new baby undulated trigger

[jarrod13]

I finally got my tiny undulated that I've been waiting patiently for. I almost jumped on one a few weeks ago that was 2" but I held off because I really wanted a baby and my lfs gets tiny ones in every so often. So this little bugger is about 1" and very healthy. He is a little on the thin side but he's quickly gaining weight. He's going to live in my 10g fuge for the time being until he grows a little bigger, then I already have my 28 bowfront that i took down waiting for him. Luckily they grow slow so there's no hurry to set it back up. Anyways so I'm happy, wanted one of these guys ever since I first saw one, most beautiful trigger IMO, and I'm glad i get to raise him from a baby.

First vid is when i first released him into the tank and the second is one of him feeding on mysis. Enjoy! And post pics of your undys if you'd like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bT7HGovbQw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj-ARRvLYBc

[jarrod13]

BTW sorry for the shaky camera and bad lighting, it's hard holding an iphone and trying to feed without spooking him at the same time. And the light was just a clamp on standard 60w fixture, I now have a flourescent fixture on the tank

[marillion]

How could such a mean bastard be so darn cute? :)

Peace,

Chip

[Sonicblast12]

Welcome to the club, congrats on your new dog. Get that thing fat.

[jarrod13]

Thanks guys! His stomach stays fat because he's well fed now but he's still a little skinny up top, but I'm working on it ;-)

[humaguy]

keep that little devil alone...great fish, but deadly...really cute little devil though...good luck...he is awesome...

[jarrod13]

Ya he's staying by himself, even when he upgrades to new digs

[fish stalker]

Very cool fish :p mine was this size when I got it. Def worth the wait, I find the small ones are less reclusive and out digging up the tank more. Good luck :) with this one. Mine is now about doubled in size and about to go into a 40 breeder from it's grow out tank of 12/15 g.

[jarrod13]

Actually he's super skittish. The only way I can feed him is by finding where he's hiding and dropping some food in the area and he snatches it and runs back. I haven't really seen him Playing with the decor at all. I put a lot of rock rubble in the tank but there's no sand, do you think that would make him feel better?

fishstalker, what was the growth rate on yours?

[jwm2k3]

I would try some fresh shrimp/scallups/clams/squid from grocery store. Eventually this lil guy will be bold, curious and inqusitive! Give him some time, he will be out and about soon!

[fish stalker]

Mine loves to dig but you have macro so he should be fine, plus as long as he has some rock to hid under etc you should see a happy fish

[clowntriggerfis]

awesome trigger

[3rdimension]

I had an undulated trigger once. I went to try and catch him to return him to the aquarium dealer, he purposely stuck himself between a piece of live rock, and when I tried to push him out backwards after trying to push his fins down to un-wedge him first, he bit the **** our of me! broke skin, made me bleed, little bastard! I've kept many other triggers before and none of them did that when I tried netting them or handling them.

[humaguy]

next time it happens, try pulling the live rock out of the tank and put in a bucket...the fish will come come out...eventually...dont force a trigger out of a hole, unless you know how to release their triggers...you could really damage the fish that way...

[alton]

When I broke apart my trigger tank apart, my brother-in-law wanted my 1 1/2" undy to go with his 4" niger. After two weeks the undy killed his niger, so he refused to feed the undy and after four months he called me to take the trigger back to the fish store. Seems the undulated lived off the algae in the tank and got fat off of it. Cool fish, but are mean.

[jarrod13]

I would try some fresh shrimp/scallups/clams/squid from grocery store. Eventually this lil guy will be bold, curious and inqusitive! Give him some time, he will be out and about soon!

Eating isn't a problem, he eats great, it's just the only time he will actively come out when I'm in front of the tank, but I think your right in time he will get used to me.

[jarrod13]

Mine loves to dig but you have macro so he should be fine, plus as long as he has some rock to hid under etc you should see a happy fish

Ya there's plenty of rock and crevices in there, it usually takes me a while to even find him when he's hiding, he's so small and kind of blends in :-)

[jarrod13]

I had an undulated trigger once. I went to try and catch him to return him to the aquarium dealer, he purposely stuck himself between a piece of live rock, and when I tried to push him out backwards after trying to push his fins down to un-wedge him first, he bit the **** our of me! broke skin, made me bleed, little bastard! I've kept many other triggers before and none of them did that when I tried netting them or handling them.

Typical trigger! In the second video you can see the big shell that mine was living in at the lfs. When the guy went to net him he stuck himself deep in the shell, the employee was trying to shake him out but I said just put the whole shell in the bag, at least he'll feel somewhat safe and less stressed, and he stayed in it until he was in my tank :-) I agree with humaguy, when they do that you have to let them release naturally or you could seriously hurt them, I had a baby Niger that did it constantly when spooked

[humaguy]

undy= one of, if not, the most belligerent fish in the world...will kill, torture, and torment for the sheer delight and pleasure it brings them...this is not a fish that waits to get large to intimdate and attack...a brutal but beautiful fish...lollove them...

[jarrod13]

Update: He's doing phenomenal!! Getting bolder everyday, but he's still a little skittish with movement outside the tank. I'm assuming he destroyed the huge hermit crab that was his roommate, one day the hermit was just scattered throughout the tank, legs everywhere. That thing was probably three times his size too.

The most exciting news is that he ate pellets for the first time today!! Yayyy!!!!!

I'll try to get some pics of him, it's hard though because he's so dang fast, and because he's so small i have to hold the phone really close to the tank to get a pic, but I'll keep trying I promise

[fish stalker]

Love this fish! I've had mine in a grow out tank while I set up a 40 B for it. I'll post pics once I get it sorted. Biggest issue is to find space to put the tank. The grow out tank is in the kitchen and the undy is very interactive so don't want to move it where it won't get traffic. My previous one was very reclusive. Great that it's eating pellets, looking forward to your pics

[jarrod13]

here's a updated video, it's still hard to get good shots of this guy but at least you can see how much weight he's picking up. sorry for the quality, I need to invest in an actual camera instead of just using my phone. ENJOY!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cji4Rb3EBF0

[whipsaw]

I got one of these guys for my community tank in January. Gorgeous fish, and so far not nearly as bad as their reputation. Bought a ~2.5 inch individual, it's grown about an inch in length over the last 9 months. It ate a couple small damsels the first day in my tank, but quickly got down to eating flakes, pellets and krill. Was really shy and skittish for months but is finally getting out more. Easily one of my favorite fish ever.

[humaguy]

An Undy should not be kept in a community tank...he will kill everything in your tank...sooner rather than later...even a tiny one is dangerous...what else is in your tank?

[whipsaw]

An Undy should not be kept in a community tank...he will kill everything in your tank...sooner rather than later...even a tiny one is dangerous...what else is in your tank?

Thanks, I am aware. Back when I was a kid I was surprised to learn that discus were too delicate to keep in a community tank since I'd been keeping and breeding them in one for five years...
I'm not saying the common wisdom regarding undulated triggers is wrong, I'm just curious as to why, and if there are exceptions or things we can do to work around the problems.
Two of the three fish my trigger ate when I put him in my tank were sergeant majors. The LFS was feeding silversides and guppies, I assume the trigger just went after whatever was shiny and moving. It doesn't seem to be an obligate piscivore, or even an oportunistic one yet.
They're supposed to be highly territorial, but mine hasn't become so in almost a year. I'm curious if they become more territorial as they reach maturity, and I'm curious if rearranging rockwork will disrupt their territory, and if so for how long. He's in a 500g tank, so there's some room to carve out a territory if he wants it.
They are said to particularly hate long fish such as eels and wrasses, from what I've seen the only fish my trigger just can't stand is my yellow-tailed coris. So far he chases it, but hasn't damaged it at all. He seems to ignore dwarf angels, bannerfish, clowns and damsels even though he could easily kill any of them. He hasn't nibbled fins or taken bites out of any fish since that first week I dropped him in the tank.

My trigger had been returned to the LFS a record 8 times in 3 months before I got it. I got it at a steep discount, only because I have a 60g bare QT and a 100g empty with rock for isolation. Both are cycled and running for the day my trigger just can't play well with others. I've also trained him to eat right next to a net, so I won't have to hook him out or take the tank down to catch him.

[jarrod13]

Still practically impossible to get a pic of but he's doing great! Sharing his home with a buddy ATM but he's about to move into his new home. He's picked up a lot of weight. Here are some pics and another quick vid

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/grodm13/b55482c0.jpg

http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/grodm13/3f2e23bd.jpg



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guF2ImIK-BU

[jarrod13]

Got his tank a stand, should have rock, sand, and water in it in a few days. I can't wait to get him out of the fuge!!


http://i1191.photobucket.com/albums/z466/grodm13/09061b56.jpg

[clowntriggerfis]

How big is his new tank?

[jarrod13]

28 gallon bowfront

[clowntriggerfis]

So r you just going to keep upgrading for him?

[jarrod13]

Ya, they are slow growers so I have plenty of time... Plus the old tanks always get used for something else anyways ;-)