Alright Lynden...

[chrissaysyes]

So if I had a 55g tank and wanted to add a trigger...let's say I have 30 or so hermits, a cleaner shrimp, a porcelain crab, 20 or so nassarius, 10 astreas....would any triggers safely fall into that category or is it too hard to say exactly how a trigger will behave? I plan on feeding it every other day with either mysis or silversides...would that be enough to possibly distract him from the inverts?

Oh and, I understand that the tank is small...the fish would be kept from juvenile until he outgrew the tank. Some that I'd be really interested in keeping would be niger, aculeatus, verrucosus

 

[Lynden]

Any of the planktonivorous triggers (Odonus, Melichthys, Xanthichthys) would probably leave those alone. Rhinecanthus (including the mentioned aculeatus, verrucosus) would work out as babies but would probably eat smaller inverts as they grow. They don't eat most corals but may consume small amounts of SPS.

 

[shibby]

im not lyden but im sure he would plug the xanthichthys including bluethroats, pinktails, crosshatch and sargussum are generally considered reef safe, i would trust one in a reef. planktivores or something i beleive they are much the same as odonus niger.

aculeatus would be hard to say any of the rhinecanthus are a little risky but my aculeatus dosent touch the snails or 1 hermit in my tank. you can get them fairly small and young which will hopefully mean its less agressive grown up then a big wild caught one.

Edit: damn he got there ahead of me!

 

[chrissaysyes]

I found a pair of blue throats for $35. They're 4" long. Too big?

 

[Lynden]

sama:

The cheapest I've been able to find pairs is for a hundred bucks. But... Xanthichthys swim quicker than most other fish and need larger tank sizes as well. The pair as adults could easily be kept in a 90-120 gallon tank, and the smaller ones could be kept in your tank for a little while, perhaps until they hit 5'' in length. They grow quite slowly, but I wouldn't purchase them until you certainly have some "backup", for instance a larger tank or a pet store that will buy them back.

 

[chrissaysyes]

found a 3" male for $50. Btw these prices both include shipping...

 

[n3ont3tra]

No way... it costs $35 just to ship the fish! Where did you find it?!?

 

[chrissaysyes]

somewhere hah, not tellin it's part of a christmas clearance. The pair is $.99 and $34.99 for shipping.

 

[matt295]

please could you tell me

 

[chrissaysyes]

Are you in the US?

 

[n3ont3tra]

I am!!!

 

[matt295]

yup i live in the US

 

[SkiFletch]

Christmas Clearance?!?!?!? Where

 

[chrissaysyes]

It was a store on ebay. Trying to find it again now.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

maybe they are cyanide bombed?