Niger Trigger...Reef?

Hi there,
I have a 55g Reef set-up. Not much coral, but a few pieces. Today, I found a Niger Triggerfish at my LFS and bought him. I know that sometimes they aren't the best for reefs. But, so far he hasn't harmed anything, and I have a Fire Shrimp, Snails, Crabs, and Corals. He seems very peaceful and is eating well. We may upgrade to a 210g in the future. That future may be soon, because he is pretty big. But, I mainly need help with some tank-mates because I've never dealt with a Triggerfish before. Any suggestions?

 

Niger Trigger

This is what I found..

Also Known As:
Redtooth Triggerfish, Niger Trigerfish, Black Triggerfish, Purple Triggerfish

Minimum Aquarium Size: 55

Reef Aquarium Compatibility:
Can be housed in reefs, harmless to corals, but may nip at sponges, tunicates, ornamental crustaceans an snails. To keep with cleaner shrimps, add the shrimps first.

Diet and Feeding:
Offer a varied diet of mixed meaty seafoods. Easy to feed.

Fast Facts:
Like many triggers, this species can be quite shy when first placed in the tank, but usually becomes very brazen in time. This species is not extremely aggressive. Most individuals can be kept housed in a community aquarium with similarly-sized fishes. You should add your niger trigger to the tank after the more passive species have settled in. Although both juveniles and adults readily acclimate to aquarium life, younger specimens tend to do so with greater ease. Provide this fish with suitable hiding places, like a piece of branching or foliose coral or a chunk of live rock with an appropriate-sized hole for it to retreat into if threatened. Before you take out your aquarium decorations to clean or relocate them, make sure you know where your niger triggerfish is.

 

That sounds exactly like my Triggerfish. He hid for about an hour and then came out and started swimming. He doesn't bother anything. Shrimp was added in first, so that's good and he's easy to feed. However, now I am worried because he's the first fish...

 

One trick that's been used with good results on many aggressive species is to place them in a QT or fuge for a couple of weeks, move some rocks around if possible (especially their favorite one), then reintroduce them into the DT. It might also help if you get another reef-safe fish of similar size in there before the Trigger gets too comfortable with having the entire tank to himself.

Cheers

 

you say pretty big. How a/b a picture?

 

i kept one in my reef for a bit. He was fine with the shrimp and crabs etc, but he ate all my snails!

 

I had one in my tank for a bit. Once he got bigger he started picking and killing the smaller reef-safe fish and yes, they might start eating the happy go lucky snails and shrimps. I wouldn't make that mistake again, especially since I spent 5 hours catching him.

 

I have a pink tail that is considered "reef safe with caution". She does NOT bother any corals or clams, but I have seen her eat cleaner shrimp (even though they were in first and she would go to the cleaning station and get cleaned regularly) and my snail population has decreased tremendously.

Other than that, she is one of the best fish in the tank. No aggression whatsoever with any other fish additions.

 

Ya, I was thinking maybe if I get that 210 soon, I might get a Pink Tail...not sure yet though, becuase my favorite is the Clown Trigger.

 

Sorry, I can't get one atm. Maybe he's not the biggest, but he looks pretty big. He is about 5" on the body and maybe 7" with his tail.