Harlequin tusk
- Thread starter haanstang
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haanstang
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They may eat crabs snails and shrimp They don't bother the corals. I can deal with adding to my clean up crew every now and then. This fish is worth it in personality, let alone looks
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haanstang
Well-Known Member
I had the same problem earlier
Harlequin Tusk is fine in a reef, but you need a large one. I have mine in my 320 gal tank for 5 years. In the past I had one in my 450 gal for 7 years before we moved and I have to take the tank down. They will eat tiny snails, those that less than about 2 mm or so. I have literally thousand of these snails in my tank, baby Trocus, and baby Stombus (and several other snail species that reproduce in my tank). These are no more. Larger snails are fine but no longer get baby snails from then because the HT will not let any of them get to adult.
Shrimps are fine as long as they are there prior to the HT. If you add small fish or shrimp, you need to add them as the light go out when the HT have gone to bed. Dazed, disoriented fish or snails will bring out the predator instinct of HT you would not believe. Once the small fish or shrimp settle in, and the HT is well fed, they will be fine. I h
Shrimps are fine as long as they are there prior to the HT. If you add small fish or shrimp, you need to add them as the light go out when the HT have gone to bed. Dazed, disoriented fish or snails will bring out the predator instinct of HT you would not believe. Once the small fish or shrimp settle in, and the HT is well fed, they will be fine. I h
I am also having a little problem with posting.
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I have not lost shrimp or fish to my HT in the last 5 years. I do have small fishes and cleaner shrimps in my tank.
Last sentence:
I have not lost shrimp or fish to my HT in the last 5 years. I do have small fishes and cleaner shrimps in my tank.
Video of him devouring an oyster
Forsaken77
Valuable Member
I had to euthanize my tusk. It was a horrible day. Had him for 2 years, was the first fish in my tank because I love them, and he developed vision problems that lead to him being blind. I suspect he was cyanided when being caught because even though his colors were great, I don't think he was Australian.
He got to the point where I had to keep him by himself in a 12 gallon tank just so he could hopefully find the food. Big pieces would bump off his nose and he wouldn't let me hand feed him. So rather than let him starve to death, I had to put him down.
He was an aggressive tusk though. I kept him with 3 other wrasse (Melanarus, Red Coris, and Formosa) and he had no problem with them ever. He did, however, have it in for my Blue Throat Trigger. The tusk claimed the main cave of the big rock structure as his den. The trigger liked to sleep on the other side of the rock that was his den. I swear, this fish would come out of his den after lights out, all the way till midnight, and patrol around his den to make sure the trigger wasn't sleeping by him. The trigger would see him come out and have to swim away as he patrolled and then went back after he went back in his cave.
He was a mean tusk, which they usually aren't. But they are my favorite fish. Not getting another until my new tank is setup.
He got to the point where I had to keep him by himself in a 12 gallon tank just so he could hopefully find the food. Big pieces would bump off his nose and he wouldn't let me hand feed him. So rather than let him starve to death, I had to put him down.
He was an aggressive tusk though. I kept him with 3 other wrasse (Melanarus, Red Coris, and Formosa) and he had no problem with them ever. He did, however, have it in for my Blue Throat Trigger. The tusk claimed the main cave of the big rock structure as his den. The trigger liked to sleep on the other side of the rock that was his den. I swear, this fish would come out of his den after lights out, all the way till midnight, and patrol around his den to make sure the trigger wasn't sleeping by him. The trigger would see him come out and have to swim away as he patrolled and then went back after he went back in his cave.
He was a mean tusk, which they usually aren't. But they are my favorite fish. Not getting another until my new tank is setup.
Saltdaddy
Active Member
Has anybody had a problem acclimating this fish. I had one and in 24hrs it died. Never made to the tank. It was a bad day. Was fine at the store. Made it through acclimation, then went in Qt and then spent the rest of the time at the bottom of the tank.
jasonrusso
2500 Club Member
As I said before, I had 2 develop vision problems. I fed the second the most varied diet I could and it still happened. They weren't blind but clearly swimming by lateral line feel.
It may be a stress thing?
Whoever said they won't eat big snails never saw mine in action. I used to watch him pull golf ball size turbos off rocks and work on them until he pulled out their shield.
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haanstang
Well-Known Member
Forsaken77
Valuable Member
Were they Australian or Indian Ocean? Because I'm sure you know that the Indian Ocean ones are sometimes caught with cyanide. It's part of why the Australians have a better acclimation & life span with minimal health issues.
Mine wasn't stressed at all. He was king of the hill. All of the other fish were scared of him. They're all still alive and well. He even took pieces out of, and killed, an Abalone I had. So I hear ya on the giant snail thing (even though it's not a snail per se). He was the typical tusk that followed his natural instincts as far eating inverts, all of them. He took over my tank and I didn't care because he was my favorite. But I'll never buy another one from the store I did or from the Indian Ocean.
My tusk is around 6" and is very active and outgoing. I would consider a hiding Tusk to be a sign of stress or still acclimating to it's territory depending on how long it's been in the tank. Also, the presence of more established aggressive fish might also cause a tusk to be more withdrawn. Despite a tusk's "mean" appearance and size, I find them to be somewhat passive and not nearly as aggressive as some tangs or triggers. I would be hesitant to add a tusk to a tank that has an established clown trigger and niger trigger already in it, as those fish could easily keep the tusk stressed out. Of course, tank size, frequency of feeding, and individual personalities of the triggers and other fish all can factor in. In general, I prefer to to add more passive fish first and most aggressive fish last, as this allows the passive fish time to acclimate and establish territory without being stressed by more aggressive tank mates. As it's been mentioned before, I would not have another wrasse with the tusk, as that can definitely create issues.
Forsaken77
Valuable Member
I have never heard of not keeping other wrasse with a tusk. Never. I've heard that you cannot keep 2 tusks together, but not with other wrasse. Tusks, even though they ate a wrasse, look nothing like what most wrasse look like, the elongated narrow body. So they usually don't mind them because they're most other wrasse are very dissimilar to a tusk, burrowing, ect....
I have owned two tusks in 20 years. First was an Australian housed with a Lunare wrasse in a massively overstocked tank and had no issues. The tusk was also in there with a Clown Trigger, Niger Trigger, Picaso/Huma Huma Trigger, Panther Grouper, Volitan Lionfish, Dogface Puffer, Porcupine Puffer and a Long Horned Cowfish.
This was in a 72 bow, my first tank 20 yrs ago, and didn't have the internet to say how big these fish got. It was a common thought that they will grow to the size of the tank.
Anyhow, no issues at all between the fish.
My last tusk, that I had to put down a few months ago, was the Indian Ocean version. He was housed with a full grown Melanarus wrasse, a Red Coris juv, and a Formosa juv with no issues and the tusk was there first.
But every animal is different. And a large Clown Trigger may be more aggressive towards the tusk. Depends on the fish.
The only triggers I wouldn't keep a tusk with is an Undulated Trigger or a Queen Trigger. Way too aggressive, even for triggers.
But yes, if the tusk is hiding, he's not doing well. Usually when they are caught at a large size they don't fare well in captivity. It's much better to buy a juvenile with the eyespots still visible.
I had 4 HT. 1 for 7+ years. 1 for 1 year and trade him in, Indo Pacific for Australian. One for 1 year and he got eaten by my Carpet. Then the current Tusk, Australian, for about 3 years.
All of my HT were fat and well fed. I often hand fed mine with various chunk of seafood until he stop eating. All mine was either in a 450 gal or 320 gal tank. I use a DSB/skimmer type filter with great diversity of organism in the rock and sand bed. I don't QT my fish and have never treat my system with any medication.
I never have any health issue with my HT and never have them eat any of my invertebrates other dazed fish that just got added. IMO, they much rather get fed than go hunting and spend much effort for the food. I always use Abalones for grazer. These got to be the most vulnavles of the snails and the two I have in the tank have always been there. They are not bother by my HT or CBB. I think the level of feeding got to account for how much invertebrates they eat. None of my HT have any health problem or blindness so I cannot come to on this other than I did not have this problem
All of my HT were fat and well fed. I often hand fed mine with various chunk of seafood until he stop eating. All mine was either in a 450 gal or 320 gal tank. I use a DSB/skimmer type filter with great diversity of organism in the rock and sand bed. I don't QT my fish and have never treat my system with any medication.
I never have any health issue with my HT and never have them eat any of my invertebrates other dazed fish that just got added. IMO, they much rather get fed than go hunting and spend much effort for the food. I always use Abalones for grazer. These got to be the most vulnavles of the snails and the two I have in the tank have always been there. They are not bother by my HT or CBB. I think the level of feeding got to account for how much invertebrates they eat. None of my HT have any health problem or blindness so I cannot come to on this other than I did not have this problem
melypr1985
totally addicted
Maybe... could have been a collection issue, damage from an injury or parasite, or even just an internal thing. I've only ever seen fish lose sight from an infection that went too far before being treated. I've heard of fish just going blind seemingly randomly, but most of those had been exposed to many medications when that happened and we figured they had a poor reaction to one. Medications have side effects and not all of them are known..... not all fish will exhibit these side effects. Just something to think about.
jasonrusso
2500 Club Member
Mine seemed okay until he went from a 210 to a 55 qt tank. I was treating everyone for velvet. He was doing fine until one day he wasn't. I think it was a combination of meds (cp) and stress of the small tank. I think we don't give the stress of moving from a DT with sand and rocks to a QT with no rocks and Pvc pipe enough thought.
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haanstang
Well-Known Member
Agreed
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