Humu Humu Question

[kelley5454]

So my husband is absolutely in love with the Humu Humu trigger. The thing is we do not have a predator tank. We have a community? tank. There are no corals or anemones yet.
We have snails, crabs, 2 green chromis, 1 royal gramma, 1 yellow tailed blue damsel.
I want to add a lawnmower blenny and a wrasse of some kind or an angel (maybe a flame). The tank is 55g, (I know it is a bit small, so please don't yell, but I will yet again be getting a larger tank within 6 months, seems to be the nature of this hobby and me)
I have previously read somewhere that it is possible to put in a very small baby Humu Humu if it is the last fish in the tank. Of course it would be very well fed. I realize it is supposedly not safe with inverts. In your opinion can this be done if done properly, and if not what type of trigger could be added to appease the man that is paying for my hobby?
Thanks for your input.
Kelley

 

[kjr_trig]

I had a huma for 7 years that was frankly not aggressive at all....Toward fish that is, eventually all snails and crabs would be meals

. My Huma was also the smallest fish in the tank, they can be quite aggressive, it's risky toward smaller fish IMO. Blue Throat is considered a reef safe Trigger (the only one to my knowledge). You are correct, Triggers do prefer lots of space, and all Triggers would outgrow a 55 IMO. All Triggers are very fun fish though.

 

[kelley5454]

I think we might try it, he would love it, I think I would need to find a home for all the crabs and snails I guess, I have this one hermit who is my favorite, he is like the size of a quarter now and has changed shells a few times.
Kelley

 

[dinogeorge]

Look up the word Humu Humu in the dictionary and you'll see it means "The fish who George used to feed by hand until he nearly removed the end of my finger."
No, really...that's what it means.

I had one years ago, but he was pretty big. He got rather nasty as he got older. Could not introduce anything new into the tank because he would attack it. He was the only trigger I ever had, so I really can't speak to other types. But like your hubby, I really wanted one. Mine turned out to be a bad boy...

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by Dinogeorge
Look up the word Humu Humu in the dictionary and you'll see it means "The fish who George used to feed by hand until he nearly removed the end of my finger."
No, really...that's what it means.

...
Aloha
I would be curious where you heard or saw that, this is a Hawaiian word, the humahumanukunukuapuaa is the state fish of Hawaii.
humahuma=triggerfish
nukunuku=snout
a=like
puaa=pig
=Triggerfish with a snout like a pig

 

[usirchchris]

I have had a few picasso triggers. The first one I had did not bother fish, but loved to eat the inverts. The one I have now, does not touch my inverts, but likes to pick on other fish

. I say give it a shot, and monitor, but make sure you have other accomodations if you decide his temperment is a bit much.

 

[jonthefishguy]

ACT 67 (06)
HB1982 HD2 SD1
Signed: May 2, 2006
Makes the humuhumunukunukuapua`a the official State Fish.
Due to an expiration of a Hawaiian state law, the trigger fish ceased to be the state fish of Hawaii in 1990. On April 17, 2006, bill HB1982 was presented to the Governor of Hawaiʻi which permanently reinstated the reef triggerfish (humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa) as the state fish of Hawaii. The bill passed into law on May 2, 2006 and was effective upon its approval
Humuhumunukunukuapuaʻa means "triggerfish with a pig-like short snout". It is not, as often claimed, the longest fish name in Hawaiian; that distinction belongs to lauwiliwilinukunukuʻoiʻoi ("long-snouted fish shaped like a wiliwili leaf"), the butterflyfish Forcipiger longirostris. For the purposes of religious sacrifices, every land animal in the Hawaiian islands had an equivalent in the sea. The Humuhumunukunukuapua‘a was seen as equal to a pig.
So , NO it doesnt mean anything about some guy named george feeding it....

 

[ccampbell57]

Originally Posted by Dinogeorge
Look up the word Humu Humu in the dictionary and you'll see it means "The fish who George used to feed by hand until he nearly removed the end of my finger."
No, really...that's what it means.

Come on guys...George is his name...and his Humu almost bit his fingure

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a actually mean "Pig shaped fish with the wallet that says Bad Muther F$$

on it"

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by ccampbell57
Come on guys...George is his name...and his Humu almost bit his fingure

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a actually mean "Pig shaped fish with the wallet that says Bad Muther F$$

on it"

In my Huma's case it was "Pig-shape snouted fish which spends 16 hours per day swimming from one end of the tank to the other in seach of next meal"

Sorry we have been messing around in your thread Kelly, I say go for it, buy a small one, and like "George Costanza" said just monitor him closely.

 

[dragonzim]

I had a 2 inch humu humu take out a 10 inch lion and almost kill a 6 inch puffer. They can and will often snap and kill all their tankmates, even fish that are 5 or 6 times bigger than they are!

 

[srfisher17]

The perfect excuse to get a new and bigger tank. I had one that never bothered anyone in the 7+ years I had him...but there are exceptions to every fish "rule' (Like you're not asking how to get the damsel out, yet!).....but it will still be a big trigger.

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by DragonZim
I had a 2 inch humu humu take out a 10 inch lion and almost kill a 6 inch puffer. They can and will often snap and kill all their tankmates, even fish that are 5 or 6 times bigger than they are!
Dragon, I have seen a lot of your posts and wondered why you seemed so "leary" of triggers....That explains it....Honestly mine was the first fish in the tank, in seven years he never chased or nipped at another fish. It's amazing how different 2 of the same fish can be.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
Dragon, I have seen a lot of your posts and wondered why you seemed so "leary" of triggers....That explains it....Honestly mine was the first fish in the tank, in seven years he never chased or nipped at another fish. It's amazing how different 2 of the same fish can be.
They sure can be! I had the "nice" one in the post above; I also ad one that was only about 2'' and within 24hrs had damaged the fins of every fish in the tank.

 

[dragonzim]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
Dragon, I have seen a lot of your posts and wondered why you seemed so "leary" of triggers....That explains it....Honestly mine was the first fish in the tank, in seven years he never chased or nipped at another fish. It's amazing how different 2 of the same fish can be.
I'm not "leary" of triggers, in fact they are among my absolute favorite fish. I did have a bad experience with a Humu Humu and a Blue Throat, which is supposed to be one of the most peaceful triggers out there. I have read a lot of people on this board and others boards that I visit have had exactly the same problem with humu humu's in particular. I"m just positng my experiences with them so that others may not make the same mistakes and lose their fish. I defintiely believe that triggers should be in an aggresive only setup with other fish that can hold their own against them.

 

[dinogeorge]

Originally Posted by ccampbell57
Come on guys...George is his name...and his Humu almost bit his fingure

Humuhumunukunukuapua'a actually mean "Pig shaped fish with the wallet that says Bad Muther F$$

on it"

Well thank God SOMEONE got the joke.

Sheesh!!!!!!!!

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by Dinogeorge
Well thank God SOMEONE got the joke.

Sheesh!!!!!!!!
Ohhh...I thought your name was Dino

 

[hair-trigger]

Kelly,
Triggers are like all animals. They each have their own personalities. Some are puppy dogs and others are blood thirsty devils. It's hit and miss whenever you buy one. I once had an undulated in a community tank and not once did it attack another fish. It's basicall the luck of the draw.

 

[dinogeorge]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
Ohhh...I thought your name was Dino

No..that part of my name describes how old I feel.

 

[kelley5454]

So if I decide to go for it, how big of a tank will I really need to upgrade too for it to have enough room?
Yeah that damsel can be a bit aggresive but its smaller than the other 3 fish and it leaves the chromis alone. I've only ever seen it chase the royal gramma, they seem to take turns. My daughter freaked out when she saw a full grown one in one of the lfs display tanks it was around 3 inches or bigger....
Hopefully it won't take out the hermit....my shrimp (whom my husband calls a lazy you know what) just molted again in the new tank....we found a clam or something like that on one of the old rocks and a nother feather duster on one of the new ones....oo wait I am babbling....
So how long could ye ol' humu stay in the 55g and how big will his new tank need to be?
Thanks for all your replies!
Kelley

 

[ccampbell57]

Originally Posted by kelley5454
So if I decide to go for it, how big of a tank will I really need to upgrade too for it to have enough room?
Yeah that damsel can be a bit aggresive but its smaller than the other 3 fish and it leaves the chromis alone. I've only ever seen it chase the royal gramma, they seem to take turns. My daughter freaked out when she saw a full grown one in one of the lfs display tanks it was around 3 inches or bigger....
Hopefully it won't take out the hermit....my shrimp (whom my husband calls a lazy you know what) just molted again in the new tank....we found a clam or something like that on one of the old rocks and a nother feather duster on one of the new ones....oo wait I am babbling....
So how long could ye ol' humu stay in the 55g and how big will his new tank need to be?
Thanks for all your replies!
Kelley
Your Humu will be ok in a 55g till it is about 5". Once it gets this size it may need more room if you want other fish. IMHO, if the humu is the largest fish and you only have damsels and chromis you should be fine.
I have seen Humus live till full growth in a 75 and never had an issue. On the other hand, if you get a mean one (which it is a 50-50 chance) you will need larger. This is one of the only issues with aggressive fish.