What to feed?

Dear Nigel:

That’s a great fish! Clown triggerfish are truly spectacular and very hardy once acclimated and established in an aquarium. I’ve seen them ranging from the size of a 25-cent piece all the way up to the size of a football, and they are equally colorful and awesome regardless of size.

A healthy clown triggerfish is very easy to feed — they’ll eat almost anything. In nature, they’ll tackle anything ranging from spiny sea urchins to spiny lobsters and the toughest of shellfish and crustaceans. In the aquarium, they’ll take anything that’s meaty and substantial enough for their size. Don’t bother with flake foods, but frozen Mysis and silversides should both be much appreciated.

Clown triggers will take pellet foods and granulated foods of the proper size, and a variety of such foods is an economical alternative that will help keep them looking their most brilliant. Any of the following would be good choices to mix into your trigger’s diet, sir:

Nelson’s Silver Cup Tropical Breeder Feed "Scientific Fry" No.2 (sinking — 0.84-1.38 mm) for protein + vitamins A, D, and E.

Ziegler’s Salmon Starter for rapid growth plus additional enrichment and variety.

Ocean Nutrition Formula Two Marine Pellets (small) for its vegetable matter and stabilized Vitamin C.

Ocean Nutrition Formula One Marine Pellets (small) for HUFA, enhanced disease resistance and additional Vitamin C.

Boyd’s Vita Diet Marine (slow sinking pellets — 1.5 mm) for supplemental vitamins and additional color enhancers.

If your clown triggerfish is large enough, it will appreciate a live fiddler crabs as an occasional treat to crunch through and chow down. But feeding a healthy clown trigger shouldn’t present a problem, Nigel, they are bold, aggressive feeders that can tackle just about anything and will be happy to sample most anything you offer.

Best wishes with all your fishes, Nigel! It’s good to see you back on the forum again, sir!

Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna