Clown Trigger
- Thread starter Ninja120
- Start date
Triggers usually pick at Corals and rockwork. It's an instinctual thing and helps groom their teeth. They don't eat Corals per se, but they will eat your CUC as Redox said. Also, a big messy trigger makes maintenance of water parameters more difficult and that could be hard on the Corals.
Mike5252
New member
My clown trigger is about 10-12" and will eat anything that doesn't eat him first. He also scatters pieces of rock and shells around the tank.
I've heard of people having success with clown triggers in reef tanks (as shown above), but I don't believe this is the norm. Maybe if the clown trigger was small and added last, then well fed...every fish is different.
I don't think it's worth the risk unless you are prepared to try and catch a CT in a reef tank or remove all your corals. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.
I've heard of people having success with clown triggers in reef tanks (as shown above), but I don't believe this is the norm. Maybe if the clown trigger was small and added last, then well fed...every fish is different.
I don't think it's worth the risk unless you are prepared to try and catch a CT in a reef tank or remove all your corals. Plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Well if you get them small and then get rid of them when they get a little bigger you should make that clear so the OP isn't misled by your comments about CT's being reef safe. Also, who's to say the CT won't start moving rocks around which is typical trigger behavior and damage corals in the process?
Zoom
Premium Member
I had my last clown trigger for over five years i give him to my friend because i had a family emergency and was not able to take care my tanks .
I was able to keep all type of corals with that fish with no problems.
Sure you need to know what they go after when you set up a reef tank .
I never say i will get rid of the fish .
I like to take risks with fish not only with Triggers also with large Angels in a reef tank .
The problem with having them in reef tanks is that reefs generally feature inverts as much as fish and coral, and inverts are DEFINITELY on any clown triggers menu. Like always, you may be lucky with your individual fish, but any inverts in my CT's tank last about 5 minutes.
Zoom
Premium Member
You are so correct this fish is not for the ones don't really know anything about it.
This fish need to have a large tank with large Live rocks so they don't move them around i have no clean up critters at all no shrimps no clams no snails none even i take the acro crabs out of the sps corals .
You need a large skimmer with ozone large refuge and need to keep the water very clean .
I can even have any wires in the tank the only thing i have in the tank are two tunze's they are 24 V and the wires are cover with a silicone hose over them .
As you see this tank is clown trigger proof even when i get my hands in the tank i have to use a heavy plastic shoulder gloves .
If you really like to have one of this gorgeous fish you need to do it correctly , or don't do it at all, i have put many years learning about this fish and from experience, i have the fish in a 200G reef tank if he goes after any thing i pull it out of the tank ,in to my other reef tank .
I even have a larger skimmer for the tank if i need to later on .
Good Luck if you get one for your tank you have alat of work to do to get your tank ready for this monster fish, but i think they have the best personalty of any other fish i ever had .
Zoom
Premium Member
Here is a picture from 2004 I was testing the Clown trigger with different corals back then.
A 125 g test tank .
All the picture dates are in my gallery.
Check them out .
Here is a test with a cleaner shrimp .
To my surprise the cleaner shrimp become a really good friend of the Clown trigger but the Australian tusk fish was going to eat it so i pull it out of the tank so cleaner shrimp may make it with CT but it is a risk.
As you see i have done extensive testing with this fish for many years so don't flame me if you don't know.
A 125 g test tank .
All the picture dates are in my gallery.
Check them out .
Here is a test with a cleaner shrimp .
To my surprise the cleaner shrimp become a really good friend of the Clown trigger but the Australian tusk fish was going to eat it so i pull it out of the tank so cleaner shrimp may make it with CT but it is a risk.
As you see i have done extensive testing with this fish for many years so don't flame me if you don't know.
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Zoom
Premium Member
Thank you for the picture. I do have one picture almost like yours but i can not find it<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12822579#post12822579 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by danorth
I've got a tame one as well. Zoom what size is the ct you have now, and Mike5252 can you post a pic of the 10-12" one? Mine is at 8" now, up from about 4" back in 4/06. It loves cleaner shrimp....and not for dinner. My queen trigger and niger did as well.
Mine also turn lighter color when the cleaner shrimp was cleaning him.The one i have now is about 3" long .
The other one was over 9" a really nice Australian Clown trigger i got him in 2002 and i had to give him away in 2007. My dad had a really bad accident and i had to spend two months away from my tanks the 200 g reef crash and the trigger was getting thin so i give it to my friend 400g tank was good for my CT so he still in that tank to this day .
I was going to get one when thing settle down a little, but i had a bad luck with the 200g after i got the tank back up and running many thing did not go well with the tank it took about 17 months for the tank to settle down .
Now everything is back to normal with the tank and family .
Many don't know much about Clown triggers . Most have them in a FO tank so it is just because the fish is powerful they think they will eat everything is there tank..
I had find they don't even eat fish meat i try many times with my older trigger but he will take the white fish meat and spit it back out, this fish are so dedicated to there diet .
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Yeah no sweat, I love posting pics. Mine likes pellets and nori, then selcon shrimp every couple of days. I really hope it grows to 12" in the next couple of years. I hope to be upgrading tanks very soon to adjust for its size. (soon as in a week or 2....making sure my wife can handle the look of a 8' tank in the house first)
Zoom
Premium Member
I had a large Ausy Tusk in the tank with the first CT he always try to get the cleaner shrimps i pull them out it was two of them and put them in my nano reef and i lost them after six years i don't know if that was from old age or not.
My new CT eats flake food like Crazy, i try some pellets but he don't like them .
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