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Clown Triggerfish
Triggerfish

Clown Triggerfish

Balistoides conspicillum

Huge white spots on a black belly, a yellow-mottled back and a painted orange mouth — the clown trigger is one of the most recognisable fish in the sea and one of the hardest to live with. It crushes urchins, crabs, clams and snails, so nothing invertebrate survives beside it, and its aggression climbs steadily with size until an adult is realistically a species-only animal. It chews heaters, tubing and cables, scratches acrylic, and bites hands during maintenance — feed it with tongs. The juvenile in the shop is small and tame and costs little; what it becomes over the next two years is a half-metre predator that needs a tank of its own.

Temperament
Aggressive
Max size
19.7"
Min tank
180 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe with caution
Diet
Carnivore
Zone
Rockwork, Caves, Mid-water
Keep just one per tank — two will fight.
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Tankmates

How Clown Triggerfish gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Percula ClownfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Percula Clownfish and may harass it.Maroon ClownfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Maroon Clownfish.Purple Queen AnthiasClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Purple Queen Anthias and may harass it.Banggai CardinalfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Banggai Cardinalfish and may harass it.Radiant WrasseClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Radiant Wrasse and may harass it.Pajama CardinalfishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pajama Cardinalfish and may harass it.Green ChromisClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Chromis and may harass it.Blue DamselClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Blue Damsel.Yellowtail DamselClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellowtail Damsel.Flame AngelfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Flame Angelfish.Coral Beauty AngelfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Coral Beauty Angelfish.Lemonpeel AngelfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Lemonpeel Angelfish.Bicolor AngelfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Bicolor Angelfish.Red Saddleback ClownfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Red Saddleback Clownfish.Yellow TangClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Yellow Tang.Helfrich's FirefishClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Helfrich's Firefish and may harass it.Red Sea ClownfishClown Triggerfish has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Red Sea Clownfish.Yasha GobyClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yasha Goby and may harass it.Hippo TangClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Hippo Tang and may harass it.Tailspot BlennyClown Triggerfish (aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tailspot Blenny and may harass it.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Red Coris WrasseClown Triggerfish and Red Coris Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Emperor AngelfishClown Triggerfish and Emperor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Regal AngelfishClown Triggerfish and Regal Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Picasso TriggerfishClown Triggerfish and Picasso Triggerfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Queen AngelfishClown Triggerfish and Queen Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Blueface AngelfishClown Triggerfish and Blueface Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Chevron TangClown Triggerfish and Chevron Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Dragon WrasseClown Triggerfish and Dragon Wrasse both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Snowflake MorayClown Triggerfish and Snowflake Moray both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Chainlink MorayClown Triggerfish and Chainlink Moray both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Golden Dwarf MorayClown Triggerfish and Golden Dwarf Moray both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Rectangle TriggerfishClown Triggerfish and Rectangle Triggerfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Miniata GrouperClown Triggerfish and Miniata Grouper both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Panther GrouperClown Triggerfish and Panther Grouper both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Six-Line SoapfishClown Triggerfish and Six-Line Soapfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Painted FrogfishClown Triggerfish and Painted Frogfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.