Blue Throat Trigger (Xanthichthys Auromarginatus) Male

Species Name : Xanthichthys Auromarginatus

Care Level : Easy

Temperament : Semi-aggressive

Color : Black, Blue, Yellow

Diet : Carnivore

Reef Compatible : With Caution

Water Conditions : sg 1.020-1.025, 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4

Max. Size : 9»

Origin : Indonesia

Family : Balistidae

Minimum Tank Size : 100 gallons

The Blue Throat Trigger (Xanthichthys Auromarginatus) fish goes also by the common names of Blue Chin Triggerfish and Gilded Triggerfish. 

Blue Throat Trigger  has an oval shaped, laterally flat body that is a bluish-gray color with white scale spots. There are bright metallic blue rings around the eyes. The males can be differentiated by the yellow outline on the fins and tail as well as the distinctive bright blue splash across the jaw and throat. The male’s coloration becomes more dramatic with age.

It thrives best in tanks of at least 100 gallons with plenty of live rockwork creating hiding places and places to swim freely. They are exemplar jumpers so please be sure the lid is tightly sealed to prevent escape. Sometimes, the Blue Throat Trigger can make an audible grunting sound.

When introducing the Blue Throat Trigger to your tank it is often best to do so while it is a juvenile to allow it to acclimatize to the tank properly. Probably one of the best Triggerfish for the reef aquarium, the Blue Jaw Triggerfish will not bother corals, but may nip at clams or invertebrates. If you plan to keep it with shrimp add the shrimp first. It can be kept with a large variety of other fishes, except small reef fishes. One male can be housed with several females. This species can be fun to watch as they will often pick up objects with their mouth and move them around the aquarium. 

They will take a varied diet of meaty foods. They are voracious eaters though and will go after nearly everything you put in the tank. Get a good pellet food, supplement with defrosted frozen foods and they will do well. They also will eat dry seaweed if you have tangs in the tank with them and they tend to pull off the veggie clip from the tank wall. To maintain body weight of this fish it is recommended to feed 2 or 3 times a day.