Gray Triggerfish

Balistes Triggerfish should be added to well established aquariums with plenty of room to swim. Plenty of rock work with caves and crevices should be provided for hiding. Triggerfish are known to turnover rocks, rubble, benthic invertebrates and corals provide a sand bed with rubble and seashells to turnover hunting for prey. Triggerfish are carnivores feeding on small fish, starfish, crabs, shrimp, snails and urchins. They are capable of breaking off the spines of urchins and blowing water to turnover urchins and attacking the underside. They are hardy and beautiful but quite aggressive, Triggerfish have even been known to attack divers when to close in the wild. A diet of meaty based foods should be provided. May loose coloration if not adequately fed. Triggerfish should be kept singly or mated pairs as they can be aggressive. Male and females may exhibit color differences.

Gray Triggerfish are also sometimes known as the Common Triggerfish. Rarely seen in the aquarium trade. Juvenile Gray Triggerfish have an overall gray to green color, vertical stripes, blue spots and stripes on the dorsal fin and upper parts of their body, marbled dorsal and anal fins, as the fish matures they become all gray. Gray Triggerfish can grow to almost 24".

We recommend a minimum aquarium size of 200 gallons or larger for this species.

Water conditions: Salinity 1.020 - 1.025, Temp (F) 72 - 78, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Alkalinity 8 - 12 dKH