1750 Gallon Mixed Reef Aquarium and Clown Triggerfish

AliOngel · Apr 17, 2022

I have a 1750 gallon aquarium.
Here are the fishes in my tank:
- The entire Angelfish family
- The entire Tang family
- Chromis, Anthias, some Damselfish species
- Some Butterfly types.
- Some Clown types
- SPS , LPS , Acro , Mushroom and Anemone Species
There are over 400 big and small fish. There are shrimps and crabs.
I have a question that I have read hundreds of titles and know the answer to a little bit.
I want to add a 5 inch Clown Triggerfish. This fish is the reason I entered the reef aquarium. But I haven't been able to add it yet. Somehow I was always scared. But I've read about experiences with smaller tanks in general. But I'm wondering if the results will change due to my tank size. I am curious about the opinions of those who have previously owned Clown Triggerfish. It is very important in the views of those who have experience in large tanks. I will act according to your experiences and suggestions. Thank you for your valuable answers. I am also sharing an updated video of my tank.

jda · Apr 17, 2022

My in-home experience has been limited to 240g, but 1200g with client tank, so I can focus on that. The tank had pretty run-of-the-mill late 1990s corals from kenya trees, mushrooms, some hard coral like fox, pavona, few easy SPS and the like - it was lit by solar and 1000w Halides. It had a wide range of fish from damsels to lookdowns with many tangs, angels and everything in between. The clown trigger was OK...not great, but also not chill. It mostly left coral alone, but would chase some fish but not really kill them. As in all large tanks, some fish just disappear, but there was no way to prove that it was the CT and we never heard anybody say that they ever saw it go after fish. Good eater and not scared of anybody. It was constantly interested in hermits and snails - we mostly had Mexican Turbos in the tank and they are decent at holding on or coming out at night. At the time, the CT was about 6-7" inches and everybody promised that it would get worse as it got larger (super territorial as it got larger). I left college and have no idea what became of it as it grew.

This is just a guess, but 5" might be OK. It might attack some inverts and might find some corals as play things and try and chew them up - not to eat them, but just for fun (basic trigger behavior). I think that there is just too much evidence of what happens to them as they grow.

Personally, I would not risk it and if you want a trigger, get a pair of Crosshatches or a Goldenback which are reef safe options. Maybe a decent compromise to scratch the trigger itch? I totally understand dream fish, so if you have to have it, also have a plan to catch it if you need to. That sump room looks awesome - any way to find a used, larger acrylic tank, plumb it in and keep the CT and maybe a few other aggressive fish back there?

I have seen these grow to over a foot in captivity. 3-4 inches wide. I don't know if they will ever get to the 50cm that they do in the wild, but they still get really big.

AliOngel · Apr 17, 2022

jda said:
My in-home experience has been limited to 240g, but 1200g with client tank, so I can focus on that. The tank had pretty run-of-the-mill late 1990s corals from kenya trees, mushrooms, some hard coral like fox, pavona, few easy SPS and the like - it was lit by solar and 1000w Halides. It had a wide range of fish from damsels to lookdowns with many tangs, angels and everything in between. The clown trigger was OK...not great, but also not chill. It mostly left coral alone, but would chase some fish but not really kill them. As in all large tanks, some fish just disappear, but there was no way to prove that it was the CT and we never heard anybody say that they ever saw it go after fish. Good eater and not scared of anybody. It was constantly interested in hermits and snails - we mostly had Mexican Turbos in the tank and they are decent at holding on or coming out at night. At the time, the CT was about 6-7" inches and everybody promised that it would get worse as it got larger (super territorial as it got larger). I left college and have no idea what became of it as it grew.

This is just a guess, but 5" might be OK. It might attack some inverts and might find some corals as play things and try and chew them up - not to eat them, but just for fun (basic trigger behavior). I think that there is just too much evidence of what happens to them as they grow.

Personally, I would not risk it and if you want a trigger, get a pair of Crosshatches or a Goldenback which are reef safe options. Maybe a decent compromise to scratch the trigger itch? I totally understand dream fish, so if you have to have it, also have a plan to catch it if you need to. That sump room looks awesome - any way to find a used, larger acrylic tank, plumb it in and keep the CT and maybe a few other aggressive fish back there?

I have seen these grow to over a foot in captivity. 3-4 inches wide. I don't know if they will ever get to the 50cm that they do in the wild, but they still get really big.

There are several types of triggers. I did not see any harm in them. Clown Triggerfish already exists. But I didn't add it to the tank. For now, a friend is waiting in her tank. Small fish, crab etc. I don't care. I have precious Angelfish species. I'm just afraid of hurting them. I understand the corals will be fine. Thank you very much for your reply.