TankBud

Queen triggerfish

Balistes vetula

Also known as Old wife, Cochino triggerfish, Ol wife, Queen trigger

SaltwaterFish

Queen triggerfish (Balistes vetula)
Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE · CC BY-SA 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
pH
8.0–8.4
Adult size
19.7 in
50 cm
Minimum tank
238 gal
900 L
Temperament
Aggressive
Social behavior
Solitary
Own kind
One per tank
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Rare
Reef safe
Not reef safe
Family
Balistidae
Origin
Native to the western Atlantic and Caribbean, living on coral and rocky reefs and seagrass beds where it hunts urchins.

Overview

The queen triggerfish is a large, boisterous Atlantic trigger that is intelligent and personable, learning to recognize its owner and beg at the glass. It grows into a big, powerful fish and is for experienced keepers.

Did you know

Queen triggerfish crack open spiny sea urchins by squirting jets of water from their mouths. The jet flips the urchin over, and the fish attacks the unprotected underside.

Caring for the queen triggerfish

Keep a queen triggerfish in a fish-only tank of at least 238 gal (900 L), with heavy rockwork and strong filtration. Hold the water at 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.0 to 8.4.

Feed a varied, hard-shelled diet of clams, mussels, urchins and shrimp in the shell. Crunching through the shells helps wear down its teeth.

Keep only one queen trigger per tank. It is very aggressive and dominates almost any tank, so house it only with large, tough tank mates and add it last. It is not reef safe. It eats shrimp, crabs, snails, urchins and clams, and it bites corals.

Good to know

The queen triggerfish, Balistes vetula, belongs to the triggerfish family Balistidae and also goes by old wife or cochino triggerfish. It is colored in blue, green, yellow and violet, with bright blue lines radiating from the eyes and long trailing filaments on the tail. Adults produce audible grunts using their teeth and swim bladder. A queen trigger can live for well over a decade.

In the wild

Queen triggerfish are native to the western Atlantic and the Caribbean. They live on coral and rocky reefs and in seagrass beds, where they are specialist predators of sea urchins.

Common questions

What size tank does a queen triggerfish need?

A queen triggerfish needs at least 238 gal (900 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a queen triggerfish need?

A queen triggerfish is comfortable at 72–81°F (22–27°C) with a pH of 8.0–8.4.

What does a queen triggerfish eat?

A queen triggerfish eats a varied, hard-shelled diet of clams, mussels, urchins and shrimp in the shell. The shells help keep its teeth worn down.

How big does a queen triggerfish get?

An adult queen triggerfish reaches about 19.7 in (50 cm).

Related species