New Hawaiian Black Triggerfish

[gianluca1970]

I just bought a large Hawaiian Black Triggerfish. It is about 8 inches. He seems really healthy but seems to just hide among the rocks. He lays at the bottom between the rocks with just his head noticeable so he can see what swims by. He has barely moved from this spot since putting him in the tank. Is this normal behavior? I have a much smaller Humu Humu trigger who swims all over the place and basically ignores the new guy. This is the first trigger I have ever had that has hidden for this long after introducing him into a new tank. Has anyone else ever had one of these Hawaiian Black Triggerfish? If so, should I expect him to become a little more active eventually?

 

[happyjack]

they should swim and be very active.

 

[gianluca1970]

I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I put him in last night so he hasn't been in the tank a full day yet. Normally I wouldn't be too worried but this is the first trigger that I have had that didn't start exploring the tank tight away. I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

 

[happyjack]

a lot of triggers are shy for a day or two when introduced or a few weeks even with crosshatch

 

[humaguy]

I would leave the lights off a couple of days...let him acclimate to his new surroundings slowly and on his own...

 

[gianluca1970]

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll give it a try leaving the lights off for a few days and see what happens. I was just wondering if anyone else had experienced that behavior. Like I said before, this is the first trigger that didn't immediately start swimming all over the tank. Since he is bigger than all my other fish i would have expected him to be a little more bold.

I have read different sites about their temperament and have found conflicting opinions. Some sites say that they are aggressive while other sites say that they are shy.

I know that all fish have different personalities. Hopefully this one will eventually become more comfortable and start swimming around.

 

[humaguy]

some trigs take a bit longer to adjust...I find this especially true for larger trigs...keep feeding but let him mellow out...he will come around...

 

[gianluca1970]

Thanks for your replies. Once everything is settled down I'll post a few pictures of my setup.

 

[Recty]

And if you think about it, this is probably your fish that is least used to humans. He's been out in the wild for a few years if he is 8", whereas your other fish were probably picked up at around a year old.

He's just shy most likely and is going to take time to get used to a new environment. Give it time and if the fish doesn't have some sickness it will come around.

 

[gianluca1970]

That's true, you make a good point. My wife just called to tell me that he was swimming around with my Humu trigger until he noticed her, then went and hid among the rocks. I'll just have to be patient and hope that he gets comfortable and begins to eat. Once i see him eating I'll feel a little more sure that he is going to make it. Other than his shyness he seems really healthy and strong.

 

[humaguy]

it took 6 full days before my crosshatch pair got comfortable swimming around...agree with Recty...

 

[angelfish7]

Did you QT the trigger? Aside from the obvious QT benefits, this time period allows the fish to acclimate to a tank . This reduces the adjustment period in the DT.

 

[gianluca1970]

He is coming around

He is coming around

He seems to be doing much better. He still hides among the rocks when he sees someone approaching the tank but at least he is starting to swim around and explore. He also doesn't seem to mind the Humu Humu either. Here is a quick picture I was able to get before he noticed me.

 

[brookers]

nice fish.

are you sure thats a hawaiian black trig ? it looks like a black durgeon (is that spelt right ) to me. still nice tho.

 

[gianluca1970]

Yeah, you are right. He is black and has a bunch of cool lines running along his body. His face is more blue-green with blue lines around his mouth. It is in fact be a black durgeon. I kept referring to him as hawaiian because most of the articles online about him refer to it as a hawaiian black trigger. At least he is finally adapting. Now I just have to try and get him to eat.

 

[humaguy]

hard for me to see in pic, but, I think I agree with brookers...looks like Melichthys indicus, Indian trig....and not Melichthys niger, Hawaiian Black trig...
he surely is beautiful but toss-up another pic....thanks...glad he is coming out more...will quickly learn that you mean food...

 

[finntyla]

I have a 3" one that has been in quarantine for the past 4 weeks with no signs of any nasties .
Mine seems to hide away a lot aswell (bored in a small tank i guess) but always swims out when i approach with food.

 

[gianluca1970]

I'll post some better pics as soon as I get a chance. Yesterday at one point all of a sudden decided to just come out and start swimming all over the tank. It was cool watching all the other fish kind of steer clear of him since he is so much bigger than the rest of them. He was going back and forth across the front of the glass, I think because when the lights are on in the tank but dark in the room he sees his own reflection. He explored the whole tank until he discovered a large 12" shell that I had as decoration. He tried it on for size and apparently liked it enough to make that his new home. He still goes and hides when someone approaches the tank but he does seem to be exploring a lot more when he thinks nobody is watching.

I still haven't been able to get him to eat anything though. I tried again this morning and all he does is swim through the food and eventually hide when my other fish start going nuts eating. I'll give it another try tonight. Do you guys have any suggestions on what food I should try? I have been trying brine shrimp but since he is so big it almost looks like he is ignoring it because it is too small. I also tried silver sides but he has ignored those too.

 

[anbosu]

Try mysis, chopped up raw table shrimp, fresh clam - I would get the latter two from your local grocery.

 

[humaguy]

sounds like he is doing great..so, he will eat when he is ready...get a fresh clam and pop off one shell...drop it in...pei mysis, in the big block, is great for big trigs, just rinse it off well...fresh shrimp cut in chunks...I also toss in the legs..my smaller trigs love them...