Hawaiian Black Triggerfish
Guides Saltwater Fish Profile
Scientific Name: Melichthys niger (Bloch, 1786). This species appears in Pacific books under various names including M. buniva (Lacepede, 1803), and M. radula (Solander, 1848). In the western tropical Atlantic areas it has been discussed under the name of M. piceus (Poey, 1863).
Other Common Names: Black Durgeon.
Hawaiian Name: Hu-mu hu-mu 'e-le-'e-le
Identification: On the face and around the eyes there are thin, light blue-turquoise colored lines. Along the base of both the soft dorsal and anal fins there are bold white lines. The body appears to be black in the wild, but once out of water with some light on this fish, you can actually see that its body is of a dark blue to blue-green color with horizontal markings present.
Distribtution:
Occurs
from Hawaii and central Polynesia westward through Micronesia and Melanasia,
through the East Indies, across the Indian Ocean to the coast of Africa,
with similar species found in the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
Average Size: 12 inches, but can attain up to 14 inches.
Habitat: A very active fish that needs lots of room to move around, and plenty of shelter for hiding.
Minimum Tank Size Suggested: 100 gallons.
Characteristics & Compatibility: Unlike most other Triggers that live a solitary life on the reef, the Hawaiian Black Trigger is different. Each one has its own house to live in amoungst the coral and rock formations just outside the reef, but they will emerge and congregate above near the surface of the water in a large schools to feed on current drifting zooplankton and algaes. However, when you catch this fish and put it in a closed environment with other ones, they will bite and attack each another. In the wild these fish can just run away from each other when aggression arises, but in a closed environment there is no place to go, so they either have to fight back or just take the beating. This is a fish that can be aggressive towards more docile fish and tank inhabitants.
Diet & Feeding: An omnivore that can be fed a mixed diet of shrimp, squid, clams, fish, and other meaty fares suitable for carnivores, as well as marine algae and vitamin-enriched herbivore foods.
Recommended Feedings: 2 to 3 times a day.
Reef Tank Suitability: Not recommended.
Guides Fish
Care Rating: 1
Star
~ Debbie & Stan Hauter
More Guide Related Content
• The Naming of Hawaiian & Other Triggerfishes
• Triggerfish Species Profiles
• Triggerfish Family Balistidae Profile
• Fish Family & Species Profiles Index
Related Resources
• Triggerfishes Profile Index
• Triggerfishes Photo Gallery
• Fish & Invertebrate Care Topics Index
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