All fish / Balistidae

Bluespotted Triggerfish

Balistes punctatus

Also known as blue spotted triggerfish, bluespotted trigger, spotted triggerfish, african blue spot trigger, 斑点鳞鲀

This is a large, deep-bodied triggerfish from West Africa with a grey-brown body covered in small blue spots. Public aquariums and keepers of big fish-only marine systems keep it for its hardiness, bold personality and striking pattern.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Aggressive

Adult size

40 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

Carnivore: crustaceans, molluscs, shellfish, squid, krill and sinking marine pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern Atlantic, from Mauritania to Angola, including the Cape Verde Islands

Breeding

In the wild the male guards a nest of eggs laid in a pit on sandy bottoms. It has not been bred in home aquariums with any regularity.

Good to know

It grows big and becomes aggressive, and it will eat invertebrates and smaller fish, so it is not reef safe. It is often mixed up with the grey triggerfish, Balistes capriscus, which shares parts of its range.