Niger triggerfish personality?

[daniella3d]

Well, he's now about 8" to 9" with the tail, still eat like a pig but still as skittish as it was before. He only come out to eat and back into hiding he goes.

I am very sad to see him always hiding in the rock like that. It's not a life.

But last week I have introduced a foxface and although the foxface was a bit aggressive with the trigger at the beginning, I am surprised to see my trigger come out a lot more during this week. Would putting even more fish in my aquarium motivate him to come out more? I currently have this 8" niger trigger, a 6" foxface and a 5" copperband (all mesurements with tail included) in my 75 gallons. Nitrates are still at or near 0.

I don't know what fish to add that would motivate him to come out more? It's drastic the change this week, I even see him come out and swim around, something he had not done since I sold my blue hippo tang. I was thinking maybe a blue throat trigger? I know that's a lot of fish in a 75 gallons but the harmony seem to be better the more I add fish. I only had the copperband and the trigger for the past 5 months and I have not seem my trigger swim during this time.

Originally Posted by mechano

He'll come around, I have presently a 2 inch niger and he stays very close to the liverock and any sudden thump or bang(i have 2 young kids) and he bolts into the liverock as a precaution, but like yours, he is a pig when it comes to feeding time and is aggressive about it, even trying to steal food away from his companions. I also have never had a problem with him bothering any inverts or fish. Beautiful fish IMO.

[marie]

I have found that there is nothing like small dither fish to make the larger fish braver, maybe add something like a few chromis or flasher wrasses. I wouldn't add any more large fish to the system, it's only 75g after all

[Aquattro]

Adding chromis is adding a snack

[marie]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Adding chromis is adding a snack

but it will get the trigger out of hiding, which is the whole point after all

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by marie

but it will get the trigger out of hiding, which is the whole point after all

For about 10 seconds

[daniella3d]

That's an expensive lunch. I don't want to motivate the trigger to go hunting either, I just want him out more. He's out more and more now. It's strange that a large fish in the tank is really changing his behavior but those small pajama cardinals and my clownfish never made a difference.

Seams that in is case, the effect is really with a larger fish. I think I will keep it as it is for now and watch how things evolve because he's coming out more and more since I introduced the foxface.

Originally Posted by Aquattro

For about 10 seconds

[fishytime]

6"s in 7 months ???