Queen triggerfish

Care at a glance

Overview

This large, boisterous fish needs a fish-only tank of at least 900 litres with heavy rockwork and strong filtration, at 22 to 27 C and pH 8.0 to 8.4. It is not reef safe and will eat shrimp, crabs, snails, urchins and clams and bite corals. Keep only one, house it with large, tough tankmates, and add it last. Feed a varied hard-shelled diet of clams, mussels, urchins and shrimp in the shell to wear down its teeth. It learns to recognise its owner and begs at the glass.

In the wild

The queen triggerfish is a large, colourful Atlantic trigger in blue, green, yellow and violet, with bright blue lines radiating from the eyes and long trailing filaments on the tail. It is intelligent, personable and grows into a big, powerful fish around 50 cm. It is also very aggressive and dominates almost any tank.

Good to know

Balistes vetula is a specialist predator of sea urchins, which it flips over by blowing jets of water to reach the soft underside safe from the spines. It can reach roughly 50 to 60 cm and lives for well over a decade. Adults produce audible grunts using their teeth and swim bladder.

Common questions

Related species

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• 

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• 

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• 

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• 

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• 

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