Crosshatch triggerfish
Xanthichthys mento
Also known as Redtail triggerfish, Blue-throat crosshatch, Crosshatch trigger, Mento triggerfish
SaltwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 70–79°F
- 21–26°C
- pH
- 8.0–8.4
- Adult size
- 11.8 in
- 30 cm
- Minimum tank
- 106 gal
- 400 L
- Temperament
- Mostly peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Own kind
- One male per tank
- Tankmates
- With caution
- Swim level
- Middle
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Breeding
- No record
- Rarity
- Rare
- Reef safe
- Reef safe with caution
- Family
- Balistidae
- Origin
- Native to the subtropical Pacific, living over deeper outer reefs and rocky drop-offs where it feeds on plankton.
Overview
The crosshatch triggerfish has a fine grid of dark lines over its body and a red-edged tail. It is a trigger for a large marine tank and best with a little experience.
Did you know
The crosshatch triggerfish lives at depth, so it is collected less often. That keeps it pricier than common triggers.
Caring for the crosshatch triggerfish
Give a crosshatch triggerfish a tank of at least 106 gal (400 L), with open water and some rock. Keep it on the cooler side, at 70 to 79°F (21 to 26°C), with a pH of 8.0 to 8.4. Feed frequent small meals of meaty foods and some marine algae to match its plankton-feeding habits.
The crosshatch is one of the calmer triggers and usually leaves corals alone. It may still sample small shrimp, so it is reef safe only with caution. In a large tank it can even be kept as a pair or small group, with just one male.
Males show a bright blue throat and yellow highlights, while females are more subdued. Males also court females with a vivid flush of blue across the throat.
Good to know
Xanthichthys mento is a plankton-feeding triggerfish in the family Balistidae, and one of the few triggers considered reasonably reef-tolerant. Males and females differ in color, an unusual trait in the family. The trade also calls it the redtail or mento triggerfish.
In the wild
The crosshatch triggerfish is native to the subtropical Pacific, where it lives in cooler, deeper water over outer reefs and rocky drop-offs. It feeds on plankton there, hovering calmly in the open rather than hiding.
Common questions
What size tank does a crosshatch triggerfish need?
A crosshatch triggerfish needs at least 106 gal (400 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a crosshatch triggerfish need?
A crosshatch triggerfish is comfortable at 70–79°F (21–26°C) with a pH of 8.0–8.4.
What does a crosshatch triggerfish eat?
A crosshatch triggerfish eats frequent small meals of meaty foods with some marine algae.
How big does a crosshatch triggerfish get?
An adult crosshatch triggerfish reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).
How can you tell a male crosshatch triggerfish from a female?
Males have a bright blue throat and yellow highlights, while females are more subdued. Males also flush blue across the throat when courting.
Related species
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