Sargassum Trigger help

[skyrne_isk]

Kept many of the fishes in my day except not a trigger ever. I picked up a sargassum and want to ask if anyone who HAS or HAS HAD one can answer a question about their breathing/behavior. It seemed as if for the first couple days only the gill coverings moved at a slow and regular rate but now it seems as if the gills are expanding and not just the gill coverings moving......if any of you have one of these guys (or I suppose a similar family trigger) can comment about how it looks when they breath it would help me out quite a bit! Given these are pretty tough fish and mine is eating, I don't want to move it out of QT and into a treatment tank unless I have to - I am still dealing with a bit of shyness but the fish will eat. I understand the initial shyness is pretty normal.

So again, it's not fast breathing or any visible pathogens on the fish...it just appeared that at the LFS store only the gill coverings moved and not it seems like whole gill is moving on each side where "normal" appeared to only be the gill covering flapping. So how are your triggers "breathing"???:rollface:

And if you've kept triggers - would your advice be to not treat as long as I have no visible parasites/sliminess but wondering if I ought to treat for gill flukes or a FW dip.....but don't want to set the fish back as it's pretty shy already. I've acclimated a lot of different fish in my day, but never a trigger - I didn't want to risk it on my reef....so this is new for me, kinda fun to be new at something again!!:thumbsup:

 

[rachenbrazil]

If your trigger is eating some nls with garlic or fresh food soaked in garlic would help with mild parasite treatment .if not improve them frw dip or treatment in hospital tank would be adviseble.

 

[skyrne_isk]

Well, the whole question is about whether or not I have an infestation of some sort. Does the whole gill move on a trigger or just the gill cover flapping to cycle water in and out? Perhaps my memory is a little off, but I seem to remember most triggers not showing much movement in their head/gill area when respirating.....just the gill cover moving. Am I remembering incorrectly? The best way for someone to help here is to take a look at their trigger (especially those like crosshatches, bluejaws, or another X. ringens) and describe what thet are seeing.

 

[triggerfreak]

Leave it.If it is flukes you will notice it on there eyes.They will start to get cloudy.They can breath either way.My bluethroat will do the same thing.The sargassium is one of the most shy triggers and as long as it is eating and showing no visibale signs of parasite i would not pull it and treat.Just soak your food in garlic,zoa,selcon and vitamin c.Als use some beta glucan pills.It helps boost there immune system.Got any pics.

 

[kirkaz]

Any update today?

My Sargassum was very shy at first and didn't eat the first 24+ hours I had him. If yours is already eating, thats a good sign. Kind of hard to explain breathing in writing, but this genus of Trigger definately look a little different the way their gills move. I would just watch him closely for now.

 

[skyrne_isk]

I will get some pics together (if I can catch it).

As some backstory, my buddy picked up a different sargassum last month and since he had no good QT, I added his fish to my QT (which is a 150G baby pool!!!! for now anyway) and this fish was all OVER the place swimming everywhere all the time. It would bite my hand for food any time I was in the tank and would eat out of my hand from 2nd day. This fish is sooooo different. Very shy and retiring. But essentially will eat out of my hand as well, though just not as enthusiastically as my buddy's sargassum. I remember thinking "Shy? Yeah right!" but it seems the fish I have is a little closer to the norm.

I really appreciate the input from you trigger-keepers. With most fish I have kept before, I am pretty clear on whether or not you should treat prophylactically at the first sign of trouble or wait it out - just not sure on the trigger family (being more a reefkeeper than FO). With some fish, to hesitate is often to lose the fish when the first signs of trouble appear as a lot of these pathogens move fast.

One other question: I have this fish in a 50 tall which is the sump of the QT system. Should I move it over to the kiddie pool where there is a TON more room but a TON more fish/action/light/current as well? I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him as easily in the pool and I would be concerned he might jump out (some wrasses kept in the pool have gone floor surfing). My thinking that many of the schooling fish I have in there at the moment might make him feel more at ease....but maybe a quieter environment is better. It's just spooky how shy this fish is, but it ate some PE mysis out of my hand and then went after the rest when I walked away this morning. It usually won't feed in the open unless I am a good ten feet away - when it eats out of my hand it is hanging out in a cave made by a 12" floor tile laid on top of live rock.

Sounds like the consensus is I am doing okay - but I will post whatever pics I can get.

When not eating/darting around, are your triggers gill movements close to how I have described?

 

[rekn]

all fish should be QT with meds.



from your description it does sound like its breathing heavy. could be a number of things, 1 of them being a gigantic monster looming over its tank.


every trigger ive ever had has always acted extremely different when theyve noticed my presence. for good or bad.

 

[skyrne_isk]

all fish should be QT with meds.



from your description it does sound like its breathing heavy. could be a number of things, 1 of them being a gigantic monster looming over its tank.


every trigger ive ever had has always acted extremely different when theyve noticed my presence. for good or bad.

:eek2::eek2:did you just call me a monster????? :hmm4:

The LFS runs hypo/copper and treats with a range of meds for fungal, parasitic, bacterial infections for all special order fish (mine was). I am trying to determine if the collective experiences of trigger keepers thinks I have an issue or not. I think meds are harsh on fish, and treating puts a lot of stress on fish. It has been years since I have had anything like ick, etc (knock on wood) in my systems and I just let them run their course. I am a firm believer in good water = best medicine. But sometimes, aggressive medication admin is necessary. I am not sure I am there yet since I am not sure if the breathing I am seeing is just a little different b/c it's a different fish or if it's b/c of a potential illness.

FYI, it hand fed when I got home from work two big pieces of krill and some PE mysis - so it looks like it's starting to get used to the big ugly monster looming over it.

Any thoughts on moving it to the big water? Or can anyone take a shot at describing what their trigger's breathing looks like??????

 

[skyrne_isk]

today the sargassum is more out and about. fed out of my hand twice and doesn't seem be as bothered as much by my intrusions. Breathing doesn't seem to be labored or rapid in the least....but it still doesn't look like the very minimal type of gill covering movement the other trigger had.

 

[rekn]

yeah, youre a monster ready to eat it in that fishes eyes.


alot of baddies can hide in their gills and if you dont use meds idk what to suggest.