I think I have made a huge mistake. My trigger just ate one of my firefish

[Brett S]

So I just added 4 new firefish to my 220G tank, only to watch my pink tail trigger chase one down and eat it moments after they were added. Are the other three in for the same fate? The trigger seems to be ignoring other three right now (probably because he’s full) and I’m hoping that will at least give them a chance to find a cave to hide in or something. I think there’s absolutely no way I could catch the firefish to rehome them without tearing down the whole tank.

 

[Cole.mormon]

Get rid of the trigger IMO

 

[Brett S]

Get rid of the trigger IMO

I’m not sure I could catch him either tbh, and he’s one of my son’s favorite fish:/

 

[Cole.mormon]

I know but safety of the inhabitants comes first IMO

 

[Cole.mormon]

What is ypur stock right now

 

[Cole.mormon]

Your

 

[tautog83]

Sargassum or blue throat would be your safer trigger options .

 

[PicassoClown04]

Try upping your feedings and use really chunky food like LRS predator mix. Hopefully those other fire fish have a chance. You could also try a fish trap for the fire fish but that’s kind of a long shot, but I’m guessing that they will be hungry as it sounds like they’re gonna be terrified and not much food is going to sink to the bottom so maybe it’s worth a try

 

[burningmime]

The trigger just assumed you were feeding him. Which I guess you were.

 

[GoVols]

Sargassum or blue throat would be your safer trigger options .

Agree,
A male Blue Throght has super nice coloration as well.

 

[stanlalee]

The trigger went trigger. Hopefully you have aquascaping where they can go in but the trigger can't once they settle in.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Any fish that can fit a fishs' mouth : SOONER OR LATER WILL.
In your case, the firefish should have been added first as trigger or other fish would have accepted their seniority persay within the environment

 

[Brett S]

Well, I’m happy to report that things are looking up today. 24 hours later there are still three firefish. The trigger has pretty much completely ignored them all day. At one point I saw him swim over and kind of look at them for a minute, but then he swam away without making any attempts to chase them or eat them. I’m not sure if or how long things will stay like this, but I’m feeling at least a little more hopeful right now.

I’ll also add that these are three of the least timid firefish I’ve seen. They have been out in the open all day. I haven’t seen them hiding in a cave at all. Even when I walk by the tank and some of the other fish dart away these guys just stay out.

 

[Spieg]

I'd say their days are numbered. All the Firefish I've had just sat out in the open all day in a low flow area and barely ever moved. Easy pickings for a hungry Trigger.

 

[HB AL]

It probably would have been a good idea if you had introduced the new fish while the lights were off and the trigger was sleeping.. It was probably hungry and thought you were feeding it some nice live food. After the 1st one he probably figured out they were not food or he would have gone after another right away. I would feed the trigger a little extra everyday for a week or so and it should work out. In the future if adding an edible size fish do it at night.

 

[Brett S]

he probably figured out they were not food

 

[Cole.mormon]

Nice
Feed extra for a week and a half to be sure

 

[Brett S]

More good news to report. It’s been a week and I’ve had no additional problems with the trigger. The three remaining firefish are still doing fine and the trigger just ignores them.

 

[Hincapiej4]

More good news to report. It’s been a week and I’ve had no additional problems with the trigger. The three remaining firefish are still doing fine and the trigger just ignores them.

Predators usually last without feeding for a while in the wild. Protein lasts long than veggies. It's why you see tangs always grazing, but you don't see sharks eating everything they see.

Let us know after a month..

 

[Brett S]

Predators usually last without feeding for a while in the wild. Protein lasts long than veggies. It's why you see tangs always grazing, but you don't see sharks eating everything they see.

Let us know after a month..

Haha, I’ll let you know. Like I said, I honestly don’t think I could get the firefish or the trigger out without tearing apart the tank, and I don’t really know what I would do with either of them if I did manage to get them out, so at this point I’m just going to have to wait and see how it goes.