Posted by gerard on March 10, 2010 under Saltwater Fish | 
Balistes vetula, also known as the queen triggerfish, is a reef dwelling fish of the Atlantic Ocean. It is occasionally caught as a gamefish, and sometimes kept in marine aquariums.
Appearance
It is a large fish that reaches 60cm in length. It is typically brown with blue lines on its fins and head.
In the aquarium
As one of the largest and most aggressive of the triggerfish, this fish is rarely a good choice as a resident in a marine aquarium. It is however a hardy fish for those who can provide it with a proper environment. Because it grows so large and so quickly the ideal aquarium for this fish is a 500 gallon aquarium, although some sources argue they can be kept is as little as a 125 gallon aquarium when it achieves its adult size of two feet it is unlikely to thrive.
Its diet consists of invertebrates. In aquariums shrimp, squid, clams, octopus, scallops, and crab are all good choices of food.
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Posted by gerard on December 24, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
The Lagoon triggerfish, (Rhinecanthus aculeatus) also known as the blackbar triggerfish, the Picassofish, and the Jamal, is a triggerfish, up to 30 cm in length, found on reefs in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Posted by gerard on October 23, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
The reef, rectangular, wedge-tail, or Picasso triggerfish, also known by its Hawaiian name, humuhumunukunuku?pua?a (also spelled Humuhumunukunukuapua’a or just humuhumu for short; meaning “triggerfish with a snout like a pig”), is one of several species of triggerfish. Classified as Rhinecanthus rectangulus, it is endemic to the salt water coasts of various central and south Pacific Ocean islands. It is often asserted that the Hawaiian name is one of the longest words in the Hawaiian Language and that “the name is longer than the fish.”
The triggerfish’s teeth are blue and are set close together inside its relatively chubby mouth, it has a small second spine, which it can use to lock its main spine into an upright position. The triggerfish can wedge itself into small crevices and lock its spine to make it extremely difficult to get out. In addition, when fleeing from predators, the triggerfish will sometimes make grunting noises, possibly a call to warn other nearby triggerfish of danger at hand.[1]
One particularly interesting aspect of the fish’s behavior is the ability to blow jets of water from its mouth. These jets help the fish find benthic invertebrates that may be buried under the substrate. Triggerfish can often be seen spitting sand from their mouths in order to sift through the material in search of edible detritus or organisms. Reef triggers are fairly aggressive and will generally not tolerate conspecific species in its general vicinity, thus the fish is often found solitary. This is particularly true in captivity. Triggers have the remarkable ability to rapidly alter their coloration. They can fade into a relatively drab appearance when sleeping or demonstrating submission while the coloration is often the most vivid when the fish is healthy and unthreatened by its surroundings.
Buy at saltwaterfish.com.
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Text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
Posted by gerard on October 20, 2008 under Saltwater Fish |
This species is a primarily marine species. This fish is found in Tropical Indo-Pacific and Red Sea coastal waters from 1-75 metres in depth (3-250 ft). This fish is generally uncommon or rare throughout its range, which includes East Africa to South Africa, through to Indonesia, and all the way to Japan and New Caledonia.
The clown triggerfish is most commonly found around coral reefs. It lives in clear coastal to outer reef habitats. It also occurs in clear, seaward reefs near steep drop-offs.It also resides in the Great Barrier reef.
Anatomy and appearance
The fish can reach up to about 50 cm (20 in) in length. It has strong jaws which can be used to crush and eat sea urchins, crustaceans and hard-shelled mollusks. This fish has unique coloration. The ventral surface has large, white spots on a dark background, and its dorsal surface has black spots on yellow. There is a vertical, white (slightly yellow) stripe on the caudal fin. The brightly painted yellow mouth may be used to deter potential predators. This fish has a form of camouflage that is, or is similar to, countershading. From below, the white spots look like the surface of the water above it. From above, the fish will blend in more with the coral reef environment.
In the aquarium
Because of its attractive coloration, this fish is one of the most highly prized aquarium fish. Like many other triggerfish, it can require a large aquarium and be aggressive towards other fish. It should not be kept with small fishes. It will also prey on invertebrates in the aquarium. This fish can become tame enough to be hand-fed, however one should beware of the fish’s sharp teeth.
