Bluejaw Trigger QT?

[mx36]

Last Saturday I picked up a Bluejaw Trigger pair, I have them both in a 40 gal QT right now and treating with Prazi Pro. The female seems to be eating good and swimming around all the time but the male is still really skiddish. I have seen the male swimming around from a distance and he looks healthy but when I come to the tank to feed he hides and wont come out to eat and it will take him a while before he comes out again, so I haven't actually seen him eat yet after a week. Should I be worried yet? How long should I wait before adding them to the display (255gal)? I have tried feeding him mysis, scallops, bloodworms, clams on the half shell, and frozen trigger formula. Thanks

 

[Robka]

Last Saturday I picked up a Bluejaw Trigger pair, I have them both in a 40 gal QT right now and treating with Prazi Pro. The female seems to be eating good and swimming around all the time but the male is still really skiddish. I have seen the male swimming around from a distance and he looks healthy but when I come to the tank to feed he hides and wont come out to eat and it will take him a while before he comes out again, so I haven't actually seen him eat yet after a week. Should I be worried yet? How long should I wait before adding them to the display (255gal)? I have tried feeding him mysis, scallops, bloodworms, clams on the half shell, and frozen trigger formula. Thanks

My red tail trigger took over a week before he would come out of PVC except to eat.

 

[mx36]

Anybody else have some advice for me?

 

[beachbreak]

Males tend to be a little more shy than females. Keep feeding the tank and stepping away to give the male some confidence to come out and eat. Sooner or later he should start to see you as a food source and come out in the open more. They are well worth the effort and stress; really fun fish to have in a reef. Just try and be patient and not force it on the fish. Let him come out on his own.

Mine came from another reefer who had him for a year and it still took him a week or so before he would stay out in open water with confidence.

Good luck!

 

[mx36]

Thanks for the input, I seen him swimming around alot more today but was still skiddish as soon as I approached the aquarium, so hopefully he will get used to me soon.

 

[cwinn]

when i got my male bluethroat he liked to hide too but eventually got acquainted and now eats like a pig. He may just be feeling the tank out. Has he eaten some or not eaten at all?

 

[mx36]

I haven't seen him eat at all yet. I have been shutting the return pump off and feeding then walking away to let the power heads move the food around for a while while I step out of the room in hopes he will come out.

 

[Mcsommerfeld]

Mx36,
I am having exactly the same problem right now with a male blue throat. He has himself locked down behind a rock and refuses to come out at all. I have had him since last Tuesday. An I have not seen him eat yet either. I am told by numerous people that this is fairly common with new triggers an just to be patient with him.

 

[ezerasurfr]

My male used to do this too, but shortly after he was eating out of my step father's hands. Unfortunately, he passed away last fall. He was a model tank citizen, and an awesome fish all around.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Give him some time, this isn't unusual at all. These are shy, for a trigger, and any fish can tank a lot longer than this to get used to things.

 

[beachbreak]

With feeding; you can also try adding some nori on a clip so that he can feed at his leisure. Mine goes crazy for the stuff.

 

[gradth]

My male took almost 2 weeks before he stopped hiding and started eating. I posted the same thing and soon found out it is very common for the males to do this. after that he was very friendly and not scared at all. would eat out of my hand. Sadly I lost him after almost 4 years a couple months ago.

 

[mx36]

I am in need of some more advise, the male still hasn't been eating from what I have seen, the female eats like crazy. Do you think I should add the female to the display tank so the male wont have any competition when it comes time to eat? The male has been out swimming around more but he doesn't look as fat as the female.

 

[beachbreak]

what foods are you feeding?

 

[mx36]

Froze mysids, reef nutrition mysids, trigger formula, blood worms, and frozen krill also tried flakes

 

[mhosts]

I had a male bluejaw trigger for two years before he outgrew my tank and had to give him away.

This behaviour is normal. They are very shy. If he starts getting skinny serve a fresh clam in the shell and put it near his hiding spot. The other fish will likely leave it alone because it's too large to eat, and the trigger can eat it at his own pace.

Here was a pic of him in QT back in 09.

 

[SaltyMember]

I had a bluejaw trigger for almost 6 years before he died suddenly. He was very shy and skittish in my 125g.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[mx36]

Thanks for all the replies, so do you guys think I should leave the female in the QT with the male or put her in the display and leave the male in the QT.

 

[MrTuskfish]

No. The female may even help draw the male out, like a "dither" fish. I would never introduce any fish to a DT that hadn't been properly quarantined for 6 weeks. I know it might be a tough decision in the future, but risking an entire tank for one fish isn't a good idea,ever. IMO.

 

[beachbreak]

I agree with MrTuskfish - if you have him in QT with another trigger and they are getting along fine, keep them both there until he starts eating regularly.

I still think you should try the nori on a clip.

You can also leave the pumps on when feeding. This will serve a few purposes; keep the food particles suspended in the water (their mouths are developed for feeding out of the water column and not grazing on the rock/floor) and also it will help flush some food into his hiding spot where he will hopefully be picking at it.

Keep at it though. You're feeding the right stuff - hopefully he'll come around.