Hey northern_reefer! Sorry, more trigger questions.

[tangtang]

Hope you don't mind...
I'm thinking of adding LR and LS to my 180 gallon FO to make it a FOWLR. I've heard that triggers can make nice big LR into rubble and that they eat cleanup crews...
Since you have a FOWLER or six... Can I successfully do this with a tank that has 5 smaller triggers? (undulated, clown, huma huma, niger, eyeliner?) I was thinking of growing a variety mushrooms in there on the rock due to the low light. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!
Linda

 

[hairtrigger]

I am not who you were looking for, but I have experience with this so I hope you don't mind me posting. I have an Oceanic 200 that used to be an aggressive FOWLR. Before turning it into a reef, all my other tanks were FOWLRs too.
I have kept many triggers including:
A 12 inch Clown trigger.
A 7 inch undulate.
A 6 inch Picasso.
And numerous others, but they are the meanest.
I have always had large quantities of live rock and have never had a problem with the triggers destroying it. They will pick at it if there is something that looks appetizing. But, they shouldn't destroy it.
Now, an undulate will eventually destroy everything else. Mine destroyed more than one heater. A powerhead, my return nozzle, and various powercords. They are basically devil triggers.
Cleanup crews pretty much all triggers will destroy. They might not eat them, but they will destroy them for kicks. When it comes to shrimp that is. As far as crabs and what not, they will break the shell or suck them out and then eat them.
Shrooms and things they will not eat. However, they will pick at them to the point they will die. They find something cool to chew on and it is over from there. Basically, when you have a FOWLR, you can only have a FOWLR.
Partially, but not so much, this depends on the fish's personality.
I would not risk it though. Not worth the lost time, money, and problems you will have. Good luck.

 

[snakes'n'fish]

Triggers will crunch up your rock. But with small ones it will take a long time. Mushrooms and triggers don't mix, Maybe with the more passive species but not undulateds and clowns. Just a suggestion, I would add the most aggressive of the triggers last. Like the clown then the undulated. Find a larger niger as he should be first as he is the most passive of the triggers in your list. I have kept a number of differnt triggers and they can be destructive. But in all truth i have never had one eat any of my heaters or power heads. I had a picasso pull the end off of my power head once. But i think he learned his lesson from that he never did it again. I think Hair Trigger just gets tastier equipment that I do
Make sure you build up the rock and make alot of hiding spaces so they can get away from each other. Expevt sooner or later someone to get a little spunky and start some serious trouble every once and a while as well. But thats just triggers

 

[tangtang]

Thanks guys!
I'd like to get rid of my bioballs and keep thinking and rethinking the FOWLR. I love my reef tank and it is supposed to be a natural habitat so I was thinking I might be able to use the LR and LS for filtration and add mushrooms and other really low light stuff to make it interesting.
I've considered making the bioball portion my sump a refugium and even adding a 29 gallon tank next to it as a second refugium to provide the filtration and protect that filtration from the triggers. Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like I can get enough rock and sand into the 2 refugiums to support a 180 gallon tank.
I guess it is back to the drawing board for me! Anyone have any other ideas? If I must keep my bioballs, I'll need to clean them soon. The balls are 6 months old now. How often should I clean them? Can anyone here tell me how to clean them? Thanks again!!!
Linda

 

[hairtrigger]

Tastier equipment, and ginormous triggers. I could easily fit my pinky finger in that undulated's mouth. And the clown had made me bleed when I was teaching him how to eat from my hand. (No, not very smart I know) : ) Surprisingly, given the size of those triggers, they never messed up my LR. Actually, it is the same LR I now have in my reef tank. But, they did take a plastic cannon I had and destroyed that too. The clown used to pick it up and swim back and forth along the front of the tank showing it off. He was awesome. Also, it was funny because the undulated was skeered of him. But, when he got mad, he got mad. They are devil fish. I went to trade him in when I switched to reef, and the LFS guy said he was going to keep him in a sump. Needless to say I sold him to some guy browsing instead.
You could always do a partial reef with some colorful large fish if that's what you want. Maybe some tangs and things like that. I miss my aggressives all the time. They were beautiful specimens. But, I needed more of a challenge. And this dang reef is giving it to me. I just need two big tanks. Good luck, I know it's a tough decision.

 

[rane]

Hairtrigger, Do you have pics of your reef I would love to see it

 

[grouperhead]

My undulate is in a tank of his own.....55g with some 'dead' rock for him to chew on, live under, etc. He's a gorgeous little fish, they are the best looking triggers IMO. My picasso is a demon though. 6" of pure nasty now. No way he'd allow another fish in his home. Bo

 

[hairtrigger]

Grouper...
Oh man. I know what you mean. My favorite is the clown trigger. But, it's a hard toss up between that and the undulate. The undulate's colors are absolutly amazing. I especially like the blue on the eye lids and face. It sometimes blends with the green and orange but man its cool. I wonder if the blue means its --- or something.
Rane, no I don't have any pics and it is driving me absolutly nuts. I got rid of all the aggressives, including my nurse shark, back in late October and established the reef with my existing LR, and some new November 1st.
It is still a work in progress coral wise. But it is on its way nicely. DSB is getting established.
I miss my big aggressives, but here's what I have so far:
1 metallic green bubble coral
1 pearl bubble coral
1 devils hand
1 ricordia rock
1 favites bony moon
1 green brain
1 purple shroom rock
1 colt coral
1 hairy shroom rock
1 cabbage coral rock
1 sun polyp rock
1 wood polyp rock
1 patch of green zooanthids
1 red brain
1 finger leather
fish:
2 false perc clowns
1 convict goby
2 bar gobys
1 purple pseudochromis
1 hippo tang
1 yellow tang
1 flame angel
And all those fish combined don't even equal the weight my old clown trigger ate each day.
I need to get a digi camera.

 

[balistidae]

i have a 3.5 " undulate and i am wondering what i could keep with him..he is in a 45 and alrady becoming an agressive beast

 

[robb]

If he is in a 45 I wouldn't put anything in with him. Your tank is full with just one undulate in it.