clown triggerfish

Question
IVE HAD OVER 4 CLOWN TRIGGER FISH WITHIN THE LAST YEAR 0R SO AND EVERYONE THAT IVE TRIED TO KEEP HAS DIED TO SOME SORT OF BACTERIAL,FIN EROSION PROBLEM AND ALL MY OTHER FISH SEEM TO BE FINE AT THE TIME .IM NOT UNDERSTANDING AS TO WHY IM HAVING SUCH A HARD TIME KEEPING THIS FISH WHEN EVERY WHERE THAT I READ ABOUT THEM SAYS THAT THEY ARE HARDY FISH,WHY AM I HAVING A DIFCULT TIME KEEPING THESE FISH,I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO TRY AGAIN BUT I WOULD HATE FOR IT TO DIE AGAIN ON ME,BECAUSE CLOWN TRIGGERS ARE NOT CHEAP WHAT, CAN I DO TO TRY AND KEEP ONE.

Answer
Hi Alaica. Have you tried setting the clown trigger up in a quarantine tank first before adding him to your tank? It sounds to me like they may have been getting nipped or stressed out when first introduced to your tank. Despite the fact that they are trigger fish and can be aggressive they will often be the target of bullying if you add them to an established community of more aggressive fish. Being added to a new environment can be enough stress on a fish as it is without the added stress of being chased or bullied. Set up a quarantine tank and acclimate a new trigger to this tank first. leave him in there for a few weeks to ensure there is no underlying disease to start with and long enough for him to become comfortable with his surroundings and eating well. This way you can treat the fish for disease if one should pop up. These fish are taken from the ocean to be shipped and stressed many times before being added to your tank. They are also starved for most of this time and need lots of TLC to recover from all the trauma. If you are simply adding him to a tank that houses established fish with their own established territories this may be more than he can handle. Although triggers are quite hardy this particular kind is one of the less hardy of the bunch. All new saltwater fish should be quarantined before being added to an established tank. This is one of those rules that not everyone follows but can prove to be worth its weight in gold as far as the health and survival of your fish goes. No marine fish hobbyist should be with out a good quarantine tank as a basic part of their equipment. It should be considered just as necessary as having the main tank itself.