Smallest Triggers?

C

CA_128

New member
I was wondering if there are any triggers I could keep long term in a 46g aquarium. In my experiences I have had bigger fish since they were babies live in my aquarium for years, yet always being small. Any suggestions?
 
Pretty much any trigger you get, and they would have to be babies like an inch; could live in there maybe 3 years max. Humu grows slow and you can find small juvis about 1 to 1.5". You can find baby clowns and bluelines about an inch, they also grow slow but are more aggressive, you'll maybe have about 2 years with them. You might get lucky and find a niger somewhere around 1.5" but they grow faster, maybe 2 years. Those are the most common triggers you can find at 1" to 1.5", some say babies are difficult but I have raised many and have not found that. If you find a starry, rectangle, or bursa at that size; they are similar to the humu in temperament and growth rate. Don't get a pineapple baby they grow very fast. I'm raising a clown and blueline now in a 40g, they'll go to a 125g in a couple of years and be there for maybe 3 years or so before going to a very large tank.
 
They grow slowly and not that aggressive for a trigger, if you get one 1"-1.5" he'll probably be ok for about 3 years. You should have a plan for when he out grows the tank and if you are planning on tankmates, I'd be very careful. They don't like being crowded and with triggers the aggression usually escalates.
 
jraker said:
Don't keep triggers in a 46. Look for smaller fish.
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I do agree with Cougareyes, if you have a larger tank setup for the triggers, by all means, a 46 would be a great growout. However, it seems like you're asking which triggers you can keep in a 46, which is none, long term.

So I'm going with my man Jraker right now. Don't keep a trigger in a 46. It'll be a very upset fish.
 
I would also say that all the statements about triggers growing slow are rather optimistic.
From all I know they are among the faster growing fish that usually don't get stunned by confinement in small tanks. All you get with crowding them is aggression.
 
ThRoewer said:
I would also say that all the statements about triggers growing slow are rather optimistic.
From all I know they are among the faster growing fish that usually don't get stunned by confinement in small tanks. All you get with crowding them is aggression.
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+1 This has been my experience... They grow just as quickly as a angel or tang (few inches a year in the right conditions)
 
ThRoewer said:
I would also say that all the statements about triggers growing slow are rather optimistic.
From all I know they are among the faster growing fish that usually don't get stunned by confinement in small tanks. All you get with crowding them is aggression.
Click to expand...

My personal experiences with several triggers that I mentioned. They grow pretty slow from an inch to about 3". It can take a one inch humu over 3 years just to get over 3". I have raised several from an inch; clown, blueline, niger, and humu in 40g just as I outlined above, with no problems. Some start growing faster after that, the humu is notoriously slow growing.
 
Dmorty217 said:
+1 This has been my experience... They grow just as quickly as a angel or tang (few inches a year in the right conditions)
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My baby Huma picasso was 1" a year ago, and is now about 1.25".
They are slow growers. I'll trade him in for another baby at the LFS when he starts eating my coral, which is inevitable.

My LFS has a 5" Huma that has been the same 5" size for the last 7 years. Each fish will grow differently.

If you get one, they will tell you themselves when it's time to either trade them in or get a bigger tank. They can destroy your rock and corals when they get bigger, so they will just annoy you into moving them either up or out. :crazy1:
 
CA_128 said:
Alright, what fish swim like a trigger, but would also fit in my aquarium long term?
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Most of my fish aren't big swimmers, they tend to pick an area and stick to it. But some of the damsels and dottybacks I've seen in tanks zoom around. They are better sized for the tank you have too.
 
Check out filefish, they are cousins to the trigger and are very cool. They swim similarly and have that cocking trigger. ORA breeds some nice small varieties, you can even get a bonded pair which is also neat. If I had an available space I'd get a pair. The small and pygmy varieties
 
look into a orange tail file fish. There pretty and are the closest thing you'll get to a trigger that can live long term in a 46
 
Get a matted file fish, the bonus is they eat aiptasia. :D They can be kept forever in a 30 gal so your tank is fine for them. They really do resemble a trigger fish in how they swim, now that that was mentioned.
 
Matted filefish are great and stay pretty small. Get a male and they get some cool tassels.

Mine will eat everything I put in the tank and they do like algae sheets. But mine doesn't touch aiptasia and my bi color angel fish has taken to nipping off all the tassels...
 
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