Niger Trigger

Codeblack88 · Feb 13, 2021

I currently have a juvenile niger trigger in my 32 gal biocube (I bought knowing he would outgrow my system) that is roughly 2 inches big. He doesn't bother any of my inverts or other fish and has an awesome disposition. But I know that if I keep him for too long I will stunt his growth which I don't want to do. Does anyone have any suggestions on how much longer I can wait till I need to rehome him? Also any suggestions on how to rehome him without being able to post on marketplace (my lfs doesn't take in fish from customers tanks)?

Thanks for any help!

jradishness · Feb 13, 2021

I would find a new LFS if yours won’t take fish back. That’s generally not a policy that I find at reputable stores. Especially if they’re willing to sell you inappropriate livestock for your tank, they should be willing to swap it out when it needs to be. I feel like I count on my LFS for the security to know that if a new acquisition goes wrong (either a bully, or an incompatible species, or even that I didn’t take the manager’s stocking advice), that I can take it back, and not have to neglect, or worse, flush, an otherwise healthy fish because I don’t have room for it. Also, maybe your inverts are safe now, but I wouldn’t think that will hold true for long.

I don’t have a ton of experience with triggers in small tanks, but I understand they like a lot of swimming room. My niger is broke. He has an 8ft tank but only uses about as much space as a clownfish on a typical day. Maybe when he grows up he’ll venture out more.

lion king · Feb 13, 2021

Right now, that tank could only serve him as a very temporary home. If you are feeding him properly you have about 2 months.

Codeblack88 · Feb 13, 2021

jradishness said:
I would find a new LFS if yours won’t take fish back. That’s generally not a policy that I find at reputable stores. Especially if they’re willing to sell you inappropriate livestock for your tank, they should be willing to swap it out when it needs to be. I feel like I count on my LFS for the security to know that if a new acquisition goes wrong (either a bully, or an incompatible species, or even that I didn’t take the manager’s stocking advice), that I can take it back, and not have to neglect, or worse, flush, an otherwise healthy fish because I don’t have room for it. Also, maybe your inverts are safe now, but I wouldn’t think that will hold true for long.

I don’t have a ton of experience with triggers in small tanks, but I understand they like a lot of swimming room. My niger is broke. He has an 8ft tank but only uses about as much space as a clownfish on a typical day. Maybe when he grows up he’ll venture out more.

Yeah I get that about the LFS. The issue is they are the only store close that has reputable livestock that you can trust won't mess up your tank. The other store in my town is called the meth den because it legitimately looks like one and the livestock tends to die on you. Hence why I have to turn to R2R to find a home but I can't post on marketplace for another 20 days (which i feel might be too long).