Triggers and Electricity

[hchellette]

Hi all, I'm brand new to the boards. My husband has an account and he's tired of me posting under his name, so he's forced me to get my own.

I have a question about a particular Trigger behavior that was recently brought to my attention. I called Dr. F & S to inquire about availability of a fish and got into a discussion about Triggers somehow. The woman I spoke to mentioned that if I plan to house Triggers, that I cannot have any electrical cords in the tank (heater, power head, etc.) because the Triggers will snip the lines and electrocute the entire tank.

She said that this happens just about every time a Trigger is put into a tank with exposed cords.
I have never heard of this and am worried about my own tank, because I do have power heads with obviously exposed cords. My heater is in my sump, so I don't have to worry about it, but what about the power heads? Has anyone had this happen to them? Was she just trying to scare me?

 

[drex]

i just got my first trigger 2 days ago, and from what i have read on here it is very common for them to chew on about anything that is in the tank "heater cords etc" so i would watch your powerhead cords. the end of my cord is out of the water in the top corner so he cant chew on it.all the rest of my stuff is in my sump also which made it alot easier.good luck!

 

[hchellette]

What kind of Trigger did you get? I'm still researching their compatibility, but I'm wanting to get a Picasso, Blue Throat and a Sargassum.

 

[drex]

i would love a sargassum but i got layed off recently so im kindave short on money

i took down my reef tank and traded most of my coral in at my LFS and took a very nice picasso off their hands. i want to take the niger they have also but my tank is only a 90 gallon and with the other fish i have and am going to put in there i have no room. so far he has just been picking at rocks and at the sand i moved all my live rock rock around and he has been picking up the small rubble and what not moving it where he wants it. i posted a few pics in the "post pics of your triggs" topic on here if you want to see him. he ate right away and has been very active, easy to take care of i would recommend one, and the sargassum for sure. blue throats are great to we used to get them in when i worked there all the time.what size is your tank? i know the sargassums get pretty big i think up to 14 inches? blue throats are always a decent size when they are up for sale to..just dont overcrowd and shouldnt be any aggression issues my picasso is nice to my other few fish so far.

 

[it's chuck]

Correct me if I am wrong but BlueThroat and Sargassum are the same thing I thought

 

[crashbandicoot]

Originally Posted by HChellette
http:///forum/post/2535970
Hi all, I'm brand new to the boards. My husband has an account and he's tired of me posting under his name, so he's forced me to get my own.

I have a question about a particular Trigger behavior that was recently brought to my attention. I called Dr. F & S to inquire about availability of a fish and got into a discussion about Triggers somehow. The woman I spoke to mentioned that if I plan to house Triggers, that I cannot have any electrical cords in the tank (heater, power head, etc.) because the Triggers will snip the lines and electrocute the entire tank.

She said that this happens just about every time a Trigger is put into a tank with exposed cords.
I have never heard of this and am worried about my own tank, because I do have power heads with obviously exposed cords. My heater is in my sump, so I don't have to worry about it, but what about the power heads? Has anyone had this happen to them? Was she just trying to scare me?

Welcome to the boards . It is very unlikely that your trigger wil bite cords . Once and a while , very rarely a trigger or puffer will develop a taste for cord chewing . You should be fine . I have never had a trigger or a puffer bite cords. Also its frowned upon to talk about other sites just so you know . A mod will likely edit your post .
Originally Posted by It's Chuck
http:///forum/post/2536191
Correct me if I am wrong but BlueThroat and Sargassum are the same thing I thought
No they are different . Do a search on them and you will see .

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by It's Chuck
http:///forum/post/2536191
Correct me if I am wrong but BlueThroat and Sargassum are the same thing I thought
They're similar; same genus, different species. I've heard the stories about triggers and cords; but I can't count the triggers I've had in 30+ years and never had one nip a cord. I'm surprised you had someone at F&S make such a broad statement; but , like so many companies, the person you talk to on the phone is not always an expert. (I know this as fact at F&S, but still think they are a superb dealer, along with SWF.C)) You can get through to a real good fish person there, like at most companies. But, the best advice I've ever found comes from the folks who share experiences on this forum.
I'm no expert, but would an exposed wire electrocute the tank's occupants? It seems with all the cords in tanks and sumps; this would be a very common problem. I wouldn't trust my life and fish to the safety of a $15 heater that's been bounced all over between China and my tank.

 

[drex]

now that i think of it, all the horror stories i read about were all about undulate triggers chewing and being nasty fish in general.

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by drex
http:///forum/post/2536497
now that i think of it, all the horror stories i read about were all about undulate triggers chewing and being nasty fish in general.
Yeah, if they could find a starting point, they'd chew through the tank walls. Neat fish though,tons of personality; and one of the 1st SW fish ever kept in captivity.

 

[it's chuck]

Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/2536249
I'm no expert, but would an exposed wire electrocute the tank's occupants? It seems with all the cords in tanks and sumps; this would be a very common problem. I wouldn't trust my life and fish to the safety of a $15 heater that's been bounced all over between China and my tank.
It might shock the fish that bites the cord but it should pop a fuse as soon as the bare wire is exposed to water