Undulated Trigger

[CaptianPaulie]

So usually when i get a new fish i do research on it but since i had an empty tank i just bought the fish that i liked the most and it was the undulated trigger. I should have saw the signs the fact that he was in a tank by himself or the actual sign that said extra extra aggressive. I love the fish but i wanted one more fish for my tank and after looking at compatability charts and reading up on him i found out that is easier said then done. The guy at the pet store told me i should try the panther grouper with him. I was sceptical because of the things ive read about the undulated trigger but i went for it. I watched the fish like a hawk for three hours and they were fine, i even turned off the light and watched them for a little bit longer to see if he would attack him at night but nothing. I came home from work today and the trigger definitely got a few chunks out of his fins while i was gone. So now the reason why im here is to ask what i should do. Should i leave the grouper in the tank? and hope its just some domanance this is my tank beef with a new fish that will go away with time. Or should i listen to the stuff i read online and bring the grouper back to the store before my trigger kills it? I really really like the trigger but i want one more fish in the tank with him so should i try a different fish or just accept that he will just attack and murder everything i put in with him. Helppp lol

 

[P-Dub]

That IS a nasty animal. If you plan on having any clean-up crew, he will decimate them as well. I have never come across another fish or heard of one that is compatible with this fish unless you have an extremely large system. It might take out a whole community before it finds an animal it decides not to kill. I think if you want a tank with more than one fish I would ditch the trigger despite its beauty. You could try another trigger butt I sincerely doubt that will be anything but an episode of Friday night fight club.

 

[CaptianPaulie]

That IS a nasty animal. If you plan on having any clean-up crew, he will decimate them as well. I have never come across another fish or heard of one that is compatible with this fish unless you have an extremely large system. It might take out a whole community before it finds an animal it decides not to kill. I think if you want a tank with more than one fish I would ditch the trigger despite its beauty. You could try another trigger butt I sincerely doubt that will be anything but an episode of Friday night fight club.

Yea it just sucks because i love the way he swims and i felt so bad for him all by himself i never actually liked a fish more then him and ive had about 5 tanks and about 20 different kinds of fish throughout my lifetime. Ill prob end up trading him or maybe get another tank and keep him in by himself. Maybe start a reef tank eith other fish. Thanks for your words though i dont have any friends in the hobby and sometimes it feels like the pet store people are just trying to sell you fish. I told him he was going to attack him but he said try it lol

 

[eatbreakfast]

Return the grouper, he and the undulated trigger are not a good fit.

Try a group of Dacyllus damsels, such as dominoes or three stripes. They are active, hardy, cagey enough to avoid the trigger, and cheap enough to not be devastating if they can't avoid the trigger.

 

[CaptianPaulie]

Return the grouper, he and the undulated trigger are not a good fit.

Try a group of Dacyllus damsels, such as dominoes or three stripes. They are active, hardy, cagey enough to avoid the trigger, and cheap enough to not be devastating if they can't avoid the trigger.

Im not sure if the LFS has that kind of damsels but im gunna check now i just bagged up the grouper. Thanks man!

 

[Triggreef]

Return the grouper, he and the undulated trigger are not a good fit.

Try a group of Dacyllus damsels, such as dominoes or three stripes. They are active, hardy, cagey enough to avoid the trigger, and cheap enough to not be devastating if they can't avoid the trigger.

I agree on the damsels. Really not much else I can think of. Especially with the undy in there already instead of last. Perhaps a squirrel fish as their shear speed might be enough to keep away. But the damsels are probably the better option.

 

[CaptianPaulie]

I agree on the damsels. Really not much else I can think of. Especially with the undy in there already instead of last. Perhaps a squirrel fish as their shear speed might be enough to keep away. But the damsels are probably the better option.

Im gunna take your guys advice i was thinking damsels myself because of how fast they are. If it doesnt work out its only a 6 dollar loss instead of 40 or 50. The guy at the LFS said if he was in my situation he would do a puffer because they taste horrible and something about a toxin. Im gunna look into that a little bit and might give it a try in a few weeks. I might just get another tank and set up a reef tank for my living room and put my psychotic trigger in his own tank in the basement. If it didnt grow on me so much i would just see if they would do a trade but i love looking at him swim around. Thats why i made this post because i really want him to be the boss of my showtank. But if hes the only fish in there its not much of a showtank lol. Thanks guys

 

[CaptianPaulie]

Here he is on the prowl haha

 

[Bob Loblaw]

I kept an Undy with a pair of G moringas. There was an uneasy truce where they didn't bother one another but everything else was on the menu. I tried the Damsel route for a splash of color but they didn't last long with the Undy.

 

[lion king]

One of my favs, I had one in my 1st tank with a humu and a niger. At around 4-5" he became unmanageable and went to a 1000 gallon tank. What size tank, for the most part they are best kept in a species tank. If you like more movement the damsels are a good idea. I've tossed around the idea of an undy/eel tank.

 

[CaptianPaulie]

I kept an Undy with a pair of G moringas. There was an uneasy truce where they didn't bother one another but everything else was on the menu. I tried the Damsel route for a splash of color but they didn't last long with the Undy.

G moringas? Never heard of them i googled but it was some suppliment powder lol

 

[CaptianPaulie]

One of my favs, I had one in my 1st tank with a humu and a niger. At around 4-5" he became unmanageable and went to a 1000 gallon tank. What size tank, for the most part they are best kept in a species tank. If you like more movement the damsels are a good idea. I've tossed around the idea of an undy/eel tank.

I was under the impression that you couldnt put undulated with other triggers

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Gymnothorax moringa. A particularly aggressive moray.

 

[CaptianPaulie]

Gymnothorax moringa. A particularly aggressive moray.

Those are cool! I always wanted an eel too. All the LFS's in my area only really have snowflakes tho i would have to order online but im sketched out about that tbh

 

[lion king]

I was under the impression that you couldnt put undulated with other triggers

You can't put the undulated with anything in less than a 1000 gallons. I got the 3 triggers at 1.5" and started them in a 40 breeder(30 years ago), they ended up in a 180. I kept the undulated about 3-4 years then gave him to the bar next door.

 

[CaptianPaulie]

You can't put the undulated with anything in less than a 1000 gallons. I got the 3 triggers at 1.5" and started them in a 40 breeder(30 years ago), they ended up in a 180. I kept the undulated about 3-4 years then gave him to the bar next door.

Did it eat all the bars fish? Lol

 

[lion king]

Did it eat all the bars fish? Lol

He was a favorite and lived there for many years.

 

[Mpal771]

So usually when i get a new fish i do research on it but since i had an empty tank i just bought the fish that i liked the most and it was the undulated trigger. I should have saw the signs the fact that he was in a tank by himself or the actual sign that said extra extra aggressive. I love the fish but i wanted one more fish for my tank and after looking at compatability charts and reading up on him i found out that is easier said then done. The guy at the pet store told me i should try the panther grouper with him. I was sceptical because of the things ive read about the undulated trigger but i went for it. I watched the fish like a hawk for three hours and they were fine, i even turned off the light and watched them for a little bit longer to see if he would attack him at night but nothing. I came home from work today and the trigger definitely got a few chunks out of his fins while i was gone. So now the reason why im here is to ask what i should do. Should i leave the grouper in the tank? and hope its just some domanance this is my tank beef with a new fish that will go away with time. Or should i listen to the stuff i read online and bring the grouper back to the store before my trigger kills it? I really really like the trigger but i want one more fish in the tank with him so should i try a different fish or just accept that he will just attack and murder everything i put in with him. Helppp lol

Lion Fish makes an excellent tank mate for aggressive triggers

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Until the trigger kills the lion.

 

[Sarah24!]

One of my friends has the same trigger as you, and she has a predator tank. She put a lion fish in there and they do not bug each other. She the also put in a porcupine puffer fish and still had all three. It may be just her luck, but I would get the larger lion fish. They won’t attack the trigger unless the trigger attack’s him first. Now, I’m sure this is not always the case, but it has proven to work for her.