Feeding Triggers -- Opinions Needed Please

texas14tom

texas14tom

Member
I have a couple of triggers that seem to be hungry every second of the day... I have read to feed them 3 times a day and I have been going on that. I feed them 4 mysis shrimp cubes a day and 2 silversides. Am I over feeding them? On is a Humu and he is about 6" and the other is a Niger and he is about 5". I've never feed them enough to where they stopped eating... The Humu tears up the cubes and the Niger plays cleanup on all the little pieces of shrimp that float around while the Humu is eating.
Thanks for your opinion!!
T
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas14Tom http:///t/387402/feeding-triggers-opinions-needed-please#post_3408515
I have a couple of triggers that seem to be hungry every second of the day... I have read to feed them 3 times a day and I have been going on that. I feed them 4 mysis shrimp cubes a day and 2 silversides. Am I over feeding them? On is a Humu and he is about 6" and the other is a Niger and he is about 5". I've never feed them enough to where they stopped eating... The Humu tears up the cubes and the Niger plays cleanup on all the little pieces of shrimp that float around while the Humu is eating.
Thanks for your opinion!!
T
I have never had that type of fish....but as a rule
Feed your fish and walk away....they are not like other pets that need a full tummy. Fish are gluttons and pigs...the more you feed them the more they poop, and eat some more. Fish are always hungry.
 
texas14tom

texas14tom

Member
Thank you very much for responding Flower!!
I'm curious how much to feed them before I walk away and if the 3 times a day is really the right call for Triggers. I would also like to know what folks feed their triggers that isn't so messy! These guys make a heck of a mess! I found some info about feeding them pees. Now that sounds easy!!! I had no idea they liked the greens!
 
texas14tom

texas14tom

Member
I found a good post on this. Sorry for the repeat question!
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/318570/feeding-a-niger-trigger
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
LOL...wish I could help you on that one....BUT I have no triggers....Now I do feed my seahorses 2x a day....and the puffer...BUT the puffer gets 1/2 a medium shrimp in the moring and half at night
now the tangs in my 225G would eat constantly if I fed them......they get their main meal in the a.m.....and algae sheets in the evening 3x (sometimes 4) a week
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
I never had triggers...I feed my tanks two times each day. I thaw a cube of mysis shrimp and feed each tank one cube. I have algae sheets in the 90g and the seahorses have amphipods to hunt down.
I do treat them to a chunk of raw shimp once in a while...but then I remove the one cube feeding. There are little bigs in the rocks the fish pick at and eat all day. There is more in a saltwater tank for your fish to eat besides the food you give to them. I also run a refugium on each tank to replenish the copepods, amphipods and isopods
 
aquaknight

aquaknight

Active Member
Pic of a 6" Humu would be nice to see

My suggestion would be to stop feeding mysis, and start feeding larger, more whole foods, like jumbo shrimp, scallops, clams, etc. The silversides are a good start. Mysis to a 6" Humu is pretty much a waste, especially the itty-bitty San Francisco Bay or Hikari mysis. The Niger would benefit from feeding PE (Piscine Energetics) mysis instead.
Feeding larger foods helps to recreate a more natural diet for the triggers. In the wild, these guys aren't just gulping down mysis, they're ripping, tearing, chewing large pieces of foods.
 
texas14tom

texas14tom

Member
Awesome Thank You for all the great feedback!!! I cannot get these guys to eat the full size shrimp or even the krill. I'll keep working on it.
Here is the pic, I cannot get a real measurement on him since he is horrified of the tape measure... Go figure.... As soon as I hold it up to the glass he hides... I think I'm darn close, looks like 5 1/2", 6 was a good guess! Here is a pic of him.

 
kjr_trig

kjr_trig

Active Member
Maybe it's just the photo, but in the 1st pic he looks really thin? Like AquaKnight said, get in the habit of feeding them more "meaty" foods, like squid, Jumbo Mysis, Krill, table Shrimp. I feed mine twice daily, pellets in the afternoon (larger pellets), and frozen stuff at night. What you feed is more important than how often. Make no mistake about it though, Triggers need more food than the average fish.
 
kjr_trig

kjr_trig

Active Member
Oh, and if you are having trouble getting them to eat the larger stuff, try garlic with it, and don't give them any other option....It won't take long. Triggers are NOT picky eaters.
 
texas14tom

texas14tom

Member
Thank you again for all of the feedback and the compliment! I've been reading a lot about the food, the garlic is one that threw me off, however, it makes all the sense in the world.
 
kjr_trig

kjr_trig

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Texas14Tom http:///t/387402/feeding-triggers-opinions-needed-please#post_3408958
Thank you again for all of the feedback and the compliment! I've been reading a lot about the food, the garlic is one that threw me off, however, it makes all the sense in the world.
Yeah, the garlic idea can sound weird at first if you are somewhat new.....here you go.
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/Kent-Marine-Garlic-Extreme_p_1650.html
 
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