blind crosshatch triggerfish

[sglazne]

I purchased my first trigger, A Crosshatch Triggerfish from an online vendor. He came in Thurday looking very healthy. I didn't realize a 7-8" trigger is thick and carries some weight. So after acclimating him I put him in my 280. I thought, now I know why people don't recommend a trigger in a reef tank. Not that he was eating anything but just running into everything, corals, frag rack, blowers... After he knocked over the same frag I reached in to set it back up and he ran into my arm!! Yep it scared me the first time, He did it like two more times. He would be great at NASCAR!!! He goes fast and turns left and doesn't care if he hits anything. That is about all he does now, goes fast and turns left. round and round he goes. I know when he is comming out of turn two cause I can hear the water splash over the overflow. His grove is at the top of the tank. You think I am kidding, I am not. Now that he has his grove he doesn't hit as much as he stays in this same grove. Just to mess with him i put my red plastic dixie cup in his grove and he swam right into it?!?!?!. I poured him out, watched him go fast and turn left several more times and put the cup in his grove, and yep he came around and swam into it again!?!?! Now this is strange?? Right?? Ok so how about another test, he is going fast turning left so I get a net out and put it in his path. No way he will swim into a net, right? Wrong! Yep, he swims into the net, what the heck. Can triggers see in front of them?? I let him go, fast turn left a couple more times. This time i put the net in his grove just after he swims by. I want the net to be in the water for for the entire lap. Thinking maybe he can see it on the back straight a way. Around he come out of turn 4 and right into the net. Now I am not moving the net trying to catch him, he just swims right into the net because it is in his grove and he won't change courses. Do you think he is blind. His eyes are not cloudy. Just heard him come out of turn two and splash water over the overflow!!! Any ideas out there????

 

[Workaholic]

hmmm. that is interesting that he behaves like that yet his eyes aren't cloudy. What did the water look like in the bag he was transported?

Tom

 

[sglazne]

packaging was great, he came in almost 4 gallons of water and he was in a plastic container inside the bag. Water was clean, he is thick and healthy... As he slowed down for turn one, I touched him with some shrimp and he took a bite, but if I dropp it in the water he appears either not to see it or not interested in it. All I have seen him eat is what I have hand fed him. And not that I want to touch him very much but it does not scare him if you touch him...

 

[leebca]

So, what makes you think the fish isn't blind?

8" marine Triggers belong in 500+ gallon tanks. They are primarily large public aquarium fishes. They travel many miles each day. They are usually food fishes in their native habitats.

 

[sglazne]

update, got home from work and his path has changed, he is pacing back and forth on the front glass, you should see the streaks down the front of my glass on each end where he has spilled water out the top. I dropped a piece of shrimp in and no interest. I tapped him on the head with it when he slowed to turn, stopped took one bite then resumed his pacing. I don't think he is blind. His eyes look clear and he moves them around. But that is what I was/am trying to figure out. I was hoping somebody with triggers could explain his behavior.
I did read and spoke with the vendor about this fish...... obviously thought he would be fine or wouldn't have gotten him. If he doesn't settle in, I will check with my LFS and see if they have a large commercial tank they can put him in. Lee, thanks for your feedback will provide more updates

 

[leebca]

You're welcome.

Like human blindness, blind eyes don't have to be cloudy. Retina and/or ocular nerve damage is what usually makes for fish blindness and you wouldn't necessarily note any cloudiness or lack of clarity in the eye.

 

[sglazne]

The way he ran into everything at first I really wondered if he was blind or if Triggers couldn't see right in front of them.... It was like he had memorized his run and kept swimming this exact same run, where he knew he wouldn't run into anything. I have a nori clip and if one of the fish are eating when he comes by, he will run into them. I reached in the tank to get a frag and he ran into me my arm again today. So I don't know if he can't see, if that is his way because he is the biggest and use to pushing his way around.... Just strange behavior. I have never had a fish swim into a net, Usually you cant get close to them...Today he seems to be swimming around better. When I was hand feeding him, it appeared he could see... With him being new, I don't want to do anything to sudden to check his vision that could also stress him...