Harlequin Tusk success

[jd474]

Maybe not "exactly" a reef fish question, but for you folks who have kept tusks (C. fasciatus) long-term, how many have experienced blindness issues? If so, what was the longevity of the fish? If you have tried more than 1 specimen, did you have mixed results, and if so was there anything you did differently (nutritionally) between the two? Also, where were they collected (if you know)? many thanks in advance.

 

[jd474]

No one has experience with these?

 

[LukFox]

What is considered long term? Danorth had one go blind and I believe he had to euthanize it. It would be a good idea to go look for that old post. I think he was banned, so he can't join in this thread sadly.

 

[jda]

I had one for over 4 years. It never grew too much - maybe 3/4 of an inch the whole time. It was a good fish that never bothered anything, yet would not take any garbage either. My was a regular one, not aussie. I would get another one in a heartbeat.

I had another one for about 6 months with great results, but it jumped out.

 

[jd474]

What is considered long term? Danorth had one go blind and I believe he had to euthanize it. It would be a good idea to go look for that old post. I think he was banned, so he can't join in this thread sadly.

I was basically just trying to avoid people who have kept one for less than a year or two saying they had no problems, but in particular if one had blindness issues, how long it took to develop. Thanks for the recommendation, i'll try to find that thread. Nice avatar, BTW.

 

[AquaKnight]

I am 0 for 3 :sad2:

I had a 2" juvi tilesurf that was doing well for a few months. A large 5.5" that was lost to velvet in 2 months, and a 4.5" last exactly a month. All were Indo's. I suspect the last one died from internal organ failure from cyanide collection.

 

[LukFox]

Oh okay, I've had mine for 3.5 years. He has a small vision problem, but I'm quite certain it was due to the antibiotic treatments he's been through this year. One was for a bad eel bite and the second for a lion sting that got infected (It really hasn't been his year, but now he is only getting harmless tank mates so there will hopefully be no more incidents).

While I was treating for the eel bite his vision actually pretty much went down to 10% during the last couple days of treatment. He was running into rocks and couldn't find food even after being placed back in the display, but because his eyes didn't look like there was anything wrong with them I held off on euthanizing him. After three weeks of near blindness, his vision actually started returning pretty quickly. It was amazing, really. I had a tang that went through treatment with him (she got bitten too), and her vision didn't suffer at all.

Then I treated for the lion sting and now he seems to have a problem where he always strikes an inch to the right of whatever he's trying to eat. It's not a big problem though because he can easily recalculate for the distance inaccuracy, so he eats just fine. He's only off by an inch so he doesn't have any problem swimming around the tank, and you wouldn't know he even had a problem just watching him swim. It's only when he initially goes after food, before he recalculates his movements, that you can tell something is a bit wrong.

So IME, their eyes are just more sensitive to medication than other fish's eyes, but the vision can actually return if the cause is medication. I doubt it's nutrition related in my fish as these vision issues have happened directly after/while being medicated. This isn't to say there aren't cases where nutrition is a factor, but I've seen medication affect the eyes twice now. Oh and he's an Australian.

 

[emilio c]

I have had "FANG" for 7 years now he dose great in our reef. His diet is mainly green alge sheets, with all of our tangs he eats the stuff up. Once and a while I will toss him a hermit crab, snail or star fish as a treat.

 

[jd474]

Thanks guys, LukFox, can you tell me what you treated with, specifically? Also, what does your (or his) diet consist of? I hear a lot more success with Aussie collected, probably due to their better collection/handling methods. Thanks again.

 

[LukFox]

BiFuran+ for the first treatment, and the second was Maracyn 2. His diet consists of New Life Spectrum Pellets + A Thera, clams, prawns, squid, ikura, and pieces of various fish like cod, salmon, tuna, yellowtail, talapia, etc. These foods often get soaked in selcon as well.

 

[jd474]

BiFuran+ for the first treatment, and the second was Maracyn 2. His diet consists of New Life Spectrum Pellets + A Thera, clams, prawns, squid, ikura, and pieces of various fish like cod, salmon, tuna, yellowtail, talapia, etc. These foods often get soaked in selcon as well.

sounds like one well fed fish! thanks for the info.

 

[Stuart60611]

I am 1 for 2. I have only purchased Aussie's. The first one just died right upon acclimation. The second one I have had only for a bit over 6 months. He went through a copper treatment about 3 months ago and thankfully so far shows no adverse effects.

 

[zemuron114]

get the australia ones. Better color and better overall health. I can count the number that have died on me on one hand and i have had hundreds come and go. Only problem with AU is most are 5-8". very rarely do i see small ones for sale.

On a side note - acclimate VERY slow. They do not do well with quick changes in temp, salinity or water quality. This is probably why Stuart's didn't make it through. Once they adapt (3-4 days they will be perfect if acclimated correctly) and they are bullet proof

 

[MrTuskfish]

I had one, prior to Katrina, for 5-6 years with no health problems. I have 2 now,in separate tanks, 1 almost 4 years, the other about 3. A varied diet and lots of vitamins are key; IMO & IME. All are Aussies and almost all Aussie tusks are caught on baited hooks by divers. I think all Aussie fish are superior to their Indo-Pacific counterparts and deserve the premium price.