Blue jaw triggerfish pair

I picked up a male/female pair of blue jaw triggers last week and they are currently in quarantine. The previous owner had them for about two years and they have always been together. They are both about six inches and being quarantined in a 29 gallon tank. Each have a pipe fitting for a cave and some live rock to hide in. I have noticed some aggression from the male basically taking over the female's cave. The past few evenings have been lots of snapping and aggression from the male. I have not noticed any physical harm done to either or change in behavior besides the female being kicked out of her cave. Is this normal behavior or are they feeling a bit cramped? Both are eating well, the male is a bit more shy. This is my first trigger experience...

 

You venture into uncharted territory. Not many people keep them or know how.

Very cool, would love to see some pic's even in QT.

My very favorite fish.

 

I believe the aggresion is because of the size of the tank.Hopefully when introduced together into the DT it should subside. How many gallons is the DT??:-/

 

The DT is a 120. The aggression is continuing, chasing in circles yesterday... I have enjoyed getting to know them, they are so full of personality. They are eating everything enriched brine shrimp, PE mysis, silver sides, and krill. From my understanding they like nori as well. Will the graze off of rocks or does it need to be in the water column?

 

Do you keep your tank at a cooler temp? They prefer it that way. I had a friend who had one and his chiller went out for a day, and the tank only went to 80, and he lost his BSJ a week later.

 

BSJ as in Blue Spotted Jawfish? The OP is referring to Blue Jaw Triggerfish (BJT?).

 

Eww keeping two in that tank may be a problem.It may be necessary to rehome one.

 

So last night I observed the aggression increasing. The male was chasing the female all over the tank and she was regulated to the top right corner of the tank. She is also showing some wear and tear on her fins so I transferred her to the DT to get some relief. I will transfer the male today or tomorrow. I realize this is skipping the quarantine period but the pair did come from a fellow reefer whose tanks are healthy and disease free. It is a risk. Should I give the female more time to settle in and get her territory before adding the male? Thanks for all of the input!

 

I would give her more time.

 

I think you made the right choice. They are pretty robust for the most part.give her a week or 2 to get her self calmed and settled