Trigger FOWLR Build Ideas Welcome

Gooey

New Member
Hi All. I'm a noob and need some help. I want to build a FOWLR around a Humu Rectangle Triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus) (snorkeled with them all the time when I was stationed in Hawaii). I know that I want a tank built around this species, and I want to do it right.

My understanding is that they are slow growers, so if bought a juvenile around 2", it might be 6-7 years before they need more than 70 gallons. But of course, ultimately, they might need upwards of 180 gallons. So I'm trying to balance not buying way more than I need but also not putting myself in a situation where I need to upgrade right away. I would like to put off dealing with an upgrade for at least 5 years, if not 10. I would want to have a few other fish that will get along with the trigger, but it's not critical. The bottom line is that if I get one of these guys, I want to husband it properly.

I want a sumped system because this is going in the living room and I'm trying to keep the wife happy. She hates the traditional ugly oak stands, and I definitely want to get the skimmer, heater, top off, etc in the sump. So I'm looking for an neat and attractive setup.

Please give me your size and equipment recommendations to include how you would do the filtration. I'm a noob, so while I understand the basics, I'm not totally clear on what type of tank and setup would be optimal. (Rimless or braced, drilled or not drilled, corner or center overflows, standard tank or custom, etc.) I need a bit of handholding here and I welcome any and all recommendations, to include recommended build outs. Thank you!
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Humu Rectangle Triggers are a fascinating fish and are full of surprises. They are almost like having a puppy, except it limited by the tank. They are extremely hardy too, and will eat anything. That's the good news.

The bad news is that they are not reef safe and once they grow, they usually can't be kept with any other fish. They are just that territorial and nasty. Some will even try to bite you if you put your hand in the tank, but this is unusual.

They grow a lot faster than you would think. You really should start with a tank of about 100 gal, which would be just large enough to hold the one adult fish.

The big question is do you really want to set up a large tank to house one fish, no matter how interesting it is? Also, do you want to care for the fish for many years? Figure that it's a lot like owning a dog.

It should be pointed out that there are a few other species of trigger that are more docile than the rest of the group. You might consider a blue throat trigger, which can be put with other fish, and is somewhat reef safe. Same basic setup, unless you also want corals in there.

If you are still interested in keeping the fish, I would recommend setting up a FOWLR tank devoted to the one fish. As mentioned the tank should be about 100 gal. I'd use about 100 lbs or live rock, with just enough sand to cover the bottom. The filtration system should be a bit oversized, because triggers can be big dirty fish. I'd use a berlin type sump with a large powerful skimmer. Another alternative would be to use a trickle filter with bio balls and a skimmer. Lighting should be on the low side by reef standards, because your not trying to maintain corals in this system and you want to keep algae down.

In a system like this you keep nitrates and phosphates down by doing regular water changes. You could also use various media reactors to help you out here, but add them on an as needed basis.

Things not to do -

Don't try to use a deep sand bed triggers like to dig.
Don't try to add the usual clean up crew of snails and hermit crabs, since the trigger will eat them.
Ditto for most other inverts.
Don't worry about your aquascape. Triggers will move any rock they can get a hold of. Make sure no rock work can be tipped over.
 

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
DaveK is right-on with his post. I had a huma trigger for several years and it double in size the first year and then double again the second year, went from a 1 inch fish (super tiny) to about~6 inches in three years. Not sure if you would classify this as growing slow or not :ponder2: Be prepared to upgrade the tank in about three years from now.

I LOVED this fish. Since it was small I was able to have it in a tank with other HI species (lunar wrasse and snowflake eel) w/o issue. Not sure how aggressive it would have gotten once it got bigger, but I believe DaveK on the aggressiveness of this fish, it can hold its own and then some.

I'm not clear on what size tank you are going to start with?
 

Gooey

New Member
Is it safe to assume that most of the Huma's in the LFS are not going to end up with long lives? Hard to believe they are all bound for single-fish tanks. Good point about really wanting to set up such a large tank for just one fish. Need to think hard about that.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Is it safe to assume that most of the Huma's in the LFS are not going to end up with long lives? Hard to believe they are all bound for single-fish tanks. Good point about really wanting to set up such a large tank for just one fish. Need to think hard about that.

You are correct. Most of these get sold to people who have no idea about what they are getting involved with. I'd estimate that about 95% die in a few years. It's very sad there are a lot of fish that should only be sold to people that know what they are getting involved with.

It's not too much different in the FW hobby. How many of those small oscars grow to their adult size? Yet almost ever LFS has a tank of them.
 
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