Harlequin tusk wrasse

[ChadLo]

Was sold to me as an Aussie what do you think ?

Looks like an Aussie. Check on his tail fin under your white lights. If it's red (which it looks to be but hard to be 100% positive) it's an aussie.

 

[OrionN]

Indo-Pacific HT also have red tail so this is not a differentiation characteristic for Australian HT. Your HT looks like an Indo-Pacific HT to me.

 

[Forsaken77]

Does it really matter, he's gorgeous. I had a indie that rivaled any aussie you would have ever seen. Look on a map, the same fish swimming in the indo one day, and off the coast of Australia the next. The price tag is really just paying the differences in cost associated with landing and shipping from Indonesia vs Australia. I think for the most part, they are the same fish, I've seen brilliant indos and plain jane aussies and vice versa, and have busted my share of lfs ripping off customers charging aussie prices for indo fish.

While both versions can have great colors, I think it's more important to recognize the differences in capture techniques. A lot of Indos are caught with cyanide. I've had 2 go blind.

I know people have had so-called Aussies go blind, but it's a more common trend lately with Indo caught Tusks from many people I've spoken with. It doesn't happen quickly either, which makes it a heartbreaking process to witness.

How did you bust the LFS's selling one as another when it's almost impossible to tell when juveniles? Just asking

 

[Forsaken77]

The tusk is my all time favorite fish (along with a mature Red Coris Wrasse). Tusks seem to be seasonal for the summer. It's very difficult to find a good one in the winter. I have also noticed that if the teeth are extremely and fully blue, that that's a trait more displayed by Aussies.

The last two Indos I had went blind and it's very difficult to get a guaranteed Aussie species unless you know your LFS orders Australian fish. One of my LFS's doesn't get any Australian fish, while the other, much more expensive place, does.

I will never order an Aussie online because they will usually just charge by its coloring and not by where it's really from.

 

[OrionN]

I have been collecting pictures of HT from DD including the size. I think I can tell the differences between two sub species.

Hope this help us ID Australia vs Indo Harlequin Tusk.

Australia have more red, thinner lat 3 bars, Face of the Autralia does not have as much dark color. Doral area of the two sub species are different also. Below are a few pictures from DD I collected over the last several weeks along with the size of the fish.

These are Indo Tusk:
5 1/4

5 1/4

5 1/4

4 1/4

4 1/4

Australia
6 1/2

3 7/8

Mine Australia 5 1/2

 

[OrionN]

Was sold to me as an Aussie what do you think ?

From information I collected above I can confidently says that you have a Indo Harlequin Tusk

 

[PacsAdmin77]

Kinda off-topic question, but is it normal behavior for a harlequin tusk to dig tunnels? Mine has dug thru 2 inches of sand bed underneath my rock work from one side to other. It only recently did this. Otherwise, it’s eating fine and swimming fine. Maybe it’s normal for any wrasse to frolic in the sand?

 

[4FordFamily]

Kinda off-topic question, but is it normal behavior for a harlequin tusk to dig tunnels? Mine has dug thru 2 inches of sand bed underneath my rock work from one side to other. It only recently did this. Otherwise, it’s eating fine and swimming fine. Maybe it’s normal for any wrasse to frolic in the sand?

I’ve not seen that as common behavior, but since they’re technically a wrasse it can/does happen.

 

[PacsAdmin77]

Since we’re discussing ID’ing, I bought Harley from DD as an Aussie but I have never been 100% sure. Can anyone tell?

 

[vetteguy53081]

From information I collected above I can confidently says that you have a Indo Harlequin Tusk

Its trying to get out of tank thru the bottom - JUST KIDDING , , shame on me.

Typical of any member of wrasse family. The harlequin lays its bed my making a pocket and then forms a cocoon around itself at night. Parrotfish do the same. Very normal to answer your question

 

[OrionN]

Since we’re discussing ID’ing, I bought Harley from DD as an Aussie but I have never been 100% sure. Can anyone tell?

Better picture is needed but I think I am leaning toward Indo Tusk

 

[PacsAdmin77]

Better picture is needed but I think I am leaning toward Indo Tusk

Man, I’ve bought fish from DD before but I never expected them to misrepresent one of their livestock. Paid $$ for a juvenile HT too :/

 

[OrionN]

Man, I’ve bought fish from DD before but I never expected them to misrepresent one of their livestock. Paid $$ for a juvenile HT too :/

Looks like a small one. Look at the smaller HT pictures above, especially the 3-4 inches ones. Looks at the 4 bands under the dorsal fins. It seem like your fish bands are too thick to be Australia.

 

[OrionN]

I take the above post back. Need better pictures to tell the coloration of the face and fins. The bars are a little too thick but as they grow, the bars will be proportionally thinner. Much easier to tell once they get to about 5 inches or so. especially black under the eyes and over the gills
I wonder if they interbreed?

 

[PacsAdmin77]

Hmmm my reef lights are primarily blue-ish in tint so maybe changing them to white might help with ID’ing of the HT, if I were to focus on face and fin(which?) coloration??

 

[lion king]

For the life of me once they are they in display I can see no rhyme or reason which is which. If you look on a map their distribution overlaps broad sections. It really comes down to who collects them, and the pdices reflect the import from Aus.

Ive seen brilliant ones tagged as Indo and had a friend at an lfs that said when the store got a more brilliant indo, the owner would tag it aussie, tbis happens more than you tbink.

I never got good pics of ths one I had, he had the blue on the rear and a very bright majenta tail with blue teeth; I bought it as an indo.

 

[OrionN]

Hmmm my reef lights are primarily blue-ish in tint so maybe changing them to white might help with ID’ing of the HT, if I were to focus on face and fin(which?) coloration??

Harlequin Tusk is one of my most favorite fish. I tried my best to learn about them so I can keep them healthy. Let me tried to answer your questions. Below are picture of my Tusk (Australia) at just about 3.75 inches and a DD Tusk at 4.25. You can see from the pictures, their color maturation is about the same. It is possible that my photo technique is a little better, or my fish is much healthier. That cannot be help. Regardless, I think the differences I point out are not affect by these factors (except maybe one)
1. Full pictures of both fish. Mine, will always picture first while DD Indo pictured second.

2 Picture of the head. You can see that the Indo 2nd and 3rd stripes have significant more black with give the fish a darker, more menacing look.

3. The 4 stripes under the dorsal fins are different. At lease 3 of these stripes are significantly thinner. The will be even more clear as they get older. The black coloration of Indo Tusk extended farther from tail to front of the body in comparison to Australia Tusk.

4. The back of the dorsal fin of the Australian Tusk is Red instead of orange. This may be due to better health, or better picture technique. I swear that I did not color enhance the picture of my Tusk.

There you have it. I hope this help people who wanted to positively ID HT

 

[OrionN]

FWIW, here are pictures of a DD larger Tusks. 1st from Australia and 2nd one from Indo-Pacific. Lighting and condition I have to assume to be the same. As you can see, all the differences I pointed out are greatly exaggerated as they get older. I used to think that Australian and Indo-Pacific Tusks are equally attractive. I have change my mind and think that Australian are more than slightly better looking than Indo-Pacific.