Welcome to your new home Picasso!

[AydenLincoln]

Make sure you keep feeding lots of food! That trigger is a bit thin. They also behave better around tankmates when they are VERY well fed.

I’ll keep this in mind! I do know the fish store just got him in three days ago and I watched him eat at the store. I always ask for the fish to be fed before I buy them something I quickly learned to do and determines whether or not I buy that fish. Hewbie taught me better as he was so difficult to get to eat and was only eating live foods at first now he eats everything lol. Picasso has been eating nonstop when he saw the food and at the fish store.

 

[Seansea]

My best friend from high school lives in Hawaii now and talks about how personable these fish are in the wild. They'll follow divers around for a couple hours sometimes just chilling and being intrigued. Such lovely creatures

Follow you? They attack you. Get into their little stretch of the reef and they will literally bite you. They are one of the coolest lookin fish in the ocean but they are bold. I wonder when a shark approaches does it attack them?

 

[littlefoxx]

No? They grunt? When they eat? Sometimes I hear Hewbie grunting when he eats. And he found his bed/safe space!

Yes they grunt lol. Mine grunts all the time to let the blue throats know the food is in the tank! Shes bossy with other triggers though lol

 

[AydenLincoln]

Yes they grunt lol. Mine grunts all the time to let the blue throats know the food is in the tank! Shes bossy with other triggers though lol

I just googled the sound. Hewbie grunts too and it sounds it exactly the same but I’ve only heard it when he’s eating.

 

[littlefoxx]

What size tank do they need? I didn't think triggers were reef safe...?

They need at least a 125 but they grow slow. Had mine 4ish months now, she has grown a little (wider from all the food she gets) but not much in length. And these guys are fine with corals but will eat hermits and snails. Mine throws sand all over (why Im in the process of transferring corals to another tank). She also loves to throw sand at other fish lol

I used to love Picasso triggers. It's one of the fish I saw at the lfs as a child that made me want to have a salt water tank. Sadly my first fell victim to a haddoni. Second I lost to velvet. Last one was only about 2-3 inches long and would chase 5-6" tangs away from nori. It also decided to start biting at a 30 inch zebra moray for some reason. It bothered the eel to the point the eel stopped eating. Cool fish but I no longer love them lol.

Mine loves to F around and find out with my eels lol. She used to take food from Ivar my jeweled until he lunged at her and she freaked and hasnt gone near them since nor try to take their food anymore lol

 

[littlefoxx]

I just googled the sound. Hewbie grunts too and it sounds it exactly the same but I’ve only heard it when he’s eating.

Yeah they grunt a lot, especially with other triggers. My blue throats and her will grunt at each other all the time, its a really weird sound and loud lol

 

[AydenLincoln]

I can make my fish a little vegetable tree!

 

[AydenLincoln]

OMG! My arms hurt so much from carrying a box of salt 20 feet, among a few other heavy things I don’t usually carrying, and then driving for four hours didn’t help! It’s pathetic how much it hurts! Sometimes this hobby is a workout. Carrying heaving boxes and buckets. And for those of us aka me not used to it or don’t do it regularly it makes it worse.

 

[Dbichler]

mine also eats like crazy. Doesn’t touch any soft corals at all. Eats small fish so be careful. Eats all snails except for large turbo snails and Mexican fighting conchs I think the shells are too thick for him to get through. Doesn’t eat pencil urchins. Great personality follows you back and forth. Does a little glass surfing once in a while in my 6’ 210 gallon. Has only grown maybe an inch in 5 years. He’s maybe 4” now.

 

[AydenLincoln]

mine also eats like crazy. Doesn’t touch any soft corals at all. Eats small fish so be careful. Eats all snails except for large turbo snails and Mexican fighting conchs I think the shells are too thick for him to get through. Doesn’t eat pencil urchins. Great personality follows you back and forth. Does a little glass surfing once in a while in my 6’ 210 gallon. Has only grown maybe an inch in 5 years. He’s maybe 4” now.

I love that they are slow growers. To my benefit. And getting him little will hopefully help him not become an a hole as he grows up.

 

[Dbichler]

I love that they are slow growers. To my benefit. And getting him little will hopefully help him not become an a hole as he grows up.

yeah I don’t think anything stops them from being little a holes. Only reason I still have mine is it’s my daughters favorite fish.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Maybe Hewbie’s new home! This is the only tank size wise that is close to both the footprint of a similar sized tank and being the same size. The only reason is because I’m looking for those 6 inches in width as opposed to the 2 feet in length. I have found that 18 inches wide won’t work in the long run and that’s a 125 long. And a 180 isn’t really feasible now at least lol space wise. But because Hewbie uses the width of the tank the most compared to the height of it. And because this is the same width as a 180 this tank or a similar sized tank seems to be the best fit for my needs. Now maybe not a new Waterbox because the price tag but perhaps another brand of similar dimensions or a used one.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Omg that little fish has so much poop in him.

 

[KrisReef]

Omg that little fish has so much poop in him.

Maybe raise your Magnesium levels. Mag is supposed to help clean the pipes.

(Things you'll learn from your doctor as you get advanced in years in the hobby.)

 

[MrGisonni]

Oh! He is a cousin of the humuhumunukunukuapua'a trigger. Cool. Lol