multiple triggers and multiple puffers. will it work?

[hotelbravo]

I am wanting to switch gears on my 180 and go with a slightly more aggressive tank. I already have a niger trigger that has never bothered anything in the tank to include crabs and snails. but I have been wanting a clown trigger and two larger puffers like the dog face and maybe a porcupine.

would these guys just beat each other up or do you think it could work out? if not are there any specific triggers and puffers that mix well with multiples of the same family??

 

[sandwi54]

Puffers will absolutely eat your crabs and snails as they are the natural food in the wild. A dogface puffer and porcupine puffer will most likely get along, but I wouldn't put a clown trigger in with any other fish - a fish with this kind of personality should really be the only fish in a tank.

 

[cougareyes]

The secret to keeping aggressive fish is to not crowd them. With that said when I had a 180, I kept a niger, humu, clown triggers with a dogface puffer and volitan lion. At about 7" the clown trigger got way to aggressive toward my other 2 triggers that I had raised from 1", so he went to a 1000g.

My current dogface in my 210 doesn't eat my snails or crabs, I find my harlequin tusk sucking on a snail from time to time. A dogface and porky would be fine together, they will also produce alot of waste.

The clown trigger is one the most aggressive and would likely start to cause a problem when he gets bigger in that size tank. Triggers that would work, look at humu, rectangular, or bursa; pinktail or black, only one or the other these two will fight each other, same family.

If you kept your tank minimally stocked you could do the 2 puffers and the niger and 2 of the triggers I listed above. If you do the clown make sure you will have no problem getting him a home anytime after he gets over 5-6".

 

[Shivsreef]

I would avoid a Clown as they are one of the most aggressive triggers if not the most. I'd go for a Picasso personally, less aggressive, same personality and looks better imo. The puffers should work if given ample habitat and food.

 

[hotelbravo]

Well i feed heavily and i do not care about my snails and hermits. i will strike the clown trigger off the list but do plan to search for another trigger. i dont really like the picasso ones but i do like the undulate triggers..

i currently have two tangs, two clarkii clowns, 4 chromis in the tank with the niger trigger. would the chromis likely get eaten by the puffers? they are fairly big chromis...

 

[snorvich]

A clown trigger and undulate are equally aggressive.

 

[humaguy]

A clown trigger and undulate are equally aggressive.

Imho an undy, for the most part, is more aggressive than a clown and truly needs a tank by itself. Beautiful but nasty. Axlerod said something like, "it is perhaps the most aggressive fish in all the world's oceans, they kill and torment other fish for the sheer pleasure it gives them, keep your tank bare of any tankmates, or they too will be torn apart" and added, "they eat anything, including dog biscuit" lol..
I love them, they are beautiful, but they are a handful..
Lol, I have a stuffed one (taxidermy) that is quite well behaved...

Good luck,

TK

 

[Sweitz1972]

I was also researching this possibility down the road for a tank upgrade. What about the red-tail trigger? From what I've read they don't get to big and are one of the least aggressive triggers.

 

[snorvich]

Imho an undy, for the most part, is more aggressive than a clown and truly needs a tank by itself. Beautiful but nasty. Axlerod said something like, "it is perhaps the most aggressive fish in all the world's oceans, they kill and torment other fish for the sheer pleasure it gives them, keep your tank bare of any tankmates, or they too will be torn apart" and added, "they eat anything, including dog biscuit" lol..
I love them, they are beautiful, but they are a handful..
Lol, I have a stuffed one (taxidermy) that is quite well behaved...

Good luck,

TK

I agree. But they are gorgeous.

 

[hotelbravo]

so what are some lesser aggressive triggers that i can put in there?

 

[Shivsreef]

so what are some lesser aggressive triggers that i can put in there?

Bluethroat, Caribbean redtail or any ones of the xanthichthys genus.