Niger Triggerfish

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Easy   • Temperament: Semi-aggressive   • Maximum Size: 12"
• Minimum Tank Size: 55 gallons   • Water Conditions: 72-79° F, KH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4 sg 1.020-1.026
• Diet: Carnivore   • Origin: Indo-Pacific
• Family: Balistidae   • Species: Triggerfish   • Aquarium Type: Fish Only

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The Niger Triggerfish needs a varied diet of meaty foods including; squid, krill, clams, hard shelled shrimp to help wear down their ever growing teeth. Niger Triggerfish are very hearty eaters and will also except marine flake and pellet foods, but should be fed a variety of meaty foods in order to provide them with a complete nutritional balance. Niger Triggerfish are not only just a great looking species; they also share many of the characteristics that make Triggerfish in general great pets.

Niger Triggerfish are similar to other Triggerfish in that they are very inquisitive, can become tame, can be hand fed and have many other interesting habits and personality traits. Where the Niger Triggerfish is different then many other Triggerfish is their more pleasant disposition. Niger Triggerfish can be easily kept with a whole range of other fish species, which makes them an excellent addition to a non-invertebrate community tank. In fact it is not uncommon to see Odonus niger living peacefully with Tangs, Angelfish, Clownfish and large Damsel species.

The Niger Triggerfish which, is also known as the Red Tooth Triggerfish, can vary in color from a radiant purple to a blue/green color. Niger Triggerfish can change from day to day between a bluish/purple to a greenish blue color with striking light blue highlights on their fins and long tail lobes. As an adult, their teeth will change from a white color to a bright red, making them quite interesting to watch when they eat or chew on coral or rock.

The Niger Triggerfish requires at least a 55 gallon or larger aquarium with enough aqua-scaping to provide caves, crevices and similar areas for the fish to feel comfortable and provide a place to sleep at night. Niger Triggerfish will often rearrange the landscaping and rocks and substrate to their liking, creating their own caves and crevices in which to sleep at night. Niger Triggerfish will also use the rock and dead corals to chew on to grind their teeth down and keep them from protruding uncomfortably out of their mouths.

Niger Triggerfish are known for their ability to vocalize using a grunting sound; as well as, their ability to lock their dorsal fin in place to wedge themselves in a crevice if the feel threatened. They are a great active fish species for most fish-only aquariums (small non-boisterous fish species should not be kept with Niger Triggerfish). Over time the Niger Trigger can also become quite tame, both identifying their owner by sight and also will begin to take food from ones hand.

The Niger Triggerfish needs a varied diet of meaty foods including; squid, krill, clams, hard shelled shrimp to help wear down their ever growing teeth. Niger Triggerfish are very hearty eaters and will also except marine flake and pellet foods, but should be fed a variety of meaty foods in order to provide them with a complete nutritional balance.