An Undy should not be kept in a community tank...he will kill everything in your tank...sooner rather than later...even a tiny one is dangerous...what else is in your tank?
Thanks, I am aware. Back when I was a kid I was surprised to learn that discus were too delicate to keep in a community tank since I'd been keeping and breeding them in one for five years...
I'm not saying the common wisdom regarding undulated triggers is wrong, I'm just curious as to why, and if there are exceptions or things we can do to work around the problems.
Two of the three fish my trigger ate when I put him in my tank were sergeant majors. The LFS was feeding silversides and guppies, I assume the trigger just went after whatever was shiny and moving. It doesn't seem to be an obligate piscivore, or even an oportunistic one yet.
They're supposed to be highly territorial, but mine hasn't become so in almost a year. I'm curious if they become more territorial as they reach maturity, and I'm curious if rearranging rockwork will disrupt their territory, and if so for how long. He's in a 500g tank, so there's some room to carve out a territory if he wants it.
They are said to particularly hate long fish such as eels and wrasses, from what I've seen the only fish my trigger just can't stand is my yellow-tailed coris. So far he chases it, but hasn't damaged it at all. He seems to ignore dwarf angels, bannerfish, clowns and damsels even though he could easily kill any of them. He hasn't nibbled fins or taken bites out of any fish since that first week I dropped him in the tank.
My trigger had been returned to the LFS a record 8 times in 3 months before I got it. I got it at a steep discount, only because I have a 60g bare QT and a 100g empty with rock for isolation. Both are cycled and running for the day my trigger just can't play well with others. I've also trained him to eat right next to a net, so I won't have to hook him out or take the tank down to catch him.
