Harlequin Tusk Experiences?

SoloChromis

New member
Harlequin tusks have always been one of my very favorite fish available and I'm currently in the planning process for my next upgrade which is going to be a soft coral dominant tank, with the fish being the main focus (angels mostly). I'd like to be able to keep a pair of cleaner & blood shrimp, fighting conchs, serpent stars, and urchins as far as the inverts are concerned. Some of the small fish that I won't budge are royal grammas, pearly jawfish, a possum wrasse, several fairy wrasses, and a Severn's pencil wrasse. Would this guy reek havoc in my peaceful community? Whats everyone think? Thanks :dance:
 
I would think there is a very high chance that over time it would eat its way through almost all of the inverts you have mentioned except the corals. May also be a threat to your small fish when it gets big, not sure what size your planning for your upgrade but they also need a fair amount of space
 
I always have Harlequin Tusk in my large reef. My current 320 gal and my previous 420 gal tanks. My reef is a Mix reef with many small fishes, and a normal complement of reef cleaners. There are a few things that you need to do to keep these beautiful fish co-exist with other beautiful mix reef inhabitants. Harlequin Tusk are beautiful fish, especially the Australian ones. IMO, it is worth it to get the Australian vs the Indo-Pacific. I would recommend that you follow ad vices of people who actually keep HT instead of those just read about them or think that they should act are certain way from their look, size and that they are large predators.

First off, make sure you don't starve them. When they are hungry they will go for little preys in the tank. Mine are always well fed. On the weekend I often stand over the tank and (s)he would come up and beg for food. I feed him bits of fish until he would eat no more. On week days, I feed the tank with a generous portion of Mysis or Ocean Plankton mixed with various pellets and flake in a free for all. He and other fishes would get their fill.
He should be added last if you can. Make sure all the smaller fishes and shrimp are added before the HT. He will not resist dazed disoriented small fishes and shrimp. Put these small fish in such compromised position, they will just be an expensive meal for the predator. If you have to add small fishes or shrimp, add them just right before the light is out (if your tank light dim out for the night, the HT will be in bed long before the light turn dark. I have 12 hrs light periord. This is the best time to add small fish, and add them directly into the rock so they have place to hide and get oriented.
Things that HT will eat:
IME, they will eat any meaty food, no flakes or pellets. Very easy to feed.
Any dazed small fish
small snails, sub 2-3 mm or so. My thriving tiny snails wipe out with in a few weeks. I had many thousands of these freely reproducing snails. All the Cleaner snails are fine. Stomatella and Strombus snails eventually gone from my tank. Tis is due to the combination of my cleaner shrimp (wipe out the stomatella) and the HT ate all the babies snails. Trochus snails reproduced in my tank, but since I added the the HT, no more babies. All the 5mm or larger snails are fine.
I have only a few Hermit crabs and they are fine, no problem. I have a skunk cleaner shrimp and they are fine, no problem. I don't have blood cleanser shrimp but I suspect that they will be fine if you add them before, or use caution when you add them after the HT.
I had anthias, and Royal gramma in the tank in the past but no longer have them. This does not have anything to do with the HT.

Clams are fine. HT will not bother them.

All the corals are fine with HT.

Anemone crabs are fine. I have some tiny small crabs in the rock, came in the LR from Tampa Bay rocks. I removed most but missed a few. They are doing well in the tank for years and continue to do fine. I don't use crabs as cleaner, and no other shrimp other than skunk cleaner shrimp.

Clown fish are fine with anemones. I am not sure about free swimming small clown fish.

I love my HT and would not keep a larger reef without them. Good luck

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I have multiple sea urchins in my tank, large snails, and my 4 tangs and 1 Foxface Lo as tank cleaners.
I guess I am somewhat against crabs and shrimp in reeftank. The few I have have no problem from with my HT.
Often after long weekend, and long vacation I spend times looking to account for all my small animals. The reef sitter does not feed as much as I do. So far, over several years the HT have not eaten anything he not suppose to in my tank.
 
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Great write-up Minh! I am about to upgrade my tank and an HT is on my list. My biggest concern were my anthias, but after this write-up, I think I will give it a shot. It's funny the reputation certain fish get, based on hearsay and improper feeding/conditions.
 
Minh I have been waiting for 5 months now for my LFS to get a Tusk in from their supplier and I was waiting to add any tangs, angels, and triggers until after the Tusk has been established. I was under the impression that they can be bullied if added after tanks, triggers, and angels.
Is this the wrong approach? Should I be adding the other large fish before the Tusk?
 
Minh I have been waiting for 5 months now for my LFS to get a Tusk in from their supplier and I was waiting to add any tangs, angels, and triggers until after the Tusk has been established. I was under the impression that they can be bullied if added after tanks, triggers, and angels.
Is this the wrong approach? Should I be adding the other large fish before the Tusk?

They are hardy and will not be bullied by other fish. I added a 2 inches HT in my tank full of larger fishes and they hold there own without problem. They don't bully other fish either other than eat small disoriented fishes and shrimp
 
They are hardy and will not be bullied by other fish. I added a 2 inches HT in my tank full of larger fishes and they hold there own without problem. They don't bully other fish either other than eat small disoriented fishes and shrimp

So your saying I should go ahead and stock my tank with the tangs and angels while waiting on the Tusk?
 
Minh I have been waiting for 5 months now for my LFS to get a Tusk in from their supplier...
IMO, 5 months is way too long for a fish that is not that uncommon... not sure if it's the fault of the LFS or the supplier
 
IMO, 5 months is way too long for a fish that is not that uncommon... not sure if it's the fault of the LFS or the supplier

My LFS is loyal to only 2 suppliers and they have not gotten a Tusk in. He CAN get them from other suppliers but would prefer not to do business with others since he has been doing business with the same suppliers for 15+ years. And I told him I didn't mind waiting if he wanted to let his suppliers get one in.
 
Consider getting one from Live aquaria

That is where I got mine. I would also recommend adding it before any of the boisterous tangs or angels. Not that it can't hold its own, but they are sometimes skittish when you first add them to the aquarium.
 
HT will not bother clams but will eat all the small snails. Likely HT will eliminate parasitic snails from clams. Not that I relying on any wrasse to take care of this problem. Best to manually do it.
 
They have the opportunity to eat small fish, they will. I had one that ate a 1.5 dottyback and a 1.5 chalk bass. Seen it with my own eyes. And he was getting feed 4x a day.
 
HT will not bother clams but will eat all the small snails. Likely HT will eliminate parasitic snails from clams. Not that I relying on any wrasse to take care of this problem. Best to manually do it.



Minh I see you have a regal angel in your reef. Does it. It bother corals?
What large angel do you recommend for a sps dominated reef.
Thanks



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