Blue Jaw Triggerfish

About

The blue jaw triggerfish (Xanthichthys auromarginatus) is one of the more reef-compatible members of its family, and that alone sets it apart from most of its trigger relatives. Males are particularly attractive, sporting a vivid blue-tinged jaw and yellow-edged fins that contrast against a gray-brown body, while females are more subdued but still interesting. In the wild, this species ranges across a wide sweep of the Indo-Pacific, from Mauritius out through northern Australia and up toward southern Japan and the Hawaiian Islands. Out on the reef, it gravitates toward current-swept seaward drop-offs and ledges, hovering in loose groups a few meters off the bottom to pick zooplankton, especially copepods, right out of the water column. That plankton-feeding lifestyle is a big reason it tends to be gentler on corals and decorative inverts than other triggers, though crustaceans like shrimp and crabs are very much at risk and should be kept out of the same system. It is still territorial toward tankmates, so choose companions that can hold their own. Given decent water quality and a varied carnivore diet, this fish can be a rewarding long-term resident. Lifespans stretching into decades are well documented, so this is genuinely a commitment.