Phillipino / Australian Harlequin Tusk ??????????
 

Alright guys,, whats the low down on Harlequin Tusks, do they do ok and live in captivity or am I wasting my money.. Been through 4 philipino Tusks all do o.k. for a while then they stop eating and die. Had a heart to heart w/ a few LFS and they say dont bother, they are drug caught and will all for the most part die. Another LFS reccomends trying a Australian Tusk, says they are not drug caught and will do O.k. ?? opinions, reccomendations ??? yes or no ??

aussie tusks are by far more durable/healthier/and better looking.
Only get the Aussie ones. You cannot trust the phillipines when it comes to collection methods.
You'll pay a little more for Aussie ones, but it will be worth it.

Thanks for the reply,,, Question is do they live and do well in captivity ?? or are they miserable and fail ??

G'day mate I say go for an aussie tusk . They are known to be a lot better that the philopino ones , they will live longer be more healthy and more colorfull .

Thanks guys, Waiting for a good deal on an Aussie Tusk, this will be my last attempt at keeping one.. anybody able to keep one for extended periods and have them thrive ???

chris,
not sure where in NY you are but I was in the same boat, I hadnt lost any Tusks, but I was on the search for an Aussie myself. All of the LFS's that I went to in the NY/NJ area over the past week had Aussies ranging from $89 - $209, dependent on size. I was looking for a 3-4" and happily found one after a few days. I paid $99 for it. Only had it now for a few days but it is always hungry, eats frozen and dried shrimp. He found himslef a cave in the rocks and doesnt like when other fish get too close to the cave. If you want to know where some are available I can help.

stewart

I know that the Aussie tusk is a seasonal fish, meaning in some months they are cheaper. I think June, July, and August the price goes down. not completely sure. I have had an aussie for about 2yrs now is doing great he is fat and happy even though he is missing a pectoral fin.

Steeldude can we see a pic of your tusk?

Here you go:

[IMG][url=http://s2.supload.com/free/DSC_2437.JPG/view/][IMG]http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/DSC_2437.JPG[/IMG][/URL][/IMG]

Around me, NY,NJ the phillipino tusks are going for 80-100 and the aussie tusks are 199.00 + .... saw a supposed aussie at absolutely fish in NJ for 160.00 but wasn't convinced it was an aussie. so Steeldude if you have any idea where to get an aussie tusk for 100 bucks it would be appreciated.. Thanks Chris

I saw the ones at absolutely, they were indeed Aussie but damn they are expensive there. FishTown in queens has 2 aussies for about $120 each, Reef Encounter has a larger aussie at $130 and The FishTank in Saddlebrook has an aussie in their display tank for $120. It is my under standing that the way to tell the difference, despite what the LFS says it is, is that the Aussies have a much more pronounced blue border around the stripes, which all of these had. Most were marked Australian. But who really knows?
Stewart

Thanks Stewart, usually the Aussies are a lot bigger also, they usually dont come in smaller than about 5-6 inches. My phillipino's did well for a few weeks then just crapped out for no apparent reason.

was at the fish tank and absolutely last weekend, cheapest aussie I saw was one I wasnt sure was an aussie at absolutely, for 160.00... Jaws in elmsford has some gorgeous ones for 250.00 :( I will keep an eye out for one.. thanks again

steeldude you have an indo not an aussie look at the orange stripe/face there is never any of that black on aussies. But that's besides the point in my opinion I had a good indo (phillipino) for around 6 months in my 90 and it grew more than 2 inches in that time and constantly pooped. I think they get too big for either of your tanks not just from a swim space stance but from a filtration stance.

what happened to your Tusk after 6 months. I agree that my 92g won't be big enough in the long run, but I have no problem in upgrading when the time comes. Also, are you sure my tusk is not Aussie? I was fairly certain that it was.
Steel

I'm downgrading from a 90 and had to sell it. I'm sure it's indo there shouldn't be any scales on the stripes that look dirty like on yours.

yep,, looked indo to me too,, didnt want to say anything... good luck w/ him though... keep us posted how he does... mine usually lasted 2-4 weeks... :(

Well, I guess it was a philipino after all, he was just about dead this morning. I yanked him and put him out of his misery. I will wait awhile and find a real Aussie. Let me know if you find any local...

Sorry to hear that,, they are such goregous fish, it's a shame... I have killed 4 myself and feel terrible. That was the whole point of this thread, to find out if it's the collecting methods or the fish themselves just dont do well in captivity.. I haven't heard of anyone having long term success with them. :(

Like I said the cheapest Aussie I saw was 160.00 at absolutely, and I wasnt sure he was Aussie... most run 199 - 299.00....

Best place that guarantees aussies and has them for a reasonable (not cheap/reasonable) price is marinefish.com. They also QT their fish and have a good reputation.

Is a $120 indo tusk worth it when it lives less than 6 months vs an aussie for $160-$200 that will live for years given proper care?

Keep in mind, until people stop buying the cheaper indo fish there is no pressure for 3rd world nations to not use the easiest method to collect quick money (ie drugging) in the collection process. Don't encourage them...

How can you tell if it is a Phillippino one or a Aussie one? I just got back from the LFS and they had one and it was $99.00. My wife really wanted me to get it but I new I read something about this....

Please let me know... as based on previous posts... $99.00 may be a really good deal.

Color markings a philipino fish will have some black on the orange stripes making them look sort of dirty an aussie will have none of that (easiest way to tell) it's pretty obvious once you know what you're looking for.
[quote]I haven't heard of anyone having long term success with them. [/quote]
I know lots of people would scoff at calling six months long term but I had my phillipino fish for more than six months before I had to sell it. However I live in Texas and both of you live in New York and obviously would have different whole salers which means different collectors too.

This is a great post.

If think I have an Indo Tusk. If my Indo Tusk is eating like a trigger and swims like a dolphin, does this mean I am still in harms way a few weeks down the road?

Was your Indo Tusk acting like mine before passed on?

Also, what do you think of mixing a juvi Clown Trigger (3 inches) with an existing Clown Grouper and Tusk tank? Will the trigger harrass the grouper and tusk? The grouper just lays back all day, his fins ready to be plucked. I really want to add a clown trigger, am I risking to much?

Here is my Australian Tusk fish about 9" long . i have it about three years in my tank now.
[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12510Australian_Tusk_fish_2-10-05.jpg [/IMG]
[IMG]http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/12510Australian_Tusk__Medium_.jpg [/IMG]

nice one steve!

Great looking fish Zoom