NDonily Posted February 25, 2003 Share Posted February 25, 2003 I am just wondering if triggers will kill all the life on my fiji rock? I am taking care of my friends trigger until he is ready to take it back, but the thing is chomping on the rock all day. Thank you for your replies Nathan Link to comment
NDonily Posted February 26, 2003 Author Share Posted February 26, 2003 In a word, yes. It does not matter what type of setup you have -- reef, fish only, community, aggressive -- live rock is a good addition. New hobbyists often ask whether they can keep live rock with fish like triggerfish and parrotfish. Some are concerned that such fish may kill the live rock. Suffice it to say that live rock, since it is not an organism itself, cannot be killed. While a parrotfish will bite pieces of the rock off and crush them to find food (as the unpredictable triggers may), this will not affect the rest of the rock. Unless the fish is dramatically crowded into a tank with too little rock, it would take a parrotfish years (longer than it is likely to live in captivity) if not decades to reduce a discernible amount of live rock to rubble. All the while, the process would provide a tremendous boost to the substrate. A hobbyist placing live rock in a tank of non-reef-safe fish might genuinely concern himself or herself with the organisms on the rock. To be sure, in a tank of triggers, any shrimp, crabs, urchins or snails would likely become quick meals. Likewise, angelfish and butterflyfish would likely decimate any coral polyps on the rock, while a group of tangs might make quick work of the macroalgae. This is not to suggest live rock should not be placed in tanks of such fish. To the contrary, the rock is serving an essential function of providing food to the fish in a natural way. The rock will thrive without its stowaways I did some research to answer my own question, for those that are wondering, lol Nathan Link to comment
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