- Orange-lined triggerfish
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Orange-lined Triggerfish Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Tetraodontiformes Family: Balistidae Genus: Balistapus
Tilesius, 1820Species: B. undulatus Binomial name Balistapus undulatus
(Park, 1797)The Orange-lined Triggerfish, Orange-striped Triggerfish or Undulated Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) is a triggerfish of the tropical Indo-Pacific area. It is the only member of the genus Balistapus. They reach a maximum size of about 30 cm. They feed on coral, crabs and invertebrates. They are found up to around 50 m deep in tropical waters.
In the Aquarium
Balistapus undulatus is a hardy member of a saltwater aquarium. It however has a reputation as one of the meanest fish in the aquarium trade. Sometimes young individuals will accept tank-mates but an owner should expect this fish to kill most fish and invertebrates that share its aquarium. Serious consideration should therefore be made for keeping this fish alone. The minimum tank size to keep a small fish alone is 190 L. It is a slow growing fish, but as it gets older it will likely need a larger aquarium.
References
- "Balistapus undulatus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=173218. Retrieved 12 April 2006.
- Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2006). "Balistapus undulatus" in FishBase. April 2006 version.
- centralpets.com Page on Orange-Lined Triggerfish
- advancedaquarist.com Page on Triggerfish
Gallery
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