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Balistoides conspicillum

Clown triggerfish

The clown triggerfish, known in Italian as pesce balestra pagliaccio 5, belongs to the triggerfish family (Balistidae). 1 It is black with large white spots on the lower half of the body, a yellow network on the back and a yellowish orange mouth. 2 3 It lives on the outer side of Indo-Pacific reefs, usually alone, and in many areas it is uncommon or rare. 2

BalistidaeIUCN: Least concern
Balistoides conspicillum

At a glance

Data from the scientific sources listed at the bottom.

Depth in the wild

1–75 m

0 m20 m40 m60 m80 m100 m

Size

up to 50 cm

01020304050

maximum total length; FAO gives 30 cm

Temperature in the wild

19–31.5 °C

18 °C34 °C

Where it lives

Red SeaWestern Indian OceanEastern Indian OceanCentral Indo-PacificWestern PacificCentral PacificEastern PacificWestern AtlanticEastern AtlanticMediterranean

Tropical Indo-Pacific: from East Africa through Indonesia and northern Australia to Samoa; to the north it reaches southern Japan, to the south New Caledonia. 2 3

Conservation

NEDDLCNTVUENCREWEX

IUCN Red List: least concern (2022). Red List data taken from FishBase and GBIF. 2 6 It does not appear in the CITES lists checked on Species+. 7 It is among the most sought-after aquarium fish and is of minor importance to fisheries. 2 3

How to recognise it

Tap a number on the photo: the key explains what to look for.

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  1. 1Large white spots round, on the lower half of the body; here the lights make them look blue 2 3 4
  2. 2Yellow network on the back black spots on a yellow background 2 3
  3. 3Yellowish orange mouth the lips and the area around the mouth 2 3
  4. 4Pale band on the snout white or yellowish, below the eye 3 4
  5. 5Pale band on the tail broad and vertical, whitish 2 3

Life in the wild

Where it is found

Clear water, from coastal to outer reefs, especially near steep walls. 2 3 The temperature given is the one measured in the sea in Reef Life Survey counts. 4 Baited cameras on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef shelf filmed it between 54 and 105 m, beyond the previously reported limit of 75 m. 9

What it eats

It eats sea urchins, crabs and other crustaceans, molluscs and tunicates. 2 3 Toronto Zoo adds fish, squid, algae and corals, and reports that it blows jets of water into the sand to flush out prey. 8

Behaviour

Solitary. 2 Adults swim in the open along deep walls and, if approached, may take refuge in caves; juveniles stay hidden in small caves rich in invertebrates. 2 It has three dorsal spines: the first can be locked upright by the second. 3

Reproduction

FishBase reports distinct pairs and spawning in areas of coral rubble and sand on outer reefs. 2 Toronto Zoo, on the other hand, describes harems of one male and two to five females, a nest dug by the female in the sand, and eggs that the male guards and fans for about eight days, until they hatch. 8

In the aquarium

From the experience of the BallingMania community.

Community rating
Swimming level
lowmediumhigh
Coral compatibility
lowmediumhigh
Aggression
lowmediumhigh
Care difficulty
lowmediumhigh
Original sheet

Belonging to the family Balistidae, it is commonly known as the “clown triggerfish” because of its very colourful livery: black with large white spots, with a yellow or orange mouth, back and caudal peduncle.

It reaches a considerable size, 50 cm in the wild; although it grows much less in the aquarium, to keep it properly an aquarium at least 150 cm long with a capacity of at least 600/700 litres is recommended. It is a sturdy fish, very resistant to disease like all triggerfish; nevertheless the settling-in phase is particularly tricky and can last several days, which is why it is advisable to buy healthy specimens that are not weakened from the start. Once the settling-in hurdle is overcome it is a lively, hardy and very greedy fish, suitable for living with almost all reef fish of other kinds and even with some other types of triggerfish, as long as they are a different colour.

Above all it prefers frozen food: Artemia, chironomus and mysis, shrimp or mussels, but it also accepts freeze-dried food and dry food in large granules. Although it is a particularly disease-resistant fish, it is not recommended for complete beginners because of the difficult settling-in.

photo by: Salvatore Riccardo

What studies say about keeping it

Data from a zoo's species sheet, not advice for a home aquarium. Toronto Zoo writes that it needs a lot of space with plenty of hiding places, that the fish is very territorial and that it can become aggressive towards smaller fish, to the point of biting or killing them. 8

Did you know?

Behind the gill slit it has larger scales that form a kind of flexible eardrum. 2 3
Cases of ciguatera poisoning after eating it have been reported. 2 Toronto Zoo also lists it as ciguatoxic. 8
Juveniles are black with white spots all over the body and a yellow snout. 4

Sources

  1. Froese R., Pauly D. (eds.), via WoRMS (2026). Balistoides conspicillum (Bloch & Schneider, 1801). World Register of Marine Species.
  2. Froese R., Pauly D. (eds.) (2026). Balistoides conspicillum, Clown triggerfish. FishBase.
  3. Matsuura K., in Carpenter K.E., Niem V.H. (eds.) (2001). Balistidae. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific, vol. 6. FAO.
  4. Reef Life Survey (2026). Balistoides conspicillum, Clown Triggerfish. Reef Life Survey.
  5. GBIF Secretariat (2026). Balistoides conspicillum, nomi comuni. GBIF.
  6. GBIF Secretariat (2026). Balistoides conspicillum, IUCN Red List category. GBIF.
  7. UNEP-WCMC (2026). Search for Balistoides conspicillum in the CITES lists. Species+.
  8. Toronto Zoo (2026). Clown triggerfish. Toronto Zoo.
  9. Sih T.L., Cappo M., Kingsford M. (2017). Deep-reef fish assemblages of the Great Barrier Reef shelf-break (Australia). Scientific Reports.

Sources checked on 5 November 2026. Community texts and ratings are kept separate from the scientific data.

Download the original sheet (Italian)All species