Blue Throat Triggerfish

akabryanhall · Mar 2, 2011

Hey guys,
I may be getting a blue throat triggerfish from a friend, I have done some research but would love to hear first hand experiences from others who have had them.

btkrausen · Mar 2, 2011

I have one, he is great. Doesn't touch any corals or my shrimp. Was aggressive towards my new wrasses at first, trying to show off, but he's really a baby.

Hyprviperx · Mar 2, 2011

id pan fry him at medium temp in peanut oil and some "chef paul prudonnes redfish blackening" mmmmmmm buttery goodness... triggers are delicious. hahaha sorry just kidding couldn't resist

akabryanhall · Mar 2, 2011

Lol, seriously though, are there any things I need to be aware of, like I think they are good jumpers and can spit water on electrical sockets.
Are they very active swimmers? How many times a day do you feed yours?

subielover · Mar 2, 2011

IME, they are active swimmers, generally on the more gentle side of triggers and grow quickly. Great fish though, as long as they are in a big enough system.

Anthony Calfo · Mar 2, 2011

a mostly delightful species...generally well behaved, though inclined to be shy. More reef safe than some tangs (not joking...numerous tang species are far more likely to eat coral).
Definitely in need of a large system. A min 6ft long tank please for the 3+ year stretch.

akabryanhall · Mar 3, 2011

Thanks for the advice guys! I think I'm going to pass on it as I have a 92g corner.

ReefDreams · Mar 3, 2011

These are truly one of my favorites. I didn't realize they needed to be in that big of a tank.

Anthony Calfo · Mar 3, 2011

And it's not even because they are a fish of decent size or weight...the big tank is for their behavior. Case in Point, A 6 ft moray eel can occupy the same exact cave on a reef you may visit year after year after year. With adequate food marching by, its categorically an inactive fish, albeit hearty in size. As such, that is a wonderfully suited fish for captivity.

Many much spammer types of fishes, however, rove and roam great distances every day for various reasons. Roamers need more room. This is the aspect that guilty tang keepers don't like to reckon. LOL

Blue throats are nicely in the middle. The do roam, but they also seem to adapt (read: live full lifespans unlike - ahem - some other types of fishes in closed systems). I've seen them captive and healthy in private tanks almost 20 years old and have read about much older specimens. Still...be honest and realistic. We all dream of big tanks one day and probably mostly really intend to get them. But we shouldn't buy greyhound puppies for a one bedroom apartment...and you should (please) be sure that you really have a decent size tank to house your specimen(s) for a adult lifespan [triggers are 30+ years]. Otherwise there are plenty of smaller more suitable species to enjoy until you are ready for bigguns

Cheers!

akabryanhall · Mar 3, 2011

You are the man Anthony, Thanks!! Although now I feel guilty about my Purple tang, although he came with the tank!

Tabasco1 · Mar 3, 2011

Actually I am pretty sure that a greyhound would be a great apartment dog as long as you got him out for a good walk once a day. He'd be very content to make sure the couch doesnt move. Same with Great Danes. I guess they would be the moray eel of the dog world. It's those dang herding dogs that would go nuts.

I know totally off topic, but just want to make sure you get the anecdote nailed for future reference. Could be very embarassing.

Anthony Calfo · Mar 3, 2011

no worries on the purple tang at all, my friend. Most Zebrasoma are very, very well suited for aquarium life. No chance of spawning, due to tank size constraints...but otherwise fit, full lifespans and no signs of behavioral glitches.

The big exception in this tang genus being veliferum, the sailfin - a lovely fish to me, but gets rather large and is usually brutally dominating to common tankmates...dubious for smaller home sized tanks).

I fear most hobby friends look at a yellow or a purple and sailfin tang the same with regard for tankmates and tank size needed. But the veliferum Sailfin commonly gets 16"! Whereas a record size purple tang is barely half of that. Smaller still usually for a yellow. Big difference in attitude and tank size.

Back to the Blue throat triggers...they grow to a hearty foot long. Being reef associated bodes well for captive live. They are good about living in the shadows and not pacing neurotically (read: bigger tank please - get me out of here! LOL). A 6ft 180 gall would be a fine tank for the first five years if you grow out a juvenile. Cheers

Anthony Calfo · Mar 3, 2011

I'm with you on the great danes...but form follows function after all. Have you ever seen a greyhound?

The physique that is. I fear you are making the common mistake of lumping here.
Put another way...I'll give you odds on my greyhound and weimaraner in a race on a farm with your Great Dane and a Bull Mastiff. My dogs would be smaller and as such be slower and need less space, right?
For follows function, my friend. Rarely does that not hold true

Tabasco1 · Mar 3, 2011

TouchÃ©. I have never owned one, I favor boxers. My neighbor had a whippet and I've known other people who have rescued them. They are built for speed, but not endurance. From what I have seen short bursts of energy and then content chilling.

Weimeraners... Whole different ball of wax. Heaven help whoever tries one of those in an apt and doesn't want their couch destroyed!!

But anyways... Blue throat triggers....

akabryanhall · Mar 3, 2011

Tabasco1 said:
Touché. I have never owned one, I favor boxers. My neighbor had a whippet and I've known other people who have rescued them. They are built for speed, but not endurance. From what I have seen short bursts of energy and then content chilling.

Weimeraners... Whole different ball of wax. Heaven help whoever tries one of those in an apt and doesn't want their couch destroyed!!

But anyways... Blue throat triggers....

Lol weimeriener in an apartment is a mean thing to do to yourself.

Tat2demon · Mar 6, 2011

My bluethroat is my favorite fish. Always out swimming around and eats out of my hand.

caudill187 · Mar 6, 2011

I kept an 7-8 inch specimen in a 120gallon reef for a while and as Anthony mentioned, the tank wasn't big enough for him. He spent most of his time in the corners of the tank, looking cramped. It was for this reason that I gave him to someone locally with a 400 gallon tank.

While I did have him, he was ideal in terms of behavior, although he did bloody my finger once. I was unknowingly dangling it into the tank while feeding. Also, my Fromia start had a large chunk missing from one of his arms shortly after introducing the trigger, but I can't attribute this to the fish with surety.

I have also kept pink-tailed triggers and white-tailed triggers and both seem to do much better in a smaller tank, in my experience, but they did occasionally hunt and eat crustaceans and were slightly more aggressive than the blue jaw. These three species have worked well in my reefs.