Help with my Niger

kronin

kronin

Member
Hello all :)
Ive recently added a Niger Trigger to my FOWLR setup, but as of yet havent even seen him properley!
He's about 4" long and is somewhere amongst the 100lbs of LR I have, so Its not difficult for him to find a place thats out of the way - I know fish are sometimes shy, and needs to be assured that it has shelter, but this is ridiculous. He's been in there 4 days so far, and the only time I have seen him was when he stuck his head out and grabbed a bit of frozen mysis last night.
Are Nigers usually this shy? I was under the impression, that although the most peaceful, it was still a trigger and therefore quite a bold feeder and swimmer.
He's on his own in there, but I dont know if this has anything to do with it. Once I get the next fish on the list, a dog faced puffer, maybe he'll be a bit more active then?
Basically, from from what I saw of him in the LFS and pics Ive seen on the web, they look like really beautiful fish - but at the moment I just cant see him !
Any advice ?
 
craigj

craigj

Member
Since your niger is eating, it doesn't sound like you have any kind of problem. I'm not sure why he so shy. Mine is definitely not. He swims in the front of the tank the entire day. However, you might run into a problem when you put that dogface in. Some people say never mix triggers and puffers. I don't know personally how they mix caue i've never had a puffer. The problem though is that you added the trigger first and if your niger is as aggressive as mine, you are going to have one beat up dogface on your hands.
 
kronin

kronin

Member
Thx for the reply CraigJ :)
I had a feeling that other peoples triggers were quite bold throughout the day, why else would they be so popular!
Its still obviously really annoying though, I cant see anything with all this rock - I wish he was out!
As for him and the dog going in together, Im aware of the compatability issues between them. Though have been told that dogs are usually ok with nigers or pink tails. If he touches my dog, hes out! :D
 
aquarius

aquarius

Member
I introduced a juv-v niger into a 40 gallon tank and in the beginning he was barely seen. During feedings he did come out but for the most part he would just hover right above his barnacles and dive in when startled. I've heard that nigers tend to be one of the more docile triggers and aren't very active as compared to clown or a picasso. I've also heard that as they get older, they begin to show themselves more. Seeing it has only been 4 days since he went in, I wouldn't worry yet. Give him some time to get used to the tank. Good Luck!
 
fishgod

fishgod

Member
Most times even the most aggresive fish have to have some time to get used to the tank. I've had Undulate triggers thats grew up to be hellish as swimming imps, an started of as the shyest of all the fish in their tanks. It also has a lot to do with the particular fish. I Had a Bursa that never touched a crab or shrimp in 3 yrs!
 
kidrockfish

kidrockfish

New Member
One of the first fish I got after I gained some expirence was a niger. I kept him for a little over 3 years in a 40 hex. He was a juv. when I purchased him and he did have some strange behaviors. He acted much as you describe- hiding in "his" cave and not really showing himself. After some time he did become much more active. When it was feeding time he would actually rise to the top of the tank circle as I would walk up to feed him. It was really neat. You have chosen a very interesting and rewarding fish to say the least. In time he would re-decorate the tank to his liking, knocking over rocks and digging in the CC. I eventually traded him at the LFS when I changed over to a new tank.
Hope this helps.
 
kronin

kronin

Member
Nope :( still aint seen him !
I hope he's ok. Ive been chucking chunks of krill down the side of the rock where I presume he's hiding out - so he's got to be eating.
I added a dogfaced puffer yesterday, so maybe with the addition of another fish he'll relax a bit more and start to show himself.
I did ask the LFS while I was there, and they didnt seem "that" suprised. They said I'd just have to give the Niger a while to settle in, and to them it wasnt uncommon for fish to shy away at first. I agree, from past experience Ive found that with some fish. But its been a week now!
It's a real shame.
 
whipple

whipple

Member
Wow i put mine in this mornig and he went straight after my damsel and hasnt hid once. I hope yours gets over his fear what else is in the tank?
 
kronin

kronin

Member
He was in the tank on his own up until yesterday when I added a dogfaced puffer. Other than that theres just a couple of big blue leg hermits.
 
stupid_naso

stupid_naso

Member
Wow, you have a blue leg hermits with a triger? Does this work? Keep an eye on those hermits, I'm affraid they won't live very long :( . I know your hermits are big, and niger triger supposedly less aggressive but still.
How long have your tank been setup anyway?
stupid_naso
 
kronin

kronin

Member
Dont flame me - but im afraid I dont quarantine any of my fish! :eek:
I know the survival rate of any invert kept with a trigger is pretty slim, but the hermits were already established in the tank, so I took the chance and risked it. So far the puffer hasnt shown any interest, who can say about the Niger - I never see him :)
The tank was originally setup this time last year. It housed a yellow tang, sebae clownfish, a small koran angel(temporarily) and a yellow spotted boxfish. The boxfish was a grave mistake on my part - for some unknown reason it must have died before christmas, which then stressed it out, leeched out its toxins and completely whiped out the entire tank :mad: The only survivors were my hermits and some corals. It was quite upsetting, I had a massive population of pods in the tank - but after the boxfish died they all went with it.
But anyway - the tank was resetup. All the rock was removed, the CC sandbed came out and a 4" DSB was put in. And over the next two weeks the whole system was filtered through activated carbon, with about 75% of the water being eventually flushed out. The tank didnt cycle again, nitrites are @ 0, nitrates are at the usual 12.5mg/l or so - once the DSB starts to get going hopefully these will drop.
Theres me rabbiting on.. So anyway, now the tank is going to be kept simple. The trigger, puffer and something else is all Im aiming for.
Got to admit, this Niger is great so far... :rolleyes:
 
kronin

kronin

Member
He still isnt out :mad:
For the last few days I thought I'd lost him - but I just spotted his head poking out of some rock! I chucked a piece of krill down the side of the rock and saw it being snapped away by him.
So he's alive and eating - just completely anti-social. I think Im gonna net him out on Sunday and swap him for a different one.
But someone please tell me that Im not going to be faced with same situation. This isnt normal behaviour for a trigger, particularly a Niger, is it ?
 
whipple

whipple

Member
I posted above earlier i havea trigger (Niger) pork and a dog and cow and they are all very social with each other so i think you just recieved a anti-social Niger
 
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