Mixing Triggers?

fishpeep101

fishpeep101

New Member
Hello all!! I have a question I have a blue jaw trigger fish who was the first fish I bought when my tank became established. That was about 6-7 months ago. Well I had someone give me a Niger Trigger who is a healthy fish, until now.... My blue jaw trigger has went off!!!!! Not only does the blue jaw attack the Niger, but I woke up this morning to discover a large chunk missing out of my blue linckia star
Maybe I shouldnt have put the Niger in there, but my buddy who gave him to me said they should do fine together, as they are the more docile of the trigger family. He is moving to Chicago for a jod, and had his tank for about 7 years. Can anyone give some advice please. I like this board, and I would definitly rather get my advice from you all than the LFS!!
Thank you in advance.
Jennifer
 
crashbandicoot

crashbandicoot

Active Member
Hmmmm this is very strange indeed . Blue jaw triggers are normally one of the only triggers considered reef safe and docile enough to keep in such a tank . Are you sure its a blue jaw and not a blue throat ? The niger is also known to be fairly mellow and one of the lesser aggressive triggers .
What has the tank behaviour been like lately ? Has it been peaceful or has the tension been mounting ?
You should keep in mind that even though they are considered less aggressive of the triggers , They are still triggers and do have a bit of mean in them .
You could try to remove one of the fish . Turn out the light and rearange the rock work completely then add the other fish back into the tank and leave the lights off . See if that helps .
 
fishpeep101

fishpeep101

New Member
No tension mounting in the past. He has always been very timid and had never bothered anything until last night. I thought blue jaw/ blue throat was the same fish?? I learn somethimg new everyday!!
I have decided to move the star, because he drifted a little too close to his territory, and I think thats why Tabius (the BT Trigger) took a look at him.
Thanks!!!!
Jennifer
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
There are lots of fairly civil fish that will take a dislike to any newcomer; IMO, the smaller the tank, the greater the odds of this happening. Like Crash said, they're still triggers. A "peaceful" trigger is not necessarily a peaceful fish. If you can arrange to keep the BJ somewhere for a few days, he MAY be ok when re-introduced. The entire tank was his territory until the niger came in. ( I'm not a fish psychologist, but I've seen this sort of thing many times.)
 
crashbandicoot

crashbandicoot

Active Member
ok here are some pictures I have come up with . I might be wrong . I am not an expert about this .
Blue throat trigger fish ???

Blue jaw trigger fish ? ? ?
 
kjr_trig

kjr_trig

Active Member
The one on top I believe is a Flagtail crash (Sufflamen chrysopterus)....Bluethroat, Bluejaw, and Bluechin are all names for Xanthichthys auromarginatus
Oh, and I agree with what both guys said, not unusual at all to see aggression toward a new fish of the same family, and the smaller the tank the heavier the aggression might be....My Sargassum my be mellow by Trigger standards, but if I put in another trig down the road, he will let him know who the boss is.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by kjr_trig
http:///forum/post/2601010
The one on top I believe is a Flagtail crash (Sufflamen chrysopterus)....Bluethroat, Bluejaw, and Bluechin are all names for Xanthichthys auromarginatus
Oh, and I agree with what both guys said, not unusual at all to see aggression toward a new fish of the same family, and the smaller the tank the heavier the aggression might be....My Sargassum my be mellow by Trigger standards, but if I put in another trig down the road, he will let him know who the boss is.
Blue Jaw and blue throat are the same fish. There's quite a difference in the sexes of these fish; the female doesn't have a blue jaw, throat, or even chin.I suspect some hobbiests may think a female is a different species. There's also can be quite a color difference in the males. Search the big online dealers, or Google Image the scientific name; you'll see several fish that are Xanthichthys auromarginatus and they don't all look alike.
 
fishpeep101

fishpeep101

New Member
Thanks for all the replies everyone!!! The Niger (Nigel) is doing good, eating normally, color is good. The blue jaw (Tabius) has been a little better towards Nigel, but is still being a bit of a bully. I am going to wait a couple of days and if things do not get better I am going to have to remove Nigel

Thanks again everyone for all of the great replies!
Jennifer
 
flricordia

flricordia

Active Member
I don't know much about any of the triggers but I do have a male niger that will kill anything I put in with it. Maybe triggers are individualistic in behaviour and temperment on the whole.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top