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Clown Triggerfish
Clown Triggerfish - Origins
The Clown Triggerfish is also known as the Big-spotted Triggerfish. It comes from coral reefs of the Indo-West Pacific. It is black on
the top with the lower half of the head and body having large white spots. Its mouth is a distinctive yellow with a white ring around it.
Triggerfish have a doubled dorsal fin with a large spine in the front area of the fin. It
uses the spine to lock itself into rocks and corals where it sleeps for the night, well
protected from predators. Triggers can also vocalize a grunting sound. The eyes work
independently to scan the reef.
Clown Triggerfish - Aquarium Care
The Clown Trigger is reasonably easy to keep, but is not reef safe, is not a good community
fish and grows too large for most aquariums. Clown Triggers are also territorial, so it is
best to keep only one in the tank. They are among the more aggressive triggers, so consider
a Redtooth or a
Picasso Trigger for your first purchase
of triggerfish. The tank should be at least 140 gallons with plenty of places to hide plus
open areas for swimming.
Clown Triggerfish - Feeding
The Clown Trigger feeds on regular live, frozen and flake foods. This can include squid, shrimp, krill, mussels, pieces of fish, starfish, sea urchins, shellfish and small fish. Their diet can be supplemented with spirulina, algae or dried seaweed. Triggerfish use their mouths to blow over invertebrates and attack them in their soft undersides. They can be very aggressive when eating.
Clown Triggerfish - Breeding
There are no known sexual differences. Clown Triggers are egg-scatterers and they
are not bred in captivity. They spawn in deep waters, where the young live until they
reach a length of about 6 inches (15 cm), which is why it is much more difficult to obtain juveniles.
Scientific Name: |
Balistoides conspicillum |
Family: |
Balistidae |
Care: |
Difficult |
Temperature: |
24 - 28 C; 75 - 82 F |
pH: |
8.2 - 8.4 |
dH: |
8 - 12 |
Specific Gravity: |
1.020 - 1.025 |
Size: |
50 cm; 20 inches |
Breeding: |
Egg Layer |
Life Span: |
years |
Crustacean Safe: |
No |
Coral Safe: |
Yes |
Compatibility:
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Only one Triggerfish per tank. Keep with large
basses, groupers, large surgeonfish, aggressive
eels, lionfish and puffers. Do not keep with
invertebrates.
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