harlequin tusk questions

[appellativo]

I have my new tusk in qt. he is from the great barrier reef and was in the store for two weeks prior to purchase, they were feeding him ghost shrimp. no local shops have them for sale though, so I have to try to get him to eat killed food. any tips esp. from people whove done it before?

also, I know they eat snails/shrimps/crabs, but will a tusk eat a chocolate chip starfish? what about a bicolor blenny? thanks!

[TheMcs]

Ghost shrimp hold no/minimal nutritional value for a SW fish. Our Tusks have done great on krill & silversides. Like most fish, each one has its own personality. I've seen aggressive Tusks that would annihilate a blenny, and others that probably wouldn't look at it twice. I would say your CCS is safe.

[appellativo]

yes i know the ghost shrimp are not a good diet, that is why I am asking ways to get him to take killed foods. I simply want to give him currently what he was eating (ghost shrimp) for a couple days to get him to eat and then get him weaned. besides, I did find some ghost shrimp and I am feeding them (gut loading) so that when I feed them to the tusk they will have a tiny bit more nutrition in them).

The current 'plan' I have to get him to eat the dead food is to get some shrimp and spear it on a shishkabob stick and wave it around. is that about all there is to it??

[mystikdragon7]

If you want to wean him off of live food just don't feed him for about 4 days. Then start to feed him krill and/or silversides, becuase by that time he will so very hungry and will eat just about anything.

[appellativo]

dang y'all are harsh.

that's what the guy at the petstore told me too. well, okay.

[TheMcs]

I wouldn't worry about spearing the frozen food. Just drop it in. He's a wrasse, he'll eat with vigor.

[appellativo]

Themcs, I wish that were the case, but so far, no interest in feeding.

[TheMcs]

Even with the ghost shrimp, or just anything other? Wrasses are very greedy eaters, any lack of that is not a good sign. Go a few days without feeding anything, like mystik said, then try the krill.

[appellativo]

wont eat ghost shrimp (although I only put a couple in there, I am pretty sure he has seen them), and wont eat pieces of shrimp with garlic on it (I waved it around in front of his cave hiding place)

He is in a 20g qt now. I am wondering if I should just go ahead and put him in the main tank, thinking that he will be in a more 'natural' type setting and see/smell the other fish eating the homemade blender mush and hopefully initiate a feeding response. what do you think, leave him in qt, or put him in the main tank?

[TheMcs]

You said the store was feeding it ghost shrimp, did you see it eat or is that what they told you?
Many wrasses arrive with intestinal worms, which is treated with praziquanil (sp?), or PraziPro. If the fish has a bad case, the treatment will kill it. Hope that's not the case.

[appellativo]

no, I stupidly did not observe the fish eat before taking it home. I do trust the staff at this reputable store though, but I understand the risk in that. is there any risk to treating wtih praziquanil if the fish does NOT have the parasite? where can I find info on dosing this medication? at this juncture I am not going to go that route but more info would be good.

[TheMcs]

None at all, we routinely treat new wrasses and goatfish upon arrival. Follow dosage as labeled. Not a cheap med though.

[appellativo]

do you think there would be any extra risk in treating the fish since it is not eating? do you think that by treating it it could possibly 'make it feel better' so that it would eat? thanks for your opinions.

[TheMcs]

No, like I said though, if it's a bad case, the med will kill it before the parasite does. No harm if that's not the case, we routinely treat wrasses & goats with no ill effect. If it does have a bad case, you'll see the wrasse trying to pass the parasite, or signs of a bloody or distended anus several hours prior to death.

Pursuing another line of thought, what fish does it share the tank with? What size is the tusk? While tusks don't require huge tanks for their size, I wouldn't dismiss the possibility of it "shutting down" in the confines of a 37.

While they can be an aggressive fish, they can also be bullied by established tankmates. Any places for it to hide in QT? Water params compared to LFS?

[appellativo]

I tore down the 37gallon and upgraded to a 75 which has in it a niger trigger, neon dottyback, bicolor blenny, and 4stripe damsel. The tusk is in a 20g qt with a resin cave which it likes to hang out in and two med/large pieces of pvc. on the back and one side of the qt (the side of the cave) I have black paper taped so that the cave side is dark, and a small light illuminating the right side of the tank. I made sure that the bag water wasnt far off from the qt water and acclimated him accordingly. the qt has a filter, (with media from the 75g), a small piece of sacrificed LR, a maxijet agitating the surface, a heater. He comes out in the evening and moseys around the tank but so far I have not observed him eat/hunt the ghost shrimp, and hasnt looked very interested in the speared chunks of mussel octopus or shrimp I have offered from a skewer (while hiding behind the side of the tank covered with paper so he cant see me, well, as much as possible anyways)

Ok I just tested the water. Even though I had one of those seachem ammonia alert badges in there, I didnt realize the ammonia was so high (1.0). So I went ahead and just put him in the 75 gallon just now. QT is a great idea in theory but every fish I have ever tried to QT before adding to the tank I have had issues with. I have been keeping fish for years and years and if an experienced aquarist like me cant keep a fish happy in qt then using a qt is obviously doing more harm than good. All the 'experts' say just to use a sponge filter from your established tank and that is adequate supply of bacteria to filter waste but IME it never has been. I guess I will stick with obtaining healthy specimens and getting them back into the most natural setting possible. Well I hope that he adjusts to life in captivity. I did put his cave in there and its almost lights out for the night.

[appellativo]

He seems to be happier in the large tank. still not eating blender mush or larger pieces offered on a stick. tankmates have eaten most of the ghost shrimp although its possible he got some when I wasnt looking (at night or in the morning today). will venture out for more live food tomorrow (guppies, mollies, brine shrimp, whatever I can find. Here is a pic so I can get some opinions on 'how long' I have to get him to eat. (ie how thin he looks)

[appellativo]

well i think i observed him slurp a shrimp up and spit the rocks back out, so hopefully that is a good sign.

[Reilly Stv]

any updates

[appellativo]

yep actually I was just getting online to let y'all know that after feeding him ghost shrimp for a few days, I ran out, and rather than get more just waited until he was hungry enough to eat the blender mush (mussels, octopus, etc), and yesterday for the first time he ATE IT! YAAAAY! there is a happy ending.

[fantastic4]

Nice Tusk,

How much was he?

[appellativo]

$129. now you see what all the fuss was about!

[fantastic4]

a magnificent Ausie! I just love them, $129 is not bad at all. The colors are amazing. My Indo tusk is still thriving after a few weeks, however, my fingers are still crossed that he makes it through the whole year.

[gman0526]

$50.00, a month strong, eating mush since arrival

And he says hi to yours



And yes i'm just showing off.

[Andrew]

Nice Tusk.

[appellativo]

geez gman yours looks kind of like he's not getting enough to eat!!!!

I hope mine looks like that soon!