Pinktail Triggerfish

Care at a glance

Overview

This trigger is on the calmer, more reef-tolerant end of the family and can settle into a mixed FOWLR community reasonably well if introduced with care, but it is still an opportunistic feeder rather than a true planktivore, and it will hunt down small fish, crabs, and ornamental shrimp given the chance, so reef safe here means caution, not a guarantee. Feed a varied diet of squid, krill, clams, and other meaty foods along with some algae, and include hard-shelled items to wear down its teeth. It is not venomous, but it digs and redecorates enthusiastically, so anchor rockwork well and expect the sand bed to move around.

In the wild

Ranges across coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, typically from the surface to about 60 meters and often deeper on outer reef slopes. It forages over rock and rubble for a broad mix of food and blows jets of water into the sand to uncover buried prey, a habit that shows up in the tank too. It needs a long aquarium with a wide open swimming lane plus solid live rock structure to claim as a territory.

Good to know

Melichthys vidua is a triggerfish in the family Balistidae, reaching about 40 cm, with a deep green to almost black body, translucent white rear dorsal and anal fins, and the bright pink tail that gives it its name. It is more of a generalist than the strictly planktivorous triggers, eating algae and detritus alongside crustaceans, small fish, octopus, and sponges, so it forages across a wider range of food types than a Niger or Bluethroat.

Did you know

Its emerald body and bright pink tail make it one of the more distinctively colored triggerfish, but the body can look almost entirely dark green to black under actinic lighting, with the pink tail providing the only real flash of color.

Related species

• 

  Black durgon

  Melichthys niger

  15.7 in (40 cm)124 gal (470 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Crosshatch triggerfish

  Xanthichthys mento

  11.8 in (30 cm)106 gal (400 L)70–79°F (21–26°C)

• 

  Niger Triggerfish

  Odonus niger

  11.8 in (30 cm)180 gal (680 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Bluethroat Triggerfish

  Xanthichthys auromarginatus

  9.1 in (23 cm)125 gal (473 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Clown Triggerfish

  Balistoides conspicillum

  19.7 in (50 cm)300 gal (1,135 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Queen triggerfish

  Balistes vetula

  19.7 in (50 cm)238 gal (900 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)