Harliquen Tusks: I thought they weren't reef safe?

[tjkohler]

I went to a LFS that I've never been to before (they are using undergravel filters with the colored rocks as a substrate) and they had about 8 Harliquen Tusks. At least one was of the Australian species because it had blue teeth (right?). Beautiful fish, I had thought they were not reef safe until I came back to the computer and did a search on them. Here are some pictures of them in peoples tanks:
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a...ter/photo3.asp
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hakras...20&%20Tang.jpg
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hakras...uin%20Tusk.jpg
So are they, or are they not reef safe? Thanks for your time.

 

[slick]

I was just wondering how a fish can eat a crab that is in a shell?

 

[overanalyzer]

Was just watching an old NOVA tape - they can knock it over or pull one claw until the soft part of the hermit is exposed. It is quick and once the crab is out of the shell = doomsday!
Other fish sometimes blow the crab over (more common with urchins and starfish I believe) or dart in and crush the crabs head .... no brain = no way to use the claws.

 

[azonic]

some puffers, ie. porcupine actually can crunch the shell. Their mouths are similar to a beak.

 

[sistrmary]

I have one. They eat snails, crabs, and shrimp. (Except coral banded shrimp I'm still waiting for someone to tell me of something eating one though) They'd probably eat clams too, although I never even though about trying it. It depends on what you want in your reef. If you don't want crabs, snails or shrimp, they're reef safe (Although it would be awfully hard to maintain a decent reef system with fish without at least one of them.)