Sad News - Crosshatch R.I.P.

[alrha]

I am sorry to report that the crosshatch has passed on. The cause of his death is a mystery to me as my water conditions are optimal and there have been no recent additions/changes to my tank. everyone else is as healthy as ever. he seemed to have gone into some sort of depression and started spending most of the day in-hiding and stopped coming out even to eat. this eventually led to his demise. I would rule out malnutrition as he ate plenty of food of many different varieties every day. the only explanation I can think of would be that he must have outgrown my tank. This is the first time I have ever lost a fish that lived past the one month mark.
May he watch over those he left behind in my tank from fish heaven.
(on another note, everyone else in the tank seems to be relieved as they are all coming out more now and are no longer intimidated by his presence)

 

[nanoreefer22]

alrha, whats a crosshatch???

 

[House of Laughter]

Bummer, Albert - sorry to hear that

House

 

[spykes]

RIP crosshatch trigger, damn those things are nice fishes....

 

[Deanos]

Albert: sorry to hear about that. I know those fish ain't cheap.

Kris, here's a crosshatch male:

 

[nanoreefer22]

WoW

Thanks Dean.

Sorry to hear about your loss alrha.

 

[jackson6745]

Sorry to hear that Albert

 

[ctxmonitor]

that is a very neat fish.

 

[alrha]

Thanks guys. well i can tell you that he was enjoyed throughout his stay in my tank. I would reccomend it to anyone who desires one (assuming you have the funding). He was a very hardy fellow and wouldnt harm a thing (he wouldnt even eat his own food if it fell on the floor, he only ate out of the water column). it is nice to be able to have a large fish like that in a reef where most large beatiful fish (especially triggers) are often not allowed.

 

[jhale]

Sorry to hear that. They are a great fish.

Can I ask what size tank he was in? I thought about getting one but I think my tank is much to small.
If that's true the fish died of depression, that should be a warning to all of us. Maybe they are used to being in groups in the wild? and he missed his friends? I know that may sound silly, but what would cause a healthy fish to stop eating and starve to death?

 

[alrha]

Reefkeeping has an article this month about these triggers.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-05/hcs3/index.htm

they mention on the caption to a photo that "Xanthichthys mento ... are more adaptable to cooler waters than is normally maintained in typical reef aquariums."
My tank runs around 78 in the winter but rises to about 81 for the summer. he has been fine through the winter, perhaps it is the increase in temp that may have affected him as well.

 

[alrha]

my tank is 187gal (5' long) with the front of the tank open for swimming.
here is the article's section on tank size:
"Aquarium size is always an important consideration when dealing with fish that can reach 8 or 10" in length. Toss in the triggerfish's long-range swimming capabilities and this concern is magnified. Ideally speaking, I would prefer to see each of these fish added to an 8 or 10' long aquarium. However, the stark reality is that the vast majority of reefkeepers do not own aquariums of this magnitude, yet this will not deter them from keeping fish that are not ideally suited to their aquarium's size. With this in mind I will recommend a 4' long aquarium as the absolute minimum size. Additionally, in such a confined aquarium the triggerfish should be the largest fish and other open water swimming fish, such as surgeonfish, should be avoided. Regardless of what size aquarium you choose, be sure the tank is aquascaped in a manner which will maximize the available swimming area. Although it's not always the most attractive aquascaping option, a reef wall will mimic their natural habitat and afford the fish ample room along the front to swim."

 

[jackson6745]

A reef wall is a detritus trap that will likely lead to deteriorating water quality. IMO the best way to aquascape is to use several large rocks that equate to about 1 lb per gallon total. No more rock is needed than this as it holds more than enough nitrifying bacteria to handle a full fish-load, while leaving plenty of space for fish to swim, as well as allow for more flow to keep detritus from settling. In the end it also looks cool too

[ May 16, 2005, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: jackson6745 ]

 

[ctxmonitor]

very nicely stated, Rich. If you want you can even keep live rock in your sump if you want more lr in the system for your bioload..

 

[alrha]

i keep rock rubble in my sump.

 

[jcurry]

Sorry to hear about the loss. I lost my Blue Jaw after about a month as well. Strange thing was he was eating the night before and acting normaly. When I checked the tank in the morning he was dead. I never did figure out what killed him.

 

[marrone]

It's common, more common than most people think, that trigger fish just all of a sudden died for no good reason. The life span of alot of capitive trigger fish is much shorter then alot of other fish, which could be anywhere from 4-5 years or less. I have had many triggers, in perfect health, for years just all of a sudden died for no reason.

Alot of times it has to do with feeding as the trigger isn't get what it should be eating and eventually it just dies, even though it may look fat. Also most triggers are very high strung and because of the size of the tank alot of them stress out so much they just all of a sudden die.

 

[alrha]

its interesting, because they are normally portrayed to be quite hardy and a good specimen for home aquariums.
at least i know it was not in my hands and that i gave him the best care i could.

 

[marrone]

They're very hardy fish but you'll find that more die all of a sudden just like yours did. Some like the clown trigger are very sensitive to changes in water conditions which other are more bullit proof.

They're very hardy but compared to other fish that can live 10, 15 or 20+ years they don't seem to last as long.