I believe now , triggers are trouble

[3stripedamsel]

My Niger trigger kill my emperor angel and my pair of maroon clown last night. Couldn't catch the luner wrasse but now chasing it in the tank.
I had this trigger for a while and always one of the better fishes but I knew he was trouble when he kill my cleaner shrimp last week and started hiding behind the cave and comming out to chase fish.
I was going to bring my angel back to the LFS before this happen anyway triggers are dangerous. Lost a nice pair of maroon clown that I just came out of QT been through a lot with copper

 

[ccampbell57]

Sorry to hear about this 3stripe. I have never heard of a Niger doing such damage. I have had a Niger in my tank for the last 2 years with no issues. He is the small guy out of the group and is housed only with larger Semi-Aggressive fish.
I will however tell you that I tried to add a Blueline trigger in the tank a few weeks back and the Niger went nuts. He was brutally beating the Blueline up...taking bites at his gills and trying to kill him. The Blueline jumped out of the tank and into my overflow.
Needless to say the Blueline is in QT at the moment and I am not sure that I will attempt to be the fish whisperer on these two again.
What size tank do you have?

 

[v-lioness]

How long have you ad this trigger & What size is this trigger?
My Pinktail is now in question, I know of one death but may be responsible for more, I have had mine for years and it is mature, mine is 10-12 inches. My tank is 300g.
Kaye

 

[hair-trigger]

Sounds like a card carrying communist! Quite bad-mouthing triggers!

 

[peter1215]

Originally Posted by ccampbell57
Sorry to hear about this 3stripe. I have never heard of a Niger doing such damage. I have had a Niger in my tank for the last 2 years with no issues. He is the small guy out of the group and is housed only with larger Semi-Aggressive fish.
I will however tell you that I tried to add a Blueline trigger in the tank a few weeks back and the Niger went nuts. He was brutally beating the Blueline up...taking bites at his gills and trying to kill him. The Blueline jumped out of the tank and into my overflow.
Needless to say the Blueline is in QT at the moment and I am not sure that I will attempt to be the fish whisperer on these two again.
What size tank do you have?
Hi Campbell,
when i introduced my sargassum trigger my Niger went at him relentlessly. I removed the Niger and kept him in the qt for a week. I change the lr when i put the Niger back in and no more problems! theyve been together now for two months and everything good so far.

 

[2batrigger]

Originally Posted by ccampbell57
Sorry to hear about this 3stripe. I have never heard of a Niger doing such damage. I have had a Niger in my tank for the last 2 years with no issues. He is the small guy out of the group and is housed only with larger Semi-Aggressive fish.
I will however tell you that I tried to add a Blueline trigger in the tank a few weeks back and the Niger went nuts. He was brutally beating the Blueline up...taking bites at his gills and trying to kill him. The Blueline jumped out of the tank and into my overflow.
Needless to say the Blueline is in QT at the moment and I am not sure that I will attempt to be the fish whisperer on these two again.
What size tank do you have?
i agreee with all that. Campbell yours might have worked but did you rearrange the tank. If you take the niger out and rearrange the rock work they will all be able to get a territory and it will work out and you can have tham togther

 

[regaltang3]

i have a niger trigger in my 90 gallon that very friendly and never had a problem, but in my 125 gallon i had one that was fed goldfish and is much more aggressive. what is his normal diet?

 

[ccampbell57]

Originally Posted by 2batrigger
i agreee with all that. Campbell yours might have worked but did you rearrange the tank. If you take the niger out and rearrange the rock work they will all be able to get a territory and it will work out and you can have tham togther
I didnt take him out. I tried, but that bugger was too fast. I actually just got back from taking the Blueline to the LFS. Pretty sad actually cause I really liked him.
Probably for the better though. The Bluelines tend to get moodier than other triggers as they mature and I think that he would have eventually paid the Niger back and some.
The sargassam is waiting a nother day or 2 at the LFS then he is coming home. I cant wait.

 

[kjr_trig]

There have been a few "Niger Stories" lately. I had mine for about five years, he tusseled a bit with the Maroon Clown and the Lunare Wrasse but nothing serious, my Achilles Tang kept him in line....I had planned on doing a Male Blue Throat, Rectangle Huma and Niger when I do what will likely be a 240...I am thinking maybe a Pink Tail instead of the Niger now....I have some time until that decision though....Fenner's book does list the Niger as a possible trouble maker, I always thought that was odd, but I guess he is right as usual.

 

[jmick]

My brother had a niger in a 150 with a large maroon clown, passer angel and a couple of other fish and it killed everything over the course of a month...they are hit or miss, one of the reasons I'd never consider this fish for a reef.

 

[3stripedamsel]

CCampell or others who have triggers, from my observation it seems they do show a little sign of aggression before the killing. Mines is really soft and ocassionally be chase away by my emperor or my wrasse. Leading to the killing my family notice his behavior changing. a little more hiding is very noticeable , chasing other, just being a bully. Then I think is time to panic.
Don't do anything to your triggers (i have a 150)
P.S I am no trigger hater. My niger was my first fish and the reason why i got into saltwater.
If all I certainly donot like angels because of there tolerance of water condition.

 

[ccampbell57]

How much bigger was the Niger than the Emperor? My emperor is about 3 times the size of the Niger. The angels definitly tell the niger who the bosses are.
I am not sure if this is an isolated insident, but I had my trigger put in last and it was by far the smallest when it went in.
I am praying that I dont have a situation like yours 3Stripe.

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by ccampbell57
How much bigger was the Niger than the Emperor? My emperor is about 3 times the size of the Niger. The angels definitly tell the niger who the bosses are.
I am not sure if this is an isolated insident, but I had my trigger put in last and it was by far the smallest when it went in.
I am praying that I dont have a situation like yours 3Stripe.
I hope you don't too, I doubt it will be with the Niger though.....better keep an eye on Krusty though as he grows up.

 

[3stripedamsel]

Mines is around the same size maybe size of a adult palm but my trigger is thick. The funny thing is around a month ago he was getting beaten up by a new H butterfly I brought.
CCampbell if it is 3 times the size I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't happen while you are sleeping.
I have done a little research found out maybe I should have feed him some shrimp with shell to unsharp some of his teeth to lessen his aggression. I was feeding frozen angel formula, Shrimps Squid mix with vitachem and seachem garlic.
P.S Brought another pair of Maroon clowns today,

 

[ccampbell57]

Originally Posted by 3stripedamsel
Mines is around the same size maybe size of a adult palm but my trigger is thick. The funny thing is around a month ago he was getting beaten up by a new H butterfly I brought.
CCampbell if it is 3 times the size I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't happen while you are sleeping.
I have done a little research found out maybe I should have feed him some shrimp with shell to unsharp some of his teeth to lessen his aggression. I was feeding frozen angel formula, Shrimps Squid mix with vitachem and seachem garlic.
P.S Brought another pair of Maroon clowns today,

I am not worried (for now at least). That damn Niger better not do anything. I saved him from ***** for $12!!!!!

He was just 2 inches then. It seems like he has grown a ton in the last year, but he is still the red-headed step child of the tank. Even my Hippo picks on him.
As far as the teeth thing, I fed him 100 or so hermit crabs (not my decided menu

). I have never seen his teeth. I know he has them, but compared to the blueline and clown, he has baby teeth.

 

[kjr_trig]

Originally Posted by ccampbell57
I am not worried (for now at least). That damn Niger better not do anything. I saved him from ***** for $12!!!!!

He was just 2 inches then. It seems like he has grown a ton in the last year, but he is still the red-headed step child of the tank. Even my Hippo picks on him.
As far as the teeth thing, I fed him 100 or so hermit crabs (not my decided menu

). I have never seen his teeth. I know he has them, but compared to the blueline and clown, he has baby teeth.
Probably a female then??

I read somewhere that only male Niger's have the pronounced "Red teeth".

 

[mie]

My niger trigger is the most peacefull and the largest in my tank he's about 3 to 4 inches been in for about 9 months.

 

[ccampbell57]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
Probably a female then??

I read somewhere that only male Niger's have the pronounced "Red teeth".
Hmmm...never heard that, but it makes sense. Maybe the Blueline was a female as well??? Or visa versa? I was looking at my niger the other day and noticed it has 4 red fangs...I guess I never really noticed before.

It was just night and day from the Blueline where his teeth were front and center every day.

 

[srfisher17]

I love triggers and always have had 1 or 2. I've also had to remove a few. Aggression; IMO, is just part of being a trigger; and this is a giant gray area. ANY trigger can be great for years and then snap; just like pit-bulls. Every time a pit bull attacks, the newspaper will quote the owner as saying "but for 5 years he was so nice....". Not all triggers will go postal, and some are more likely than others. But it should never be a surprise when a nice little trigger goes postal. They are aggressive fish after all; I know there are many exceptions.....just be ready if it happens.(As a group, I still think triggers cause fewer problems than damsels, maybe because its expected)

 

[3stripedamsel]

My three stipedamsel is one of the nicest fish around. Damsels will not kill fish they might chase and be a little mean. But certainly is not going to kill a angel or a maroon (if you dont' consider them damsels).
I put a egg crate dividing the tank now..with the niger trigger. Just can't bare to sell the guy.