee" all will be well. One thing I would like to state...you may want to consider removing some of your rock to give these fishes more room to roam about. You can look to ancillary filtration such as a fluidized-bed filter if you determine more bio-filtration is needed after removal of the rock>> Scott Mickle <<Regards, Eric Russell>> Blue Throat Triggers in
a Reef? - 04/19/06 Hi Bob- <<EricR here
today...Hello!>> We have a 260 gallon reef tank with: 2 purple
fire fish 2 fire fish A mated pair of tomato clowns (with eggs now)
living in a hosting anemone (and two other bubble tips) A psychedelic
mandarin A coral beauty A yellow tang A hippo tang A young (perhaps 3?)
Naso tang Three cleaner shrimp 2 fire cleaner shrimp Lots of hermits
Two emerald crabs Corals (and a small, but beautiful, Crocea clam) We
are considering some other fish but after spending days fishing the
damsels out of the tank??we are determined to keep a peaceful tank now
that the fire fish actually come out to swim and eat. <<Mmm,
yes...these "sweet tempered" little fish (towards
non-conspecifics anyway) usually suffer terribly in a tank with bullies
such as the damsels>> We would love to get a male and female blue
throat triggerfish. I have read many of your comments on
them and it seems that you like these fish. <<Indeed...as do
I. I have a male Blue Throat in my 375g reef
tank. I had a pair to begin with, but sadly the female was
stricken by internal parasites some months after I acquired her and
stopped feeding...but the male has been doing great for about a year
now>> Do you think that they would be a good (and fairly
non-aggressive) addition to our tank? <<They are boisterous and
aggressive feeders which can intimidate some fishes, but otherwise have
proven quite peaceful in my experience>> We have read that they
can bother ?ornamental shrimp?, do you think they would hurt the
cleaner shrimps? I hope not! <<Mine doesn't bother
shrimp or snail>> They are the friendliest creatures in the
tank-they always eat right out of our hands. What about the
clam? <<I have three T. crocea that have never been a problem
where the trigger is concerned>> We are open to other suggestions
in addition to the trigger too. Do you think another type of
tang would be a good idea? Perhaps a Kole? <<I think
you might be "full up" on tangs>> We are also thinking
of adding a few royal Gramma for color and action (since they hide less
than the fire fish). <<Should be fine...though I'm not sure
two will peacefully cohabitate, even in your large tank>> We look
forward to your advice as always. <<If you decide to get a
"pair" of Blue Throats, may I suggest you try to acquire
specimens from Hawaii as they will be in better condition due to proper
handling and shorter transit time. Also...make sure you
order/receive the male and female at the same time...have them
quarantined together...and introduce them to your tank together when
the time comes>> Thanks a million! Pam and Rob <<Is a
pleasure to assist. Regards EricR>> Is there any sure fire way to tell the difference between
the Half-moon Trigger and the White tail?
<Yes. Please see here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/triggers/sufflamen/index.htm>
The reason I ask this is because I recently purchased a "White
tail Trigger" for $5, but now think it is actually a
Half-moon. I first bought it because when it was fully happy
it was a solid brown not like the other white tail they had that has
the top portion a cream color and the bottom a brown. This
little guy also had the vertical white cheek bar that the other White
did not have and looked in a book and showed that the Half-moon has
it. I saw on your site that the Half-moon does not have a
continuous tail edging and mine does not (ends about 1cm before the tip
of the tail on both upper and lower portions). Generally
Half-moons wholesale for $175 dollars, so is it possible that our
supplier made a very valuable mistake? <Yes> Is the tail the sure
fire way to tell half-moon apart from White tail? <As far as I know,
yes.> I swear some triggers must be nightmares for
taxonomists (juv Titan and Pineapple-Yellow Margin, and the Half-moon
and White tail). I have an appreciation for their job after
getting so confused with the above triggers! BTW, the
White/Half is 4" long not including tail. Sorry for the
long question and thanks in advance for any info you can
provide! White or Half I will still love him the same no
matter which he is! <Real good. Maybe check fishbase.org
re these two as well. Bob Fenner> Blue Jaw Trigger Bob, first of all -- great website; great information. All of your responses are so helpful and knowledgeable! I am on a network, so I cannot e-mail directly through your website. Hope this will work. <So far, so good> Okay, I have a 180 gallon saltwater tank that has been up and running for about 3.5 years. Inhabitants include a 3ft. Zebra Moray, 1 powder blue tang (3"), 1 yellow tang (3"), 1 Kole tang (3"), an Imperator angel (6") that we got as a juvenile 3 yrs ago and are watching him change -- very enjoyable experience, and a bunch of little guys -- 12 assorted damsels, a royal Gramma and a little (1.5") percula clown. <Nice> Last week I "rescued" from our tank at work (180 gallon, same set up as my home tank), a blue jaw triggerfish (about 6") who was very shy and had first been harassed by a large powder blue (he stopped eating for 2 wks as a result!) and finally by a trio of Heniochus (he retreated to hiding in a shell and only coming out for the occasional feeding). I loved the trigger and could not stand to see him be sent back to the pet store because of his apparent unhappiness. I consulted with the store owners and they felt he would do well in my tank and probably not bother the small fish as he was so shy. Plus, my group gets along very well (even the tangs, if you can believe it -- though that took a little coaxing) -- so not much threat of harassment, I felt. <Always the "X" factor (unknown) when dealing with Triggerfishes... though this species, whole genus lies on the mellow side of Balistids> Anyway, I took him home and after 5 days he is doing great. Seems very comfortable, eating well (silversides and small shrimp chunks -- even a few flakes). I'm still worried about the damsels -- I count them every day. I was also concerned about how the Emperor would react as she is "queen bee", but she doesn't seem to care. <So different in shape, likely the Angel doesn't recognize it as a threat> So -- what are the chances of him turning mean? I have read from various sources that Bluejaw's (aka Bluechin, aka gilded triggerfish) are more docile. Also, I'm a bit worried about being overstocked. Do you think I'm okay? <I do think you will be fine here. The strongest statement I can make is that I would have done the same as you.> Thanks for the advice. <Be chatting, Bob Fenner> Bursa trigger Hi! <cheers, my dear. Anthony> I have a 30 gallon tank with a 3 in bursa (black patch) triggerfish for about one week. I was originally told that he would be compatible with other fish (such as a clown and various tangs) but have since found out that he is not. <actually, they normally are quite compatible in an active community tank. You just get exceptions sometimes...apparently he didn't read any books to tell him how to behave in captivity <wink>> What other fish would he be compatible with? <a tough question to answer really...because his adult size will be too big to nearly live in a thirty gallon alone. So any further recommendations would be irresponsible on my part> Additionally, I have discovered that a 30 gallon tank is too small. How long can I keep him in a 30 gallon tank? <ahh...you are ahead of me! Good insight. Six months would be tolerable...sure to be out into bigger quarters by that time. In a bigger tank, small grouper species, a large female maroon clownfish, a feisty sailfin tang, and a swift wrasse are just some possible tankmates> Should I not add any other fish until I upgrade? <absolutely do wait> I'm also confused about what is considered normal behavior. He has built 2 caves and stays in them almost all of the time (except during feedings which appear to be normal). He seems very sensitive to noise and will dart back in his cave if I walk past or the phone rings. His black patch also changes color to a creamish tan at times. Is this normal? <all very normal behavior for some triggers... a larger tank with "dither" fish may entice him to come out more> Is there anything I should be doing to make him feel more comfortable? <they love to play with small snail and hermit crab shells!> The aquarium store told me to keep the light off. Is that correct? <that's insane... do be very wary of future advice from that fountain of wisdom...hehe. Please put the lights on a normal photoperiod (8-12 hrs typically) that you can enjoy with your lifestyle/schedule. > Thanks, Lisa <very welcome...Anthony> Bursa Trigger I bought a medium Bursa Trigger
yesterday. I brought him home, acclimated him to the new tank (though I
tested the fish store's water and the levels were the same except I
have almost no nitrates and the fish store's was over 150 ppm) and
when I released him and he got used to the tank he began scratching and
banging himself against the rock. Since, I have looked at pictures in
books and online and some of the Bursa Triggers have a large dark spot
towards their tail and some do not. <You are correct> Mine
does and that is where he continues to scratch and bang against the
rock. He is in a 40 gallon tank with only a tobacco bass. He eats well,
brine shrimp and plankton, and I put phytoplankton in the tank as well.
Is it typical behavior for them to scratch against the rock? <To
some extent, yes> Is it possible he has ick? Is the spot normal or a
sign of him hitting himself against the rock? <Did you at
least freshwater dip/bath this fish? Am sure you're aware that it
will get too big for the forty...> Thank you so much for your
advice, your site is indispensable! Arienne Wyatt <At this point I
would take a wait and watch perspective... Please do read through the
marine disease sections of WetWebMedia.com Bob
Fenner> Re: Tank Toxicity, Triggerfish Hi Bob, Welcome back, and I hope Tijuana was grand... or was that Cancun? <The latter and a sprint to Cozumel> I had a situation (as described below) when you were in Mexico. Many thanks to Steve for his excellent advice. You gentlemen perform a great service to aquarists and their pets alike. <Thank you> (after the tide contamination) Here's what I did: I performed 2 50% water changes, 2 days apart. After the first, my Atlantic blue tang showed serious amounts of his ever-present ich. Just before my Tide debacle, I began raising the salinity with my weekly water changes from 1.020, and was about 1.021 when this incident happened. I had lowered it to fight the ich about 6 weeks earlier. I now lowered the sg to 1.019 over the 2 changes, and added another 25lb of very cured live rock, and a bunch of Caulerpa. Yesterday and this morning, the tang looked better than I've seen him in months. He had been getting very pale overnight, and this morning had crescent pale patches on his sides, like I believe he should. <Yes... and do change considerably during dark/sleeping times> Of the guests in my 72 gallon, (3 hermit crabs, 1 maroon clownfish 5", 1 lionfish 8", 1 blue tang 5", 8 snails, 1 very small and sickly quadricolor anemone, chocolate chip star, and brittle star) who do you believe would be the first to show the long-term affects of my possible (ok, ok.. probable) poisoning? <Depending on type/cause... the snails, crabs, anemone...> My Choco appears to have lost a little weight, but I think I might just be paranoid. Also, do you have a suggestion on how long I should hang on to the anemone who has lost a number of tentacles from his move, but still has a number that are bulbous? <Hang on? As long as it's alive> I don't want to throw a viable creature away, I don't want his death to add even more pollutants into my system and kill more livestock. My clown paid attention to it the first few days, but has abandoned it - making me believe that it is doomed. <Not necessarily> Additionally, I've been planning on adding 2 more fish to my system. I'm thinking that a Sufflamen albicaudatus would be my best choice for my next addition. <I would not add a triggerfish to this mix> I'm still not extremely confident that I can properly keep more difficult specimens - and my occasional stupidity clearly reminds me whenever I gain confidence. I would also like to add a large angel, but I would wait a few months. I'm not too awfully concerned about the eventual size of the fish, because I've been itching for a much larger aquarium anyway. So, how long do you believe I should wait before adding my next fish? Would it be advisable to set my q-tank up awhile, or should I put off any additions for more than a month? <Get the larger tank, up and running first> Also, out of curiosity, I've been hand-feeding my maroon clown. Is this practice common? <Yes, common enough> I was very surprised - just after feeding one day, a krill was pinned up against some LR, so I reached in and picked it out, and the clown swam over to my hand, so I just handed the food to him. He eagerly grabbed it. Thanks in advance for your always knowledgeable advice. And, if you make it to Arizona to do any reef diving, look me up. <Mmm, am out to the Desert Marine Aquarium Society in a few months. Bob Fenner> Lei Triggerfish Hi Bob, I recently acquired a Hawaiian
Lei Triggerfish (Sufflamen bursa) about 6 inches long for my 70 gallon
tank. <This is a large one to start with... shipped at this
size?> It is the only inhabitant right now. You described them as
mellow but what type of inhabitants would you recommend with this type
of trigger. Any more information or experiences you have had with this
particular fish would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Sam <Have
just been diving with this species about (in Indonesia)... most any
non-tasty invertebrate, not-so-smart or slow fish tankmates of size
will do... A list of prospective livestock is easier to respond to. Bob
Fenner>
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