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Crosshatch Triggerfish
Triggerfish

Crosshatch Triggerfish

Xanthichthys mento

Every scale outlined in black over straw-yellow, with a red tail edged in neon blue — the crosshatch is the one triggerfish people put on a waiting list. Like its blue-throat cousin it picks zooplankton out of open water rather than crushing coral, so a reef is safe from it in the way that matters. Ornamental shrimp, snails, urchins and feather dusters are not. It comes from cooler, subtropical water than most reef fish and does best toward the lower end of a normal reef temperature, and it is collected deep in small numbers, which is why it costs what it costs.

Temperament
Semi-aggressive
Max size
11.4"
Min tank
180 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Planktivore
Zone
Mid-water, Open water, Caves
Keep one or a bonded pair.
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Tankmates

How Crosshatch 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.

Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Crosshatch Triggerfish.Zebra MorayZebra Moray has a big enough mouth to eat the much smaller Crosshatch Triggerfish.Blue-Leg Hermit CrabCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Blue-Leg Hermit Crab is on the menu.Trochus SnailCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Trochus Snail is on the menu.Astrea SnailCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Astrea Snail is on the menu.Cerith SnailCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Cerith Snail is on the menu.Nassarius SnailCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nassarius Snail is on the menu.Nerite SnailCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Nerite Snail is on the menu.Mexican Turbo SnailCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Mexican Turbo Snail is on the menu.Bumble Bee SnailCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Bumble Bee Snail is on the menu.Fighting ConchCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Fighting Conch is on the menu.Scarlet Reef Hermit CrabCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Zebra Hermit CrabCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Zebra Hermit Crab is on the menu.Halloween Hermit CrabCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Halloween Hermit Crab is on the menu.Emerald CrabCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Emerald Crab is on the menu.Sally Lightfoot CrabCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Sally Lightfoot Crab is on the menu.Skunk Cleaner ShrimpCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts ornamental shrimp — your Skunk Cleaner Shrimp is on the menu.Fire ShrimpCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts ornamental shrimp — your Fire Shrimp is on the menu.Peppermint ShrimpCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts ornamental shrimp — your Peppermint Shrimp is on the menu.Coral Banded ShrimpCrosshatch Triggerfish hunts ornamental shrimp — your Coral Banded Shrimp is on the menu.

Keep an eye on these

Usually fine, but worth watching in a smaller tank.

Percula ClownfishCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Percula Clownfish and may harass it.Maroon ClownfishCrosshatch Triggerfish and Maroon Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Banggai CardinalfishCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Banggai Cardinalfish and may harass it.Pajama CardinalfishCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Pajama Cardinalfish and may harass it.Green ChromisCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Green Chromis and may harass it.Blue DamselCrosshatch Triggerfish and Blue Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellowtail DamselCrosshatch Triggerfish and Yellowtail Damsel both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Flame AngelfishCrosshatch Triggerfish and Flame Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Coral Beauty AngelfishCrosshatch Triggerfish and Coral Beauty Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Lemonpeel AngelfishCrosshatch Triggerfish and Lemonpeel Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Bicolor AngelfishCrosshatch Triggerfish and Bicolor Angelfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Red Saddleback ClownfishCrosshatch Triggerfish and Red Saddleback Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yellow TangCrosshatch Triggerfish and Yellow Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Helfrich's FirefishCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Helfrich's Firefish and may harass it.Red Sea ClownfishCrosshatch Triggerfish and Red Sea Clownfish both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Yasha GobyCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Yasha Goby and may harass it.Tailspot BlennyCrosshatch Triggerfish (semi-aggressive) is much larger than the peaceful Tailspot Blenny and may harass it.Sailfin TangCrosshatch Triggerfish and Sailfin Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Purple TangCrosshatch Triggerfish and Purple Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.Powder Blue TangCrosshatch Triggerfish and Powder Blue Tang both claim the same part of the tank and may squabble.