Common Name: Pink-Tailed Triggerfish

Species Name: Melichthys vidua (Richardson, 1845)


Range: Indo-Pacific Ocean: East Africa to Durban South Africa, southern Japan, Marquesan and Tuamotu Islands, Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia


Size: Up to 14 in (35 cm)


Natural Environment: Inhabit clear coastal to outer reef drop-offs


General Husbandry: Has a temperature range of 72 - 81°F (22 - 27°C) and has a natural diet of zooplankton, small fishes, and invertebrate. Requires a meaty diet, including fortified brine shrimp, mysis, chopped fish or shrimp flesh, and meaty type frozen carnivore foods with two or three feedings per day. One of the more peaceful triggerfishes. And, if fed well, it makes an interesting reef fish, yet still maintains a liking for shrimp! A good community fish, however, it should be the last fish introduced and may have an appetite for much smaller fishes. Requires an aquarium larger than 75 gallons.


Aquarium Suitability: * & * *


Previous FishNext fish...


Anemonefishes - Angelfishes - Anthias - Assessors - Bannerfish - Basslets (Dottybacks and Grammas) - Batfishes - Blennies - Boxfishes - Brotulas - Butterflyfishes - Cardinalfishes - Catfishes - Cuttlefish - Damselfishes - Dartfishes - Dragonets - Drums - Eels - Filefishes - Flashlight fishes - Flatheads - Frogfishes - Goatfishes - Gobies - Groupers - Hamlets - Hawkfishes - Helmut Gurnards - Jacks - Jawfishes - Lion fishes - Livebearing Brotula - Lizardfishes - Mollies - Moorish Idol - Parrotfishes - Pinecone fishes - Pipefishes - Porcupine fishes - Pufferfishes - Rabbitfishes - Rays - Sand Perches - Scats - Scorpionfishes - Seabasses - Seahorses - Sea Moths - Sharks - Shrimpfishes - Snappers - Soldierfishes - Spinecheeks - Squirrelfishes - Surgeonfishes (Tangs) - Sweetlips - Tilefishes - Triggerfishes - Trumpetfishes - Wrasses


Or go back to Animal Library Index Page...


* - Suited for the reef aquarium;
** - Better suited for the fish-only aquarium;
*** - Better left in nature;
**** - Needing an aquarium larger than 125 gallons; and,
***** - Needing their own private environment/special tankmates.