The White Tail Trigger, Sufflamen chrysopterus, is commonly
referred to as the Half-moon Triggerfish, Yellow-backed Triggerfish,
Goldenfinned Triggerfish, Yellowstreak Triggerfish, Yellow-backed
Triggerfish, Blue Belly Triggerfish, Flagfin Trigger, White-tip Trigger,
White-tip Sufflamen Trigger, White Rim Triggerfish, and White Rim
Trigger. There is a large difference in appearance between adults and
juveniles, where the juveniles have a white under-body, with the upper
half separated by a black line that runs across the eye and has yellow
coloration on top covering the dorsal fin. Adults are a dark color all
over with red markings at the base of second dorsal fin and anal fin and
blue coloration underneath the front part of its head.
The
Flagtail Trigger grows a size of 9-11 inches as an adult and needs to
be kept in a larger tank of at least 100 gallons. It is one of the
intelligent and curious fish and requires a plenty of space to swim
along with many hiding places in the tank. If not given a large
community aquarium, it might turn aggressive. The Flagtail Trigger
thrives well in a moderate temperate range, and often found vocalizing
using a "grunting" sound. Since it might feed on corals, the Flagtail
Trigger is not considered safe in reef tanks
The
Flagtail Trigger chiefly feeds on a wide range of food items,
including live coral, algae, sea urchins, crabs, mollusks and other
invertebrate groups as well as small fish. They should be fed a diet of
chopped Krill, Shrimp, Mollusks, as well as Clams ans hard shelled
Shrimp to help wear down their ever growing teeth.