Does anyone have any experience with black trigger (melichthys indicus)?

Gill the 3rd · Nov 29, 2023

So I placed on online order with a fish vendor and one of the fish I ordered was a Niger Trigger. Turns out they accidently sent me a black trigger (melichthys indicus). The niger trigger would have been going into 300 gallon (10'x2'x2') display tank that is a mixed reef. I do not keep any inverts since I have several wrasses and puffers that will eat them. The smallest fish I have are a pair of fully grown clarki clowns and fully grown lemon peal angel and coral beauty.

Does anyone have any experience with these guys in terms of size, aggression, picking at corals, etc? I'm inclined to keep it, but I cant find a lot of consistent information online. I just want to make sure its not something like a humu picasso trigger that will try to kill everything it sees. Heres a pic of what I got (from google, its currently hiding in my rocks):

nereefpat · Nov 29, 2023

There's also Melichthys niger (not a "Niger trigger"), so it's also possible you got that by the vendor's confusion.

The only indicus I've been around is one at a public aquarium. It's stunning. I would guess it's a full 10", but I could be wrong. That place has several big reef tanks , and this fish is in a fish-only, if that tells you anything.

Pink tail is a relative too, so you may find some info searching there.

Gill the 3rd · Nov 29, 2023

Yea they confirmed with their wholesaler that what they sent was a black trigger (melichthys indicus). It’s cool looking so I wasn’t angry about it, I just knew it wasn’t a Niger and wanted to get a better understanding of the fish.

lion king · Nov 29, 2023

I've had one, kept him several years and rehomed him to turn my tank into a tessa tank. Great fish, likely milder than the niger and as things go, likely also more reef safe. I've never found the niger to be reef safe over time. The Melichthys genus is a trigger that many do have success with in reefs. This trigger does stay smaller, likely topping out at 10", the other black trigger(Melichthys niger) gets huge, so it's good you confirmed it is a Melichthys indicus. In nice full spectrum lighting you will see some nice patterns and color. Overall a top ranking trigger and great fish all around.

Gill the 3rd · Nov 29, 2023

lion king said:
I've had one, kept him several years and rehomed him to turn my tank into a tessa tank. Great fish, likely milder than the niger and as things go, likely also more reef safe. I've never found the niger to be reef safe over time. The Melichthys genus is a trigger that many do have success with in reefs. This trigger does stay smaller, likely topping out at 10", the other black trigger(Melichthys niger) gets huge, so it's good you confirmed it is a Melichthys indicus. In nice full spectrum lighting you will see some nice patterns and color. Overall a top ranking trigger and great fish all around.

Awesome. Appreciate the input. Looks like I’m going to keep him then. It is a great looking fish

Gill the 3rd · Dec 1, 2023

@lion king @nereefpat - He finally came out of the rocks so I could get a picture of him. He has neat markings/lines on his face and body, my poor picture doesn't do him justice. So far he is eating well and is leaving fish and corals alone. We will see how he fairs long term in reef setting. Thanks again for the input.

sc50964 · Dec 1, 2023

Great looking trigger. He is one of my favs, especially at adult size. Quite under appreciated IMO. It’s not just pitch black. There are patterns, lines, on his body and head & shades of purple depending on his mood. If I didn’t have an acrylic tank, I would no doubt have another one.

Gill the 3rd · Dec 1, 2023

sc50964 said:
Great looking trigger. He is one of my favs, especially at adult size. Quite under appreciated IMO. It’s not just pitch black. There are patterns, lines, on his body and head & shades of purple depending on his mood. If I didn’t have an acrylic tank, I would no doubt have another one.

Exactly, he has different colors and lines on his body. Its hard to capture in a picture. I actually do have him in an acrylic tank. I didn't think about him potentially scratching the tank, but any scratches he makes will blend in with all my other ones lol.

Seansea · Dec 1, 2023

Only experience i had was being bitten like crazy from these in hawaii while snorkeling if its the same black triggers. Was feeding them and they started biting the heck out of me. Seemed super aggressive IMO.

Gill the 3rd · Dec 1, 2023

Seansea said:
Only experience i had was being bitten like crazy from these in hawaii while snorkeling if its the same black triggers. Was feeding them and they started biting the heck out of me. Seemed super aggressive IMO.

Interesting. Yea my only real concerns were the size and potential aggression, since I know there are quite a few triggers that can be really aggressive. Hopefully that's not the case here, but I will certainly keep an eye on him.

lion king · Dec 1, 2023

Gill the 3rd said:
Exactly, he has different colors and lines on his body. Its hard to capture in a picture. I actually do have him in an acrylic tank. I didn't think about him potentially scratching the tank, but any scratches he makes will blend in with all my other ones lol.

Yeah pics do not do them justice. This is not one of the destructive triggers you hear about, so I wouldn't worry about any acrylic scratches. They also do not get those narly teeth like other genus.

Gill the 3rd · Dec 1, 2023

lion king said:
Yeah pics do not do them justice. This is not one of the destructive triggers you hear about, so I wouldn't worry about any acrylic scratches. They also do not get those narly teeth like other genus.

Glad to hear. Regardless i will be watching him lol