All fish / Balistidae

Pinktail Triggerfish

Melichthys vidua

Also known as pink tail triggerfish, pinktail trigger, pink-tailed triggerfish, black triggerfish, widow triggerfish, no, アカモンガラ, 黑边角鳞鲀, 粉红尾炮弹

A dark chocolate brown triggerfish with white soft dorsal and anal fins edged in black and a white tail tipped with pink. It is one of the calmer triggers, so it suits keepers who want a large, characterful fish with plenty of personality in a big fish-only tank.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

700 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, one triggerfish per tank

Diet

Omnivore: meaty seafood such as shrimp, squid and mussel, plus algae, nori and quality marine pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific, from East Africa and the Red Sea to Hawaii, the Marquesas and the Tuamotus

Breeding

In the wild pairs lay eggs in a nest on the sand that the female guards, but it has not been bred in home aquariums with any reliability.

Good to know

It grows to around 35 to 40 cm and will eat crustaceans, snails and small fish, so it is only partly reef safe and needs a very large tank with strong filtration. Like other triggers it can bite hard and may rearrange rockwork.