Harlequin Tusk question

[jelwyoming]

I have a 5" Harlequin tusk fish that recently put into an established tank with a dwarf lion fish. I can barely feed the lionfish because the tusk is eating every thing that I put in the tank! I put some live feeder fish in for the lion this morning and the tusk gulped them up before the lion even saw them. I didn't think that they'd eat other live fish, but he sure is. I guess that I better feed him more of what he is used to so he stops this.
My real question is that I had a yellow leather coral in there too. A few days ago, there was a large chunk of the base gone. Would the tusk do that to? There is nothing else in there but my cleanup crew, so he is suspect.

 

[jelwyoming]

bump

 

[kirkaz]

My guess would be he was just sampling your coral, hopefully he didn't find it to his liking....Wrasses are a challenge as they are so fast, hungry and greedy, my 2 wrasses (Harlequin and Sunset) out eat both of my triggers even, just due to their speed....Hope your clean up crew survives your Harly.

 

[jelwyoming]

I put another softie in there yesterday and something attacked it. I don't think it is the tusk since it happens at night/

 

[Fish_King_25]

could it be a little hitchhiker friend in the LR you don't know about?

 

[jelwyoming]

That is what I was thinking. I had the rock in there for several months by itself with no issues. I just put in the softies again. I think that I will try a frag from another tank and see if the same thing happens again.

 

[LukFox]

I would definitely be looking for a hitchhiker... A tusk should only have a beginning interest in a coral, if anything. One nip would satisfy its curiosity, and I don't think a 5" tusk would remove a chunk from it. I'd say it's time to go on a 2am hunt with a flashlight. ):

What does your clean up crew consist of? Some of the members of a typical clean up crew are known for turning to corals sometimes.

To get food to your lion, if you offer the tusk a good sized prawn, that should occupy it for a while. While it's busy working the prawn into pieces it can swallow, you can feed your lion.

 

[Jeffrey Porter]

you could possibly have a type of bristleworm in there. i had my tank set up for over a year then one day something started eating the gorgonians. turned out there was a 2'+ bristleworm in there. came in small, then once it got bigger deceided it wanted more food.

 

[jelwyoming]

Jeff, I suspect that you are right. My cleanup crew is just the ususal small crabs and snails, one small brittle star; all of which are sacrificial to the Tusk.
I added another leather, one night later it was toast. I have a snowflake eel in there too. I was hoping that he would hunt down the worms, but I guess not.
A year ago, I pull a 3' plus worm out of my sump in my 120g. It must have been there for several years when my SPS started to get munched. Sounds like something similar

 

[Fish_King_25]

definitely check out the tank at night with a red light...there's a good chance that you may have something similiar..or dare i say it...mantis...

 

[LisaD]

I don't think a mantis would have any interest in destroying corals. Maybe burying or moving them, but not taking out chunks...

 

[Jeffrey Porter]

i would highly doubt a mantis shrimp. all the times i looked in the tank at night i saw nothing, just the tubing through the rocks. it stayed mostly under the sand.

 

[jelwyoming]

What ever it is isn't touch star polyps or xenia. It took chunks out of two different leathers now. Well, I just put in a couple of spare kenya corals. Let's see if it goes for those. I haven't seen any worms or anything else wandering at night. Hmm...