Males turn dark charcoal gray, while nesting females vary with contrasting white and black color patterns. Adult fish have the ability to change color, particularly during the spawning season from April to August each year. Gray triggerfish are also known as taly, leatherjacket, leatherneck, or triggerfish.Īdult triggerfish are mainly olive-gray in color, and have blue spots and lines on the upper body, and dorsal fin, and the upper part of their eyes are blue. They live on ocean hard bottoms, reefs, and ledges, and near-shore, and off-shore locations, either alone, or in small groups, or schools. A second population also lives in the Gulf of Mexico. Gray triggerfish are found in the Atlantic Ocean from Nova Scotia South to Argentina. For these reasons, it is recommended to keep all hands out of the tank and to use tongs when feeding.They are tenacious battlers on hook and line and favor baits like squid, clams and sea worms. Triggerfish will greedily splash, spit, and chomp at the surface of the water during feeding times, making the difference between a finger and the food almost indistinguishable this behavior is known as hydraulic jetting and is usually used for uncovering and overturning prey. In the reef aquarium, the chances of being attacked are certainly less but never completely gone. Many scuba divers have the stories and scars of being chased and bitten by triggerfish on the reef, sometimes resulting in serious injury. Yes, triggerfish can and will bite, even when unprovoked. With such an intimidating mouth full of teeth, how much damage can a triggerfish’s teeth actually do? Hobbyists usually end up having to transfer some rock along with the fish as well. Because of this, transferring a triggerfish from one tank to another can take a lot of time and patience. Attempting to remove the triggerfish from its position during this time can cause injury to the fish. This behavior is also observed while the fish is resting. This action resembles the pulling of a gun trigger, giving them their name. At this point, they can only be removed if that large dorsal spine is forcibly relaxed or the threat diminishes. When this happens, they take refuge in the rocks and use their first and second dorsal spines as a way to secure themselves. Though a predator, triggerfish can easily scare. Interestingly, these fish are named after one of the behaviors. This, in addition to their muscular beaked mouths and strong bodies, makes them a formidable predator for their natural prey of various invertebrates. Most species of reef triggerfish grow to a large size. Over the years, though, aquarists have experimented with keeping triggerfish in the reef setting to some surprising success.īefore we get into the best reef safe triggerfish for the aquarium, we need to first understand what makes the better majority of these fish not safe for the reef. Hobbyists typically only keep them in predatory setups or species-only displays where there is no risk to other fish or reef invertebrates. These reef triggerfish are mean, hungry, fast, and strong. Unlike other species, most triggerfish do not cohabitate with other reef-inhabitants and usually depend on invertebrates and corals for food rather than shelter. Like many other marine fishes, most reef triggerfish originate from the lush coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific. Triggerfish belong to the Balistidae family which only contains about 40 different species of triggerfish, already limiting the short supply of these fish that are available in the aquarium hobby. Though these fish are full of character and can have beautiful colors, many triggerfish are not reef-safe, which prevents a lot of aquarists from attempting to keep them. Triggerfish are some of the most interesting fish in the marine aquarium hobby due to their decorated appearances and incredibly bold personalities. So let’s get started! Introduction To Triggerfish I’ll walk you through the 8 best reef triggerfish for aquariums, most that will work in reef tanks and 2 to avoid. I want to share this experience with you as I feel these are special fish, when you can house them in the right environment. Next to a scribbled rabbitfish that I had, it was my favorite fish I’ve ever owned. I’ve personally had a great experience with a blue throat triggerfish in a mixed reef tank. Looking for a Triggerfish for your saltwater aquarium? Reef Triggerfish are some of the most entertaining and rewarding fish to own.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |