All fish / Balistidae

Redtail Triggerfish

Xanthichthys mento

Also known as crosshatch triggerfish, red tail triggerfish, redtail filefish, mento triggerfish, blue throat trigger, アカモンガラ, 门托黄鳞鲀, 红尾炮弹

This triggerfish has a blue-grey to yellowish body covered in fine crosshatch lines. Males have a bright red tail and red edges on the other fins, while females have yellow-orange fins. It feeds on plankton in open water, so it is one of the calmer triggers and can be kept with other fish.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

25 cm

Temperature

22 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

680 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, or as a male and female pair in a very large tank

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, krill, chopped shellfish, squid and fish flesh, plus marine pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern and central Pacific: Japan, Hawaii, Easter Island, Galápagos, Revillagigedo and Clipperton islands

Breeding

In the wild it lays eggs in a nest on the sea floor, and the eggs are guarded. It has rarely if ever been bred in home aquariums, and raising the tiny planktonic larvae is very difficult.

Good to know

It grows to around 25 to 30 cm and needs lots of open swimming space. It is calmer than most triggers but may still nip at small crustaceans and attack very small tankmates. Rarer subtropical collection areas make it expensive.