Wedgetail triggerfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a single wedgetail in a fish-only or FOWLR tank of at least 400 litres with solid rockwork, at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.0 to 8.4. It is not reef safe: it eats shrimp, crabs, snails and urchins and rearranges loose rock and sand. House it with similarly assertive fish and add it last so it does not claim the tank before others settle. Feed hard-shelled foods like clams, mussels and shrimp in the shell along with marine meats.

In the wild

The wedgetail triggerfish is a boldly marked fish with a black wedge running back from the eye, blue lips and a diagonal dark bar edged in yellow across the body. It is the reef triggerfish made famous as Hawaii's state fish. It is active, curious and holds a strong territory around its patch of rock.

Good to know

Rhinecanthus rectangulus is one of two fish that share the Hawaiian name humuhumunukunukuapuaa, which loosely means triggerfish with a snout like a pig. When alarmed it darts into a crevice and locks its dorsal trigger spine to wedge itself in tight. It grunts audibly when disturbed by grinding its teeth.

Did you know

This fish shares the tongue-twisting name humuhumunukunukuapuaa with its cousin the lagoon triggerfish, and the word is often cited as one of the longest in the Hawaiian language.

Related species

• 

  Picasso Triggerfish

  Rhinecanthus aculeatus

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

• 

  Undulated triggerfish

  Balistapus undulatus

  11.8 in (30 cm)180 gal (680 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)

• 

  Bursa Triggerfish

  Sufflamen bursa

  9.8 in (25 cm)125 gal (473 L)72–79°F (22–26°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)

• 

  Clown Triggerfish

  Balistoides conspicillum

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