Niger triggerfish personality?

[daniella3d]

Hi,

I have a little niger triggerfish in my aquarium and it is very very skittish. Nothing bold in that little fish at all. Not a mean bone either.

He does not attack my shrimp, nor the crabs, nor the fish.

I got him at 3" and kept it in quarantine for 6 weeks (treated it for one popeye) and now he's 5" and he's been in my main tank for 2 weeks but he's so skittish! Is that normal?

Any sudden move and he dash like mad in the liverock, so much that sometime he gets scratches on his side. I have read that a niger trigger will get bold with age but when? I guess each one has its own personality but I just hope he'll get a little more confident.

Nobody is attacking the trigger and he's bold at time of eating (eats like an ogre!) but as soon as he finish eating he's his old self again and back to skittish mode.

I thought these fish were bold and fearless?

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

Hi,

I have a little niger triggerfish in my aquarium and it is very very skittish. Nothing bold in that little fish at all. Not a mean bone either.

He does not attack my shrimp, nor the crabs, nor the fish.

I got him at 3" and kept it in quarantine for 6 weeks (treated it for one popeye) and now he's 5" and he's been in my main tank for 2 weeks but he's so skittish! Is that normal?

Any sudden move and he dash like mad in the liverock, so much that sometime he gets scratches on his side. I have read that a niger trigger will get bold with age but when? I guess each one has its own personality but I just hope he'll get a little more confident.

Nobody is attacking the trigger and he's bold at time of eating (eats like an ogre!) but as soon as he finish eating he's his old self again and back to skittish mode.

I thought these fish were bold and fearless?

Mine was really bold would try to search my hand for food everytime I put it in , he rarely hid only during nighttime and he usually had an area to him self, maybe he's still just cautious because of quarantine I'd say give hm some time and you know the way to a fishes heart is through his stomach cheers

[daniella3d]

As far as eating goes, there he's bold but that's it. he even dash in the liverock if someone walk in the kitchen and he can feel the vibration of the footsteps. Maybe he just need more ajusting.

I gave him some PE mysis today..he really like this stuff!

Originally Posted by reefwars

I'd say give hm some time and you know the way to a fishes heart is through his stomach cheers

[mechano]

He'll come around, I have presently a 2 inch niger and he stays very close to the liverock and any sudden thump or bang(i have 2 young kids) and he bolts into the liverock as a precaution, but like yours, he is a pig when it comes to feeding time and is aggressive about it, even trying to steal food away from his companions. I also have never had a problem with him bothering any inverts or fish. Beautiful fish IMO.

[daniella3d]

Well, he's now about 8" to 9" with the tail, still eat like a pig but still as skittish as it was before. He only come out to eat and back into hiding he goes.

I am very sad to see him always hiding in the rock like that. It's not a life.

But last week I have introduced a foxface and although the foxface was a bit aggressive with the trigger at the beginning, I am surprised to see my trigger come out a lot more during this week. Would putting even more fish in my aquarium motivate him to come out more? I currently have this 8" niger trigger, a 6" foxface and a 5" copperband (all mesurements with tail included) in my 75 gallons. Nitrates are still at or near 0.

I don't know what fish to add that would motivate him to come out more? It's drastic the change this week, I even see him come out and swim around, something he had not done since I sold my blue hippo tang. I was thinking maybe a blue throat trigger? I know that's a lot of fish in a 75 gallons but the harmony seem to be better the more I add fish. I only had the copperband and the trigger for the past 5 months and I have not seem my trigger swim during this time.

Originally Posted by mechano

He'll come around, I have presently a 2 inch niger and he stays very close to the liverock and any sudden thump or bang(i have 2 young kids) and he bolts into the liverock as a precaution, but like yours, he is a pig when it comes to feeding time and is aggressive about it, even trying to steal food away from his companions. I also have never had a problem with him bothering any inverts or fish. Beautiful fish IMO.

[marie]

I have found that there is nothing like small dither fish to make the larger fish braver, maybe add something like a few chromis or flasher wrasses. I wouldn't add any more large fish to the system, it's only 75g after all

[Aquattro]

Adding chromis is adding a snack

[marie]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Adding chromis is adding a snack

but it will get the trigger out of hiding, which is the whole point after all

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by marie

but it will get the trigger out of hiding, which is the whole point after all

For about 10 seconds

[daniella3d]

That's an expensive lunch. I don't want to motivate the trigger to go hunting either, I just want him out more. He's out more and more now. It's strange that a large fish in the tank is really changing his behavior but those small pajama cardinals and my clownfish never made a difference.

Seams that in is case, the effect is really with a larger fish. I think I will keep it as it is for now and watch how things evolve because he's coming out more and more since I introduced the foxface.

Originally Posted by Aquattro

For about 10 seconds