Pinktail triggerfish - Melichthys vidu

Species Name: Melichthys vidua

Synonyms: Melichthys vidua, Balistes vidua, Pachynathus nycteris, Melichthys nycteris, Oncobalistes erythropterus, Balistes erythropterus, Balistes vidua kamoharai

Common Names: Pinktail triggerfish

Family: Balistidae (Triggerfishes)

Order: Tetraodontiformes (Puffers and filefishes)

Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)

Max.Size: 40.0 cm / 15.7 inch

Environment: Marine-reef

Origin: Western and Eastern Indian Ocean, Western Central and Eastern Central Pacific

Temperament: Relatively aggressive

Company: It is not suitable to keep a Melichthys vidua (Pinktail triggerfish) in the same aquarium as other fishes of the same species and similar size.

Aquarium Setup: Melichthys vidua (Pinktail triggerfish) needs a lot of space to do well. Even small Pinktail triggerfish should be given at least a forty-gallon aquarium, and an adult specimen needs at least a hundred gallons. Keep the water in motion. Pinktail triggerfish is a playful fish and likes to play with water jets and bubbles. They also enjoy digging, so you might have to attach things quite firm. Keep ammonia and nitrite levels at zero and nitrate below 10 ppm. pH sould be in the low eights and water temperatures in the 77 – 80 degrees F. range.

Food: Melichthys vidua (Pinktail triggerfish) eats a varied diet, that includes meaty foods such as crustaceans, molluscs, squids, mussels, shrimp and chopped up fish. They will usually accept all types of live, frozen and flake food. Feed them small servings several times a day.

Breeding: We have no information about how to breed Melichthys vidua (Pinktail triggerfish) in aquariums.

Pinktail triggerfish – Melichthys vidua. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk