Saltcorner
By Bob Goemans
By Bob Goemans
Not Reef Tank Suitable
Likely Fish-Only Tank Suitable
Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: East Africa south to Natal South Africa, east to Southern Japan, south to Hawaiian, Marquesas, and Tuamotu Islands, and Lord Howe Island.
Size: 14 inches (35 cm)
Natural Environment: Inhabits coastal rocky reefs and often found where silt and rubble collects or in open sandy lagoon areas at depths of 25 – 600 feet (8 – 185 m). Seeks caves or coral branches to hide or rest during evening hours. Feeds on crabs, urchins, crustaceans, small fishes, mollusks, tunicates, and worms.
General Husbandry: Rarely ever seen in the trade/marketplace, as both the juvenile and adult are quite drab in coloration, with the juvenile somewhat tannish and having horizontal irregular black body lines, and the adult a lighter shade of tan with a whitish face and a slanted yellow line from the corner of the mouth backward onto the face.
If maintained in the home aquarium, they would require a meaty diet similar to others in this family, e.g., chopped fish, shrimp, squid, and clam flesh, and/or meaty type frozen carnivore foods with two or three feedings per day highly recommended. As to its environmental needs, it should be provided enough rocky caves for it to hide or sleep in.
Keep in mind it should only be maintained with larger more aggressive fish, such as large moray eels, snappers, angelfish, tangs or other larger fish that can defend themselves, yet not lionfish, as they are too slow moving and a target for fin nipping. May also re-aquascape your aquarium and make a mess of the sandbed due to its constant searching for infauna/invertebrates. Will also bite the hand that feeds it, so do not place your hands in the aquarium! Keep in mind that generally its recommended not more than one triggerfish be kept per aquarium unless a mated pair, and furthermore, that it be the last fish to be placed into the aquarium.
Taxonomy:
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Suborder: Tetraodontoidei
Family: Balistidae
Genus: Sufflamen
FYI: Their common name, triggerfish, comes from their ability to lock and unlock their first dorsal fin. This fin is normally retracted and carried in a groove on the upper body. When frightened, the fish will dart into a crevice or branch of coral and raise this trigger-like fin, securely locking itself into its place of protection.
They should be housed with small pieces of seashells since they like to bite on them or turn them over in the search of prey. Better these shells than other aquarium decor. It also helps keep their teeth worn-down, which actually could get too long and pointed and cause them some difficulty in feeding.
In general, triggerfish are like angelfish and surgeonfishes, as they have laterally compressed bodies with small mouths with strong jaws and chisel-like teeth for crushing hard-shelled prey. However, eyes are set back and located high on their large head to avoid damage when feeding on urchins, one of their favorite foods.
Especially fond of live urchins, which they turn over with jets of water from their mouth, then consume their meaty unprotected bottom areas.
Even though specimen and confines specific, those in the genera Balistes, Balistoides, Pseudobalistes, Rhinecanthus, and Sufflamen are generally thought of as the most aggressive in the Triggerfish family. Those in the Melichthys, Odonus and Xanthichthys genera are more suitable community fish candidates, yet all are not trust worthy when it comes to invertebrates as mentioned above.
Care Level: Easy
Temperament: Aggressive
Diet: Carnivore
Acclimation Time: 15 minutes+
Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium
Coral Safe: No
Invertebrate Safe: No
Tankmates: Equal in size or larger/will attack/eat smaller fish
Minimum Tank Size: 100 gallons
Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 27°C)
Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026
pH: 7.9 - 8.5
