trigger in a 55?

keiferd

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Nov 4, 2003
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I am dying to get a picaso trigger, but i can't afford to get the minimum tank size of 75 gallons for a trigger. How will a trigger do in a 55 gallon? will the limited space shorten its life span, or simply stunt his growth?
 
Triggers are definetely interesting and beautiful fish. However, 55 gal is definetely too small. I had a picasso in a 125, and I think that that was even too small. I'm sure you'll get a lot of responses with the same opinion.
 
if triggers are out of the question, what about tangs? would they survive in a 55? Cause to my eye, a 55 gallon tank is rather big for a couple of 2 inch fish. It would look bland. I've had a 20 gallon freshwater tanks with like 15 1" fish. Are there any large saltwater fish that do well in a 55 gallon with other fish?
 
When you are selecting your fish, be sure to do some research (ie. google) to find out about the species. Saltwater is a completely different world than freshwater. Sure, you maintain the same routine when it comes to cleaning etc.. But, the chemistry is very different. And, the fish that you get at the store that are only a couple of inches, may end up growing a foot or more within a very short period of time.
 
I have done my research and read up on all the saltwater fish and chemistry, and i found that all most fish that grow up to and beyond thier maximum lenght of 5", require a minimum tank size of 75 gallons. I was just wondering of those fish, what would most tolerate a 55 gallon
 
Dwarf angels, basslets, hawkfish, gobies, clowns--there are a variety of fish that will be happy in a 55. This doesn't mean you can get lots of them, because the carrying capacity of SW tanks is way, way lower than that of a FW tank. Which means, large, heavy bodied, waste producing predators will not thrive in a small tank due to water quality issues. Compound poor water quality with a small tank that induces stress (and yes, a 10 inch fish will be stressed in a tank that's 12 inches wide), and you end up with stunted, disease prone fish with shortened life spans. Make that a trigger, and eventually, it will likely snap and kill every other fish in the tank.

If you're waiting for someone to tell you that going under the minimum listed size for a SW fish will work in the long run, it's unlikely to happen.
 
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