TankBud

Niger triggerfish

Odonus niger

Also known as Redtoothed Triggerfish, Black Triggerfish, Niger Trigger

SaltwaterFish

Niger triggerfish (Odonus niger)
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
11.8 in
30 cm
Minimum tank
180 gal
680 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe with caution
Family
Balistidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Line, Marquesas, and Society islands, north to southern Japan

Overview

The Niger triggerfish is the most laid-back and reef-tolerant of the commonly kept triggerfish. It is one of the hardiest fish in the marine hobby and easy to keep, as long as you have room for a big tank.

Did you know

The Niger triggerfish is one of the few triggers that schools in open water instead of patrolling alone over the reef. A single Niger in a home aquarium is a schooling fish living alone, since home tanks rarely have room for a wild shoal.

Caring for the Niger triggerfish

Give a Niger triggerfish at least 180 gal (680 L), with strong water flow and plenty of open swimming space. Build rockwork with caves, since it likes a place to retreat into at night.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed a varied meaty diet of krill, mysis, clams and other seafood. Include something with a shell to help wear down its teeth.

Niger triggerfish are mostly peaceful and do fine with their own kind, but choose other tank mates with caution. Treat it as reef safe with caution rather than a guarantee. It can still peck at ornamental shrimp, snails and small crabs, especially as it grows and if it is underfed. It is not venomous, but like any trigger it can bite.

Good to know

The Niger triggerfish, Odonus niger, belongs to the triggerfish family Balistidae and is also sold as the redtoothed or black triggerfish. It can reach 50 cm in the wild, though most aquarium specimens stay well short of that. Adults develop small, bright red teeth, and the body shifts between purple, blue and green with the light and the fish's mood. It makes an audible grunting sound when startled or excited.

In the wild

Niger triggerfish range across the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Line, Marquesas and Society islands, and north to southern Japan. They live on current-swept outer reef slopes and drop-offs, usually about 5 to 110 meters deep. Hundreds gather over the reef edge, hanging in the current to pick drifting zooplankton out of the water. Most of their relatives hunt alone over the bottom, crunching through shellfish and coral rubble instead.

Common questions

What size tank does a Niger triggerfish need?

A Niger triggerfish needs at least 180 gal (680 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Niger triggerfish need?

A Niger triggerfish is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Niger triggerfish eat?

A Niger triggerfish eats a varied meaty diet of krill, mysis, clams and other seafood. Give it something with a shell as well, which helps wear down its teeth.

How big does a Niger triggerfish get?

An adult Niger triggerfish reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).

Related species