My New Trigger I Caught @ Jones Inlet

[Domboski]

The gray triggerfish can take tropical temperatures just fine. Here is more info: Gray Triggerfish

Food Habits
Gray triggerfish feed on benthic invertebrates including seastars
? Leroy Ellis As a diurnal predator, the gray triggerfish feeds primarily on benthic invertebrates such as shrimp, crabs, sea urchins, sand dollars, sea stars, sea cucumbers, and bivalve mollusks. During one study, triggerfish were observed displaying an interesting feeding behavior. They moved away from their reef home, out over sand, and assumed a vertical position a few inches above the bottom. The fish directed a stream of water at the sand with enough force to reveal sand dollars living below the surface. If none were present, the fish moved about three feet away and continued this behavior. When the triggerfish was successful at exposing a sand dollar, it repeated the blowing action, further exposing the prey. Next, the triggerfish darted in, grabbing the sand dollar with its beak-like teeth, lifting it above the bottom and dropping it. This process was repeated until the sand dollar landed upside down. This was followed by the triggerfish assuming a vertical position over the sand dollar, and with jaws closed, thrusting downward, crushing the center. The fish then ate the soft inside tissues of the sand dollar. Triggerfish also locate and eat sea urchins in a similar manner. Juvenile triggerfish associated with sargassum communities feed on algae, hydroids, barnacles, and polychaetes.

 

[jhale]

Have you considered putting the fish back in the ocean since it's a local species anyway and save yourself the trouble of having to keep the tank chilled year round?
..and even more so since it doesn't seem to want to eat

can't do that. you run the risk of transferring a tropical parasite/disease to the local population that they would not be able to deal with.

once you collect an animal do not put them back in the ocean, so make sure you can keep them before you collect them.

 

[Domboski]

can't do that. you run the risk of transferring a tropical parasite/disease to the local population that they would not be able to deal with.

once you collect an animal do not put them back in the ocean, so make sure you can keep them before you collect them.

Ditto.

Keep trying Shrimp or silversides. If this doesn't work in a day or two, you may want to consider trying squid, clams or mussels.

 

[jhale]

Jarrett,

someone just posted a question about keeping sand dollars in a reef tank, he said there was a local store selling them. they are doomed in a fish tank so maybe the store would give them to you as trigger food? :happysad:

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

He Is Eating This Am, Feed Him Spiering, Shrimp. This Might Work Out For Me. This Size Trigger In A Petstore Is $300. I Saved Some Money

 

[jhale]

He Is Eating This Am, Feed Him Spiering, Shrimp. This Might Work Out For Me. This Size Trigger In A Petstore Is $300. I Saved Some Money

It's great that he's eating

Since you mentioned money I'm going to mention something that has people who run Manhattan Reefs concerned. Local fish should be collected with the same care and thought that one puts into purchasing a fish from an LFS or online store. Please do not let the fact that they are free make anyone go out and start collecting fish without the proper research first. There are some extremely responsible local collectors here who have a lot of knowledge about species found in our water. Please ask their advice first before catching anything and placing it in your tank. Our local fish deserve the same care that we give the tropicals we buy in stores.

 

[georgelc86]

Very well said JHale, kinda glad someone mentioned that.

 

[Tangs Rule]

I agree. Well said Jhale.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Anyone Know If Puffers Come UP This Way?

 

[Domboski]

The spiney box puffer (Chilomycterus schoepfi) does. The Northern Puffer (Sphoeroides maculatus) is native.

I have both if want one.

LMK

Dom

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

Any Pics ?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

can't do that. you run the risk of transferring a tropical parasite/disease to the local population that they would not be able to deal with.

once you collect an animal do not put them back in the ocean, so make sure you can keep them before you collect them.

I would say a more exact word would be "non-local" parasite/diease rather than "tropical" because we must have some tropical parasite/diease in one or two of the many Florida/hawaiian fish that swapped up here.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Now that he's in the tank already is the wrong time to ask. But for what it's worth I doubt the trigger will make the other fish sick. Of course he may be harboring something that could infect your other fish, there would be no way of knowing without the proper quarantine time. It would take a large tank to QT a fish that size.

As for putting other local fish in your tank the temperature would be a problem, unless you keep the tank colder than normal, like 70.
If you can catch any stray lion fish I know that would be helping the environment, they are becoming a problem in local waters.

Really? I love them. Anyone caught them and cannot keep them, let me know. I am making a local water tank even though I do not have the low/high tide thing that Altantis does.

 

[Domboski]

My bad pic:

Internet Pic:

My Northern Puffer pic:

Internet pic:

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Northern puffers are very entertaining fish, and easy enough to keep- BUT- they eat a lot! They need a lot of food..I used to give mine earthworms...and it would still look skinny an hour later. Also, and I cannot attest to the truth of this, so take it FWIW, I have heard that they cannot survive after puffing themselves up with air....they are adapted to puffing themselves with water....As for the triggerfish, as it is a tropical summer visitor, it will not need the cool temperatures as our more local fish, but I doubt it would like the higher temps that many reef tanks are kept at...I would think mid-70's would be best, if not the maximum.

 

[Fish Finder]

It's great that he's eating

Since you mentioned money I'm going to mention something that has people who run Manhattan Reefs concerned. Local fish should be collected with the same care and thought that one puts into purchasing a fish from an LFS or online store. Please do not let the fact that they are free make anyone go out and start collecting fish without the proper research first. There are some extremely responsible local collectors here who have a lot of knowledge about species found in our water. Please ask their advice first before catching anything and placing it in your tank. Our local fish deserve the same care that we give the tropicals we buy in stores.

If anyone has any questions feel free to pm me. I have been collecting locally for as long as i can remember.

 

[Domboski]

They do eat a lot! They do not die if they puff up with air. They are one of the few puffers than can easily expel air. I have had mine well over two years. They eat formula 1 and 2 medium pellets, shrimp and squid.

 

[Fish Finder]

My bad pic:

Internet Pic:

My Northern Puffer pic:

Internet pic:

Hey bro u missed a few puffers that can be found locally during the summer months. Here's my puffer section from the paper i am writing about the tropical spices you can catch locally durring the summer months.

?[FONT=&quot] Web burrfish (Chilomycterus antillarum), rare [/FONT]
?[FONT=&quot] Striped burrfish (Chilomycterus schoepfi), Not uncommon [/FONT]
?[FONT=&quot] Porcupinefish (Diodon hystrix), rare [/FONT]
?[FONT=&quot] Smooth puffer (Lagocephalus laevigatus), uncommon [/FONT]
?[FONT=&quot] Northern puffer (Sphoeroides maculatus), common [/FONT]
?[FONT=&quot] Bandtail puffer (Sphoeroides spengleri), Uncommon


[/FONT]

 

[Domboski]

I was just posting what I have from local waters. I have seen websites saying porcupines are in the sound. I wonder if PaulB has seen any? I never did.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

In general, tropicals tend to be found on the south shore. I did, however, once read a post on NorEaster about a porcupine fish caught in the sound. On the other hand, I have personally caught lizardfish in the sound, in Southold...so a few tropicals do manage to make it..........