Shy Trigger eating habbits

[Animal-Chin]

So a month ago I bought a bluejaw Trigger. Big fat and healthy. Didn't quarantine but dripped acclimated over 3 hours before adding her to my lightly stocked 125 6 foot tank. From day one, she is super shy when it comes to feeding. She's out swimming all day and really sociable, no aggression in my tank at all but everytime I add food to the tank she hides. She's never eaten Mysis or brine or anything floating in the water column. What she loves is clams in a half shell. I put one in front of her and she devours it! She'll also occasionally graze on nori in the clip.

Is clam a good enough diet? She's still upper fat and there is way more meat in one clam than in eating floating Mysis ect so I think she's getting enough food, just not much variety...

 

[Sniperhank]

I had issues similar with my tomini tang when I first got it. Would hide when anyone was near the tank, which is a good sign due to being a shy fish. But wouldn't get to eat when I fed as it was hiding. I began feeding from the side of the tank so it was out and free swimming. Over time, it learned what was going on and got used to what was going on and now eats w/o issue. Might try it out...sounds like it is doing what is natural and hiding from you.

 

[54seaweed]

You may want to try live feeder shrimp , some of my fish won't eat unless it wiggles ,

 

[Animal-Chin]

I don't think live feeder shrimp are available anywhere around me. I don't mind feeding clams because I know it's good for their teeth but is a one food diet gonna cut it? I'm hoping time brings it around but I've never had a fish this shy before, I can only watch her from across the room...lol

 

[54seaweed]

this place has awesome prices never seen them so low
scroll down about 1/2 way down the page you'll see them they also have sw feeder minnows
Brine Shrimp and Live Aquarium Food

feed her some shrimp she'll be darting around chasing them for sure

 

[Animal-Chin]

I'm Canadian eh, can order from them...thanks though. I'll look around BC and see if I can find something...

 

[54seaweed]

sorry missed that
how far are you from the fishing boat docks maybe you can get one of them to go out and get you some just a thought

 

[Dary421]

When I had my triggers I'd make up my own fish food by using a combination of fresh fish, mussels, clams, squid, shrimp,nori etc minced or blended into a suitable size , I'd add a little Zoe for vitamins and freeze it flattened in a zip lock bag ,... At feeding time I'd just break off a suitable piece and the triggers would go nuts eating it , the smaller fish would eat all the tiny pieces,... It's cheaper than buying a ton of prepackaged stuff that they may not like and you can customize your blend to your tank


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[Animal-Chin]

Cool idea, thanks.

 

[Dary421]

Welcome .. Doug, Greg and others do the same ...


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[Animal-Chin]

I can just see me walking into the kitchen with a fresh bag of sea food and my wife being like "oh wow whats for dinner" and me being like " uh hotdogs, the fresh sea food is for the trigger"...lol


Hey she picked that fish, cant blame me...

 

[Dary421]

It's not as bad as you think ,... And a little goes a long ways ,... Get her involved.


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[Gregcoyote]

I think your clam idea is right on. Triggers need to gnaw, like rats, otherwise they get into problems. You can also give him some small crab legs, they love those. He could happily spend his whole life eating nothing but clams and crab legs. I suggest leaving everything in the shell.

Soft food is a great supplement, but triggers in the wild are designed to dismantle crustaceans. That's why the formidable vise like teeth that don't stop growing.


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[Dary421]

Mine would always grab a mouthful of gravel and chew it up before spitting it out right on top of my chalices :-/ that's why I was never too concerned , they got enough of that eating every crustacean I had in the tank , every now and then I'd drop in a couple of live sand crabs ,..now that was a scene right Outa national geographics to watch


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[Animal-Chin]

She loves the clams in the shell for sure. It would be easier if she ate something normal but I don't mind thawing a clam a day if that's what she'll eat...

 

[Gregcoyote]

Try the crab legs, they are pretty cheap and you can throw them in frozen. You eat the big ones and give the trigger the small ones that aren't worth eating.


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[54seaweed]

I would have thought the cooked crab legs be no good for them as there cooked in some type of crab boil , before there packed and shipped out

 

[Gregcoyote]

You want fresh or fresh frozen crab. Not pre cooked. You feed it raw. LOL I don't cook for any of my fish...


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[54seaweed]

I thought all crab was pre cooked , I'll have to see if I can find uncooked

 

[Gregcoyote]

If you have a fresh seafood counter, check there. Otherwise the frozen is generally already cooked, unlike clams and shrimp where the frozen works fine when making your own foods.

But back in the day I had a 10 year old Picasso trigger that got table scraps. I'm much more politically correct now, but that trigger would crunch up the bits of crab leg I didn't want. He cared less it was seasoned. You could hear the crunching all over the house.


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