Can a Xanthichthys trigger live in 4' 120?

GroktheCube

GroktheCube

New member
I've read mixed things about their growth rates and space requirements. Triggers are among my favorite fish, and I'd love to have one in my tank, but I also don't want to buy a 3" individual to have it outgrow the tank within a year or so.

I'll likely be upgrading at some point in the future, but I really don't like putting fish, even juveniles, in a tank that cannot keep them happy for life, even if it will take a few years for them to get that big

I'm curious to hear the opinions and experiences of others.
 
I have a 3" sargasum trigger in a 4ft 90 gallon tank.... he's been in there for about 3-4 months and is doing well...


....with that being said, he's moving into a 6ft 250 gallon tank in 3 weeks :P
 
GroktheCube said:
I've read mixed things about their growth rates and space requirements. Triggers are among my favorite fish, and I'd love to have one in my tank, but I also don't want to buy a 3" individual to have it outgrow the tank within a year or so.

I'll likely be upgrading at some point in the future, but I really don't like putting fish, even juveniles, in a tank that cannot keep them happy for life, even if it will take a few years for them to get that big

I'm curious to hear the opinions and experiences of others.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't..they are big swimmers and need linear space...
and it seems like a tank upgrade is not in the immediate future...

curious about size and specie...tough to find smaller x trigs...
 
I have a 5" sargassum in a 7 ft long aquarium and though he's not cramped I would love to go bigger for him. When he wants to he can really zip around the tank making it look small.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys.

I had a feeling that's what the answer would be, but it never hurts to ask.

I'll hold off until I have a large tank at some point down the road.
 
I've got a bluethroat in a 150 gallon and he doesn't swim around all that much if anything.

Probably because there's meaner fish in the tank to put him in his place
 
WuHT said:
I've got a bluethroat in a 150 gallon and he doesn't swim around all that much if anything.

Probably because there's meaner fish in the tank to put him in his place
Click to expand...

bt are the exception to the rule...they can be painfully shy and are often seldom seen even by their owners...perhaps the one trig I will never recommend...
 
I've had my male blue throat trigger for going on 3 years now. He was a ghost for the first year and a half, but has figured out that I'm actually a good guy and eats out of my hand. His colors have become great too here lately, not sure if its coincidence, but it seems like they really started popping when I started using the Larry's reef food.

Fwiw, he was in a 120 and is now in a 55. Will be going to the new 240 in a couple weeks. 6 ft is the way to go for these guys long term.
 
caribfan said:
I've had my male blue throat trigger for going on 3 years now. He was a ghost for the first year and a half, but has figured out that I'm actually a good guy and eats out of my hand. His colors have become great too here lately, not sure if its coincidence, but it seems like they really started popping when I started using the Larry's reef food.

Fwiw, he was in a 120 and is now in a 55. Will be going to the new 240 in a couple weeks. 6 ft is the way to go for these guys long term.
Click to expand...

I had a couple of blue throats and I also agree that they tend to be less active swimmers.
 
Mine had a great personality! He was one of my favorite fish... He would swim back and forth in my 215 all day long, sometimes swimming in front of the Tunze against the flow!
 
Wow guys hating on the BT pretty hard. Since pretty much day 1 my female has been the most active fish in my 120. She circles the tank all day long. I'm planning a bigger tank just for her in the next year.
IMO the key with BT triggers is introduction order. My female was the first into my 120 and therefore I feel she was very comfortable in swimming around and being active
 
H.reidi.MN said:
Wow guys hating on the BT pretty hard. Since pretty much day 1 my female has been the most active fish in my 120. She circles the tank all day long. I'm planning a bigger tank just for her in the next year.
IMO the key with BT triggers is introduction order. My female was the first into my 120 and therefore I feel she was very comfortable in swimming around and being active
Click to expand...

I didn't see any "hate" regarding BTs. . Simply, in my opinion, they are boring compared to other triggers. I don't really "hate" any SW fish. ( Except maybe designer clownfish. But at least when they die you can make nice earrings out of them.) I'm sure that plenty of folks aren't nuts about some of my favorite fish----no big deal. FWIW: My favorite triggers are also close to the cheapest fish I own, Nigers. I have a huge Niger ($20) in the same tank with a pair of crosshatches ($$$) and visitors are always drawn to the Niger.
 
Last edited:
MrTuskfish said:
I didn't see any "hate" regarding BTs. . Simply, in my opinion, they are boring compared to other triggers. I don't really "hate" any SW fish. ( Except maybe designer clownfish. But at least when they die you can make nice earrings out of them.) I'm sure that plenty of folks aren't nuts about some of my favorite fish----no big deal. FWIW: My favorite triggers are also close to the cheapest fish I own, Nigers. I have a huge Niger ($20) in the same tank with a pair of crosshatches ($$$) and visitors are always drawn to the Niger.
Click to expand...

WHY DO YOU HATE BLUE THROAT TRIGGERS! :lmao:
 
MrTuskfish said:
I didn't see any "hate" regarding BTs. . Simply, in my opinion, they are boring compared to other triggers. I don't really "hate" any SW fish. ( Except maybe designer clownfish. But at least when they die you can make nice earrings out of them.) I'm sure that plenty of folks aren't nuts about some of my favorite fish----no big deal. FWIW: My favorite triggers are also close to the cheapest fish I own, Nigers. I have a huge Niger ($20) in the same tank with a pair of crosshatches ($$$) and visitors are always drawn to the Niger.
Click to expand...

I agree. Niger triggers are generally awesome swimmers and love to eat. They form beautiful streamers as they grow larger, which is awesome as well. Although can come with more aggression

Jacob
 
I actually have a male blue throat and really like him now. The first two years that I owned him he was extremely reclusive. I've not owned an outrigger or crosshatch to comment on the differences in personality, but hope to own a crosshatch one day soon.
 
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