Triggers in a mixed reef tank

[Saltywater]

I am thinking about adding a pair of Bluechin Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus) to my mixed reef tank. I have read everything I could find about the fish. Some people say they are reef safe some say not. I would like input from anybody that has had experience with these fish.

My current system configuration is as follows.
450 Gallon Reef Ready Custom 96" x 36" x 30" display tank.
Euroreef CS 8-3+RC Skimmer and a Deltec APF600 Skimmer
63 gallon sump, 55 gallon Refugium and 39 gallon rock Refugium
2 Tunze 6000 Streams & 2 Tunze 6100 Streams
Lighting: 3 250 watt MH HQI and 4 39 watt actinic T5's
145Lbs Tonga Rock, 84Lbs Base Rock, 16Lbs Tonga Branch Rock, 60Lbs Indo Rock and 60Lbs of Marshall Island rock
420Lb Bioactive Live Aragonite Reef Sand

Current Bio-load in tank:
Various Soft Corals, LPS, Zoo’s, mushrooms and Clams.
Also various crabs, snails and shrimp.
8 Zebra Dartfish (Ptereleotris zebra)
9 Blur Green Chromis (Chromis viridis)
1 Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus)
1 Scooter Dragonet (Synchiropus ocellatus)
1 Sailfin Tang (Zebrassoma veliferum)
1 Mimic Tang (Acanthurus pyroferus)
1 Comet (Calloplesiops altivelis)
3 Ochrestriped Cardinalfish (Apogon compressus)
1 Pajama Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera)
1 Copperbanded Butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus)
1 Orchid Dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani)
2 Percula Anemonefish (Amphiprion percula)
1 Ornate Wrasse (Halichoeres ornatissimus)
1 Twinspot Hogfish (Bodianus bimaculatus)
1 Flame Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus jordani)

 

[Reef_bones]

I don't know anything about triggers, mainly cause I have never had a tank big enough to keep one. But man your tank sounds awesome..Any pics of that monster?

 

[Saltywater]

Reef_bones,

Check out my post on setting up the tank. It contains alot of pictures of the setup. If I get a chance later I will post some current pictures. The link to my post is below.

Tank setup

 

[Rockhead21564]

I'll watch with interest as I'm looking a couple of bluechins or pinktails. I think that you'll find that all fish are different. I put a niger trigger in a 150g mixed reef and it is great, then a buddy put one in his 75g and it lunched on his cleaner shrimp and a dart fish. Maybe some luck. Salty - you've got my dream tank. Oustanding!

 

[otterpop510]

wow, just checked out your tank thread saltywater, its amazing!..

 

[GregM779]

I have a pair of blue throats in my mixed reef and they're great, they're extremely docile.
There's a couple of pics here http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=895557
You may even be able to keep shrimp with them, I tried but my harlequin tusk put a quick end to that experiment. They don't bothr any coral or even fish.

 

[Saltywater]

I just picked up my triggers blue throats today. They are about 3 1/2 to 4 inches long including there tails. I'll try and get some pictures of them this weekend. I will try and keep this post updated on there progress.

 

[needyreefer]

I just got a niger 3 days ago, and all seems well so far. I'm crossing my fingers...

 

[Fuegofish777]

i just got a little guy a few weeks ago (blue jaw) and he's doing great. if anything he's more docile than my other fish.

 

[yoboyjdizz]

any pictures was considering a pair for my new tank as well..

 

[TKByrnes]

here is my female bluechin. model citizen (so far) 1 week!! doesnt bother any corals or other fish. feeds right on top of the water. i definately recomend them

 

[ajukes]

They are FANTASTIC fish , ive got a mated pair...there pretty big now, there reaaly tame, handfeed, even let me tickle them if they are feeling playfull, have never touched a thing apart from there food....they do like to eat, give them a good mixed diet, mine get nori, mussel cockle lancefish ( ALL soaked in vits and garlic) reef gel, flake pellet and they seem to eat anything. They really are my FAV fish.
Also great are crosshatch triggs, tho vvv expensive and hard to get.
Seriously a really brilliant fish!

 

[Clouded]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7880054#post7880054 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ajukes
They are FANTASTIC fish , ive got a mated pair...there pretty big now, there reaaly tame, handfeed, even let me tickle them if they are feeling playfull, have never touched a thing apart from there food....they do like to eat, give them a good mixed diet, mine get nori, mussel cockle lancefish ( ALL soaked in vits and garlic) reef gel, flake pellet and they seem to eat anything. They really are my FAV fish.
Also great are crosshatch triggs, tho vvv expensive and hard to get.
Seriously a really brilliant fish!

Yeah the cross hatch are expensive...A local store around me is selling a pair for 500 bucks, very good deal but still steap. I would pick up that pair if I had a much bigger tank.

 

[Saltywater]

Sorry it took me so long to post pictures of my new triggers. They where about 3 " long when I go them.

 

[steve the plumb]

I have a pair of blue throaght triggers a pink tail trigger and a niger trigger.I have 2 cleaner shrimps and 2 fire shrimp along with 5 types of starfish emerald crab and hermits.None of the triggers atack anything in the tank.They don't fight amongst each other but as you know triggers like to eat.

 

[swimboy123]

I have a cloen trigger in my 240 gallon display and have never had a problem. If I forget to feed one day, I might lose a few snails or hermits, but I have had a couple clown gobies that have been just fine and dandy.

 

[swimboy123]

*clown

 

[timmcq]

I have had a Niger Trigger for more than a year (possibly 18 months). I have loved watching this fish. It has been a great reef addition.

HOWEVER, over the last month this fish has taken out all ornamental shrimp, picked on all hermits, and finally ...

I introduced 2 black percs to my tank. I never saw the trigger attack a fish before. Within 3 hours, he killed both percs. (Yes, I witnessed his attacks).

I now believe he was responsible for several other deaths (3 fish).

I have 3 nice tangs and was not going to risk any other deaths. I spent many hours trying to catch him and 3 days later - I got him!

As they say in "Nemo," all drains lead to the ocean - so I hope he found his way home!!!!

Moral: Do Not Add the Triggers into your mixed reef tank.

Tim

 

[Ooulophilia]

In my experience the more peaceful triggers are well behaved in a reef if well fed until... there seem to be a point where they "figure out" that most of the stuff around them is edible. I am not sure what this is a function of beacuse I used to take care of a tank with a huge pair of crosshatch triggers that would not even look twice at a sexy shrimp, and have seen small sargasso triggers that will anihilate anything that moves. I guess you can put it in the "dwarf angels in a reef" file

 

[Saltywater]

I don't think the triggers I have will cause a problem in my reef tank. They eat mostly pellet food. They are not really interested in frozen or live food.