Triggerfish and Tuskfish

Triggerfish are the most intelligent fish we sell and, in most cases, the most destructive. They recognise people, they solve problems, they rearrange the tank, and they live for decades. Gallery Aquatica stocks four triggers plus the harlequin tuskfish at our shop in Tingalpa, east of the Brisbane CBD.

These fish are in-store purchase and pickup only. We do not send live fish by courier or freight. Ring 0420 484 584 to check what is in.

What you are taking on

Triggers are not difficult to keep alive. They are hardy, they eat readily, and they tolerate a range of conditions. What is difficult is keeping anything else in the tank with them.

A trigger will eat every shrimp, crab, snail and urchin you put in. It will bite at equipment, and larger specimens can damage a heater, a thermometer or a powerhead cable. It will move rock, so a scape needs to be glued rather than stacked. And most species will harass or kill tankmates that are smaller, slower or simply in the wrong place.

They are also long-lived and they get large - two of the species below reach 50 cm. A juvenile clown trigger is a 6 cm fish of astonishing beauty; the adult is half a metre of muscle and teeth that has to be planned for from the start.

None of this is a reason not to keep one. It is a reason to build the tank around it.

The name, and the trick behind it

Triggers are named for a locking mechanism in the dorsal fin. The first spine can be raised and locked upright by a second, smaller spine behind it - the "trigger" - which the fish uses to wedge itself immovably into a crevice at night. You cannot pull a locked-in trigger out of a hole, and neither can a predator.

It is worth knowing practically: a trigger that has wedged itself into rockwork during a tank move will not come out until it decides to.

The triggers and tuskfish we stock

Blue Throat Triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus)

The exception to everything above, and the one trigger commonly kept in a reef tank. Males are grey-blue with a vivid blue throat patch and yellow fin margins; females are plainer. Reaches 25 cm and wants 500 litres.

The difference is diet. Blue throats are planktivores, feeding in open water rather than crushing invertebrates off the rock, so they are far less destructive and much calmer with tankmates. They are usually trusted with coral and generally leave a cleanup crew alone, though a large one may still take a small shrimp.

If you want a trigger and you have a reef tank, this is the fish. Peaceful enough to keep as a pair.

Picasso Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus aculeatus, humu humu)

The classic reef trigger, marked with bold geometric slashes of black, white, yellow and blue - the pattern the name refers to. Reaches 25 cm, wants 500 litres.

Hardy, cheap, full of personality and one of the best value fish in the trade if you want a character rather than a community. It will eat every invertebrate in the tank and can be a bully toward smaller fish, but it is manageable in a way the larger triggers are not. Not reef safe as far as inverts go, though it takes little interest in coral itself.

Clown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum)

The most spectacular fish on this page and the one most often bought unwisely. A juvenile is jet black with large white polka dots below and a yellow-mottled back - genuinely one of the best-looking fish in the sea. It reaches 50 cm and needs around 1900 litres.

The adult is a serious animal. Clown triggers become increasingly aggressive with size and frequently end up housed alone because they have killed everything else. They are also strong enough to damage equipment and to bite hard enough to matter during maintenance.

Not reef safe. Worth keeping if you want exactly this fish and will build a large tank around it, and a mistake in every other circumstance.

Queen Triggerfish (Balistes vetula)

Blue-green and yellow with sweeping blue lines across the face and long trailing fin filaments. Reaches 50 cm and needs 1900 litres.

Very large, very intelligent and very aggressive - among the most territorial triggers in the trade. Usually kept alone, and often in a system built specifically for it. Not reef safe.

Harlequin Tuskfish (Choerodon fasciatus)

Not a trigger at all - a wrasse - but it shops like one, so here it is. Broad orange-red bars over a white body, and prominent blue teeth that look alarming and are perfectly normal. Reaches 25 cm and wants 500 litres.

Those teeth are for crushing molluscs and crustaceans, which tells you what it will do to a cleanup crew. It leaves coral alone entirely, so it works in a reef tank provided you accept losing shrimp, crabs and snails.

One thing worth knowing: Australian-collected harlequin tuskfish have a considerably better reputation than imports from elsewhere - they tend to arrive in better condition and settle more readily. Ask us where the specimen came from.

Which one should you buy?

For a reef tank: the blue throat, comfortably. It is the only trigger here that is genuinely reef-tank compatible, and it is a peaceful fish.

For a reef tank where you do not mind losing the inverts: the harlequin tuskfish. It ignores coral completely.

For a fish-only tank with character: the picasso - hardy, affordable and manageable at 25 cm.

The clown and queen triggers only if you are building a large fish-only system around a single centrepiece animal, and you want that animal specifically. Both reach 50 cm and both usually end up alone.

Tankmates

The blue throat is peaceful and suits a normal community: tangs, anthias, clownfish, dwarf angelfish and rabbitfish.

The harlequin tuskfish and picasso want robust tankmates of similar size - larger tangs, rabbitfish, large angelfish and morays. Small fish will be harassed.

The clown and queen triggers are usually kept alone, or with equally large and robust fish in a very big system. Do not plan a community around them.

Nothing here should be kept with gobies, blennies or chromis, and no trigger should be kept with ornamental shrimp or a snail-based cleanup crew.

Common questions

Do you ship triggerfish?

No. All marine fish are in-store purchase and pickup only. We do not send live fish by courier or freight.

Are these in stock right now?

These are the species we stock as our regular range, not a live inventory. Ring 0420 484 584 or email shop@galleryaquatica.com.au to check.

Are triggerfish reef safe?

The blue throat usually is - it feeds on plankton rather than crushing invertebrates. The harlequin tuskfish ignores coral but eats shrimp, crabs and snails. The picasso, clown and queen triggers are not reef safe: they eat invertebrates and can damage equipment and rockwork.

Which triggerfish can I keep in a reef tank?

The blue throat triggerfish. It is a planktivore, considerably calmer than the other species, and generally trusted with coral and a cleanup crew.

How big does a clown triggerfish get?

Around 50 cm, and it needs roughly 1900 litres. It is sold as a small juvenile, which is why it is so often bought by people without a tank for the adult. The queen triggerfish reaches the same size.

Why does the harlequin tuskfish have blue teeth?

They are naturally blue. The colour is normal and healthy, not a sign of anything wrong. The teeth are built for crushing molluscs and crustaceans.

Why is it called a triggerfish?

Because of a locking dorsal spine. The first spine raises and is locked in place by a smaller spine behind it, letting the fish wedge itself immovably into a crevice. You cannot pull a locked-in trigger out of a hole.

Do triggerfish bite?

Larger ones can and occasionally do, and they are strong enough for it to matter. Clown and queen triggers in particular should be treated with respect during maintenance. They also bite equipment, so keep cables and thermometers out of reach.

More marine fish

See all the marine fish we stock, or the Brisbane store page for coral and equipment.