harlequin tusk

[big deddy]

Thinking today after watching a rerun of tanked about looking at adding a harlequin tusk. Now I'm still working with the 75 gallon until fall when I can setup the 150. I see they are OK with coral but like to munch on crabs and snails. What are the pros and cons of 1 of these guys? What would you consider OK tank mates? Like I said, I'm not sure if I will get one, but I am considering it.

 

[dkray944]

I have one in a mixed reef and as long as I keep him well feed with whole krill he's good. Might eat a crab every once and a while but that's a trade off of having this beautiful fish.

 

[RAD01]

i love mine but you can say good bye to any shrimp but if you keep him well fed he'll be ok in a reef.
I was at MACNA today and one of the vendors had a tiny harlequin (1 1/2-2") and I saw him put some cleaner shrimp in the same tank and harlequin went right after the shrimp even though the shrimp looked bigger then him.

 

[RafaelsReef]

i love mine but you can say good bye to any shrimp but if you keep him well fed he'll be ok in a reef.
I was at MACNA today and one of the vendors had a tiny harlequin (1 1/2-2") and I saw him put some cleaner shrimp in the same tank and harlequin went right after the shrimp even though the shrimp looked bigger then him.

What happened to the shrimp?

 

[Waters]

I have one in a mixed reef without any issues. Doesn't touch my cleaner shrimp but will go after the occasional hermit or snail.

 

[big deddy]

What about smaller fish? Any problems?

 

[RAD01]

What happened to the shrimp?

Shrimp is missing some legs, I honestly didn't stay there to long so I don't know if it eat the shrimp.
No problems with other fish big or small and I use to have a 6" tusk that outgrew my aquarium and he didn't bother any small fish.

 

[miyags]

I have one in with a clown fish, dose'nt even look at it. It ate all my stomatella snails. I miss those snails, they really kept the rock clean.

 

[Waters]

What about smaller fish? Any problems?

I have a mixture of small clowns and cardinal fish that he doesn't even look at. For whatever reason, he doesn't like my small leopard wrasse though......chases him away every so often but nothing major.

 

[kid976]

I have a small juvenile about 2 1/2 inches and it doesn't bother any of my inverts. My snails, hermits and shrimps are fine so far. It shows no interests at all and I'm hoping because it's small it will learn to live with them instead of eating them lol.

 

[AussieGaz]

I have one thats abouts 5-6inches roughly, never bothers any fish although he must have a set of balls on him, often decides he is hungrier than the snow flake eel and takes the prawn out of his mouth. I how ever have no snails or hermits left in the tank.

 

[BNUTTHEHUT]

Mine eats Shrimp, Snails and starfish. The Australian ones aren't supposed to bother coral as much. Mine never picked at any coral or clams. They eat ALOT.

 

[AlexG]

My experience has been they are generally peaceful but they like food and lots of it. I had mine in a full reef but he was small. I expected that as the fish grew it was going to become an issue with the cleaner shrimp and snails. I only lost one shrimp that I suspect he ate as the tank was being taken down before I moved. I miss that little guy. I can't wait to get the new tank started as this fish will be on the list for sure.

 

[RichCalvo]

I have a small juvenile about 2 1/2 inches and it doesn't bother any of my inverts. My snails, hermits and shrimps are fine so far. It shows no interests at all and I'm hoping because it's small it will learn to live with them instead of eating them lol.

Hi, how did it go with the Tusk? Did he eat the shrimps and crabs?