What tank mates would be good for a queen/picasso triggerfish?

[Macroalgae enjoyer]

Iam planning a 225gallon predatory tank with a queen or Picasso trigger as a centerpiece? What tank mates would you recommend for either one?

 

[Ks4726]

225 isn't big enough for a queen trigger. Usually queens are solitary fish once they get big enough and are capable of wiping out tankmates. Ive seen them in captivity at 16+ inches why 225 isn't big enough.

Picasso would work. Another trigger, large angels, groupers, larger wrasses, etc. Sometimes eels ane lionfish work depending on the attitude of the fish, but you always risk the possibility of the trigger attacking either.

 

[Macroalgae enjoyer]

What do you mean by other trigger like clown, niger, goldhearth, or canthidermis maculata, or something more peaceful?

 

[Ks4726]

I have no experience with canthidermis maculata, pineapple, or goldenback.. Ive actually never seen a canthidermis maculata . Its an oddball. Clowns are 50/50 with their personalities as they grow. Some people luck out with nicer individuals and others turn to terrors. Plus they get pretty huge. 225 I dont think would keep it happy long term. Ive seen these fish the size of a football full grown. A clown or fuscus could limit what you have in the future.

Different shaped triggers than the picasso would be the safe way to go. Niger, pink tails, or sargassum. These all also grow quicker than Picasso. I think fish like bursa, rectangle, boomerang, etc would resemble the picasso too much and could possibly be an issue as they grow older. But you never know.

I have 6 triggers currently spread out in between 3 tanks. They all have their own personalities. One day even my nice ones can be jerks and the next its peaceful again. But a 2 or 3 inch trigger will not act like a 6 or 7 inch trigger. Larger they get, bolder they get. My undulated grows about an inch a year while by 3 nigers grow 2 to 3 a year. My suggestion if combining triggers add them small and together. And have a back up plan if things dont work out. Adding smaller triggers will give you a few years of enjoymen though

 

[Australian_Reef]

I have no experience with canthidermis maculata, pineapple, or goldenback.. Ive actually never seen a canthidermis maculata . Its an oddball. Clowns are 50/50 with their personalities as they grow. Some people luck out with nicer individuals and others turn to terrors. Plus they get pretty huge. 225 I dont think would keep it happy long term. Ive seen these fish the size of a football full grown. A clown or fuscus could limit what you have in the future.

Different shaped triggers than the picasso would be the safe way to go. Niger, pink tails, or sargassum. These all also grow quicker than Picasso. I think fish like bursa, rectangle, boomerang, etc would resemble the picasso too much and could possibly be an issue as they grow older. But you never know.

I have 6 triggers currently spread out in between 3 tanks. They all have their own personalities. One day even my nice ones can be jerks and the next its peaceful again. But a 2 or 3 inch trigger will not act like a 6 or 7 inch trigger. Larger they get, bolder they get. My undulated grows about an inch a year while by 3 nigers grow 2 to 3 a year. My suggestion if combining triggers add them small and together. And have a back up plan if things dont work out. Adding smaller triggers will give you a few years of enjoymen though

If you bought a 3–4” clown trigger for a 225 how long would it take to push that tank size?

 

[kboogie]

Queen trigger tank mates
Like others have said, the queen trigger is going to be your biggest limiting factor (no pun intended).

I wanted to point out one of the biggest areas I see people providing information based on outdated philosophies is minimum tank size for a given fish. Jay Hemdal has a great article that reframes this in a way that makes scientific sense. Based on his formula (assuming your filtration and nutrient export is adequate ) you will have no problem with tank size for the Queen trigger. As a rule of thumb, assume a fish in captivity will achieve about 70% to 80% of their wild max size. Your queen trigger will get to about 19” in captivity. Your Niger/Red Tooth trigger will get to about 7”. In captivity.

When it comes to temperament, you have to think of this like statistics with bad observation bias. There are no absolute behavioral expectations. It is all likelihoods. I’ve had four Red Tooth triggers over the years and three of the four have been complete terrors. I’ve had seven Clown triggers over the years and one would get a little nippy with new tank mates and the other would be occasionally nippy with everyone. The rest were model citizens even near full size.

I always have triggers in my FOWLR tanks and the things I have done that increase my success are:

1. Always get them when they are less than 3” so they grow up in the community tank
2. Add them last or as one of the last group of fish
3. Never feed them silversides or buy one that you know has been fed silversides, IMHO/experience this trains them to see other fish as food
4. If you plan to keep multiple, add them all at once and avoid keeping multiple triggers of the same genus
5. I have rarely seen people successfully house eels with triggers outside of giant eels like green morays and Tessalatas. Trigger literally bite them in half.
6. Keep your triggers well fed fat and happy. A hungry fish will be a terror. You want to have multiple feedings a day and keep them fat so they never think food is limited. This rule also applies to tangs and angels.

As it relates to tank mates:

Large Angels
- Passer’s
- Emperor
- Queen
- Blue face
- Etc

Large Wrasses
- Lunare
- Red Coris
- Blue Head
- Paddlefin
- Harlequin Tusk
- Etc

Hogfish (larger ones)
- Spanish
- Cuban

Large Damsels
- Neon Velvet
- Garibaldi
- Domino

Drums
- Hi-Hat

Groupers but they create a new set of problems.

 

[exnisstech]

No recommendation but i read the post above about eels and lionfish with Picasso and have to disagree. I have read of Picasso's nipping fins on lion fish. I have first hand experience of a little 3" Picasso picking on a 30" zebra moray to the point the eel stopped eating and perished.

 

[Ks4726]

If you bought a 3–4” clown trigger for a 225 how long would it take to push that tank size?

Id say 3 to 4 years at the minimum. Ive never had a clown, but id assume its in the niger growth rate. I have a 265 gallon 7 foot tank and a 400 gallon 8 foot tank. So im familiar with the sizes. I had a 14 inch ost and an 11 inch emperor in my 265. They just got cramped so i upgraded another tank just for them. You dont want to cramp any aggressive fish.

Maybe some long term large clown trigger owners can chime in. I think they are few in numbers though. When I say large I mean 6 inches plus.

 

[Ks4726]

Queen trigger tank mates
Like others have said, the queen trigger is going to be your biggest limiting factor (no pun intended).

I wanted to point out one of the biggest areas I see people providing information based on outdated philosophies is minimum tank size for a given fish. Jay Hemdal has a great article that reframes this in a way that makes scientific sense. Based on his formula (assuming your filtration and nutrient export is adequate ) you will have no problem with tank size for the Queen trigger. As a rule of thumb, assume a fish in captivity will achieve about 70% to 80% of their wild max size. Your queen trigger will get to about 19” in captivity. Your Niger/Red Tooth trigger will get to about 7”. In captivity.

When it comes to temperament, you have to think of this like statistics with bad observation bias. There are no absolute behavioral expectations. It is all likelihoods. I’ve had four Red Tooth triggers over the years and three of the four have been complete terrors. I’ve had seven Clown triggers over the years and one would get a little nippy with new tank mates and the other would be occasionally nippy with everyone. The rest were model citizens even near full size.

I always have triggers in my FOWLR tanks and the things I have done that increase my success are:

1. Always get them when they are less than 3” so they grow up in the community tank
2. Add them last or as one of the last group of fish
3. Never feed them silversides or buy one that you know has been fed silversides, IMHO/experience this trains them to see other fish as food
4. If you plan to keep multiple, add them all at once and avoid keeping multiple triggers of the same genus
5. I have rarely seen people successfully house eels with triggers outside of giant eels like green morays and Tessalatas. Trigger literally bite them in half.
6. Keep your triggers well fed fat and happy. A hungry fish will be a terror. You want to have multiple feedings a day and keep them fat so they never think food is limited. This rule also applies to tangs and angels.

As it relates to tank mates:

Large Angels
- Passer’s
- Emperor
- Queen
- Blue face
- Etc

Large Wrasses
- Lunare
- Red Coris
- Blue Head
- Paddlefin
- Harlequin Tusk
- Etc

Hogfish (larger ones)
- Spanish
- Cuban

Large Damsels
- Neon Velvet
- Garibaldi
- Domino

Drums
- Hi-Hat

Groupers but they create a new set of problems.

This is really good advice. Especially the grouper comment. Large angels bring a new set of problems as well. My emperor is a jerk to everything in its path, my queen attacked my puffer and tore its skin, and in my 265 my blueface hates my koran, and my koran is like the nicest fish. Its always something with these large fish I feel. Its just a crap shoot when things grow up

 

[Ks4726]

No recommendation but i read the post above about eels and lionfish with Picasso and have to disagree. I have read of Picasso's nipping fins on lion fish. I have first hand experience of a little 3" Picasso picking on a 30" zebra moray to the point the eel stopped eating and perished.

I did say sometimes but you always risk the possibility of it attacking either.

 

[kboogie]

This is really good advice. Especially the grouper comment. Large angels bring a new set of problems as well. My emperor is a jerk to everything in its path, my queen attacked my puffer and tore its skin, and in my 265 my blueface hates my koran, and my koran is like the nicest fish. Its always something with these large fish I feel. Its just a crap shoot when things grow up

I agree. It frequently feels like we are swapping one set of problems for another. My Asfur is a bit of a jerk sometimes, but 95% of the time, he is fine.

My current inhabitants are:
1. Asfur Angel (6")
2. Majestic Angel (3")
3. Emperor Angel (3")
4. Flame Angel (3.5")
5. Lemonpeel Angel (3")
6. Coral Beauty Angel (3")
7. Clown Trigger (2.5")
8. Red Tooth Trigger (2.75")
9. Humu Humu Picasso Trigger (2.25")
10. Powder Blue Tang (4")
11. Desjardini Tang (5")
12. Blue Hippo Tang (3.5")
13. Purple Tang (2.5")
14. Green Bird Wrasse (7.5")
15. Male Squareback Anthias (6.5")
16. 3 Female Squarebck Anthias (4.5", 5.5", 5.5")

In QT
1. Yellow Belly Regal (3")
2. Clown Tang (3")
3. Blue Throat Fairy Wrasse (2.25")
4. Clown Fairy Wrasse (2")
5. Exquisite Fairy Wrassee (2")
6. Orange Back Fairy Wrasse (2.25")
7. Pair of Gold Stripe Maroon Clownfish (M: 3.5", F: 5.5")

I do two feeds a day of frozen (10AM large feeding and 8PM small feeding), then pellets on an automatic feeder roughly every two hours between Noon and 7PM.

The Asfur and the Powder Blue are the two bosses of the tank, but there is rarely any meaningful chasing or nipping.

 

[Ks4726]

My two 8 and 7 inch nigers and 3 inch bursa leave my radiata alone. That can change in a heartbeat though. Each situation with each fish is different. Thats why I tell people to have a back up plan.

 

[Ks4726]

I agree. It frequently feels like we are swapping one set of problems for another. My Asfur is a bit of a jerk sometimes, but 95% of the time, he is fine.

My current inhabitants are:
1. Asfur Angel (6")
2. Majestic Angel (3")
3. Emperor Angel (3")
4. Flame Angel (3.5")
5. Lemonpeel Angel (3")
6. Coral Beauty Angel (3")
7. Clown Trigger (2.5")
8. Red Tooth Trigger (2.75")
9. Humu Humu Picasso Trigger (2.25")
10. Powder Blue Tang (4")
11. Desjardini Tang (5")
12. Blue Hippo Tang (3.5")
13. Purple Tang (2.5")
14. Green Bird Wrasse (7.5")
15. Male Squareback Anthias (6.5")
16. 3 Female Squarebck Anthias (4.5", 5.5", 5.5")

In QT
1. Yellow Belly Regal (3")
2. Clown Tang (3")
3. Blue Throat Fairy Wrasse (2.25")
4. Clown Fairy Wrasse (2")
5. Exquisite Fairy Wrassee (2")
6. Orange Back Fairy Wrasse (2.25")
7. Pair of Gold Stripe Maroon Clownfish (M: 3.5", F: 5.5")

I do two feeds a day of frozen (10AM large feeding and 8PM small feeding), then pellets on an automatic feeder roughly every two hours between Noon and 7PM.

The Asfur and the Powder Blue are the two bosses of the tank, but there is rarely any meaningful chasing or nipping.

I plumbed a 135 gallon tank into my 400 as a sump for my undulated trigger but my queen is in there after picking on the puffer. Not sure what im gonna do with the queen.

My 400 gallon:
Emperor 11"
Harlequin Tusk 5"
2 niger trigger 6 &7"
1 bursa trigger 3"
1 dragon wrasse 4"
1 radiata lion 5"
1 undulated trigger 4"
1 queen angel 7"
2 cloudy damsels
Pair of blue striped clowns
1 Ost 14"
1 porcupine puffer 8"

My 265
1 blueface 7"
1 koran 7"
1 niger trigger 4"
1 sailfin Tang
2 Purple tang
1 chocolate tang 5"
2 flame angels
1 elbeli Angel
1 coral beauty
2 hippos 12" and 7"
2 pink skunk clowns
1 hawkfish
10 random damsels
And im sure im missing one or two. I had a dejardini for awhile. Complete terror

 

[kboogie]

I agree. It frequently feels like we are swapping one set of problems for another. My Asfur is a bit of a jerk sometimes, but 95% of the time, he is fine.

My current inhabitants are:
1. Asfur Angel (6")
2. Majestic Angel (3")
3. Emperor Angel (3")
4. Flame Angel (3.5")
5. Lemonpeel Angel (3")
6. Coral Beauty Angel (3")
7. Clown Trigger (2.5")
8. Red Tooth Trigger (2.75")
9. Humu Humu Picasso Trigger (2.25")
10. Powder Blue Tang (4")
11. Desjardini Tang (5")
12. Blue Hippo Tang (3.5")
13. Purple Tang (2.5")
14. Green Bird Wrasse (7.5")
15. Male Squareback Anthias (6.5")
16. 3 Female Squarebck Anthias (4.5", 5.5", 5.5")

In QT
1. Yellow Belly Regal (3")
2. Clown Tang (3")
3. Blue Throat Fairy Wrasse (2.25")
4. Clown Fairy Wrasse (2")
5. Exquisite Fairy Wrassee (2")
6. Orange Back Fairy Wrasse (2.25")
7. Pair of Gold Stripe Maroon Clownfish (M: 3.5", F: 5.5")

I do two feeds a day of frozen (10AM large feeding and 8PM small feeding), then pellets on an automatic feeder roughly every two hours between Noon and 7PM.

The Asfur and the Powder Blue are the two bosses of the tank, but there is rarely any meaningful chasing or nipping.

I plumbed a 135 gallon tank into my 400 as a sump for my undulated trigger but my queen is in there after picking on the puffer. Not sure what im gonna do with the queen.

My 400 gallon:
Emperor 11"
Harlequin Tusk 5"
2 niger trigger 6 &7"
1 bursa trigger 3"
1 dragon wrasse 4"
1 radiata lion 5"
1 undulated trigger 4"
1 queen angel 7"
2 cloudy damsels
Pair of blue striped clowns
1 Ost 14"
1 porcupine puffer 8"

My 265
1 blueface 7"
1 koran 7"
1 niger trigger 4"
1 sailfin Tang
2 Purple tang
1 chocolate tang 5"
2 flame angels
1 elbeli Angel
1 coral beauty
2 hippos 12" and 7"
2 pink skunk clowns
1 hawkfish
10 random damsels
And im sure im missing one or two. I had a dejardini for awhile. Complete terror

The undulated trigger is the one trigger with which I have never had success. I had a little 2.5” one that would take down fish three times his size. They are so pretty, I totally understand why people roll the dice.

 

[Ks4726]

The undulated trigger is the one trigger with which I have never had success. I had a little 2.5” one that would take down fish three times his size. They are so pretty, I totally understand why people roll the dice.

Had mine for 3 years almost. That I got wanting a species only tank for it. I tried getting it smaller keeping it with other fish constantly. Doubt it worked. It was that or a fucus but undulated stays smaller. After 2 years it started getting nippy with fish, especially other triggers so I isolated it. Slow grower. 1 inch a year about

Oh yeah. I have a 6 inch clown tang too.

 

[Ks4726]

I like it

 

[kboogie]

I like it

It is a stunning fish. Easily a top-three trigger for beauty.