Blue Hippo Tang addition after Yellow tang?

[aquaworld75]

Hey, I have done some searches on the board looking for this answer but couldn't really find a straight yes or no answer.
I have had my 75 gallon tank setup for about 1 year and a half and have only added a purple pseudochromis, maroon clown and then finally a yellow tang. All parameters are pretty stable. But now I want a Blue Hippo Tang. I know yellow tangs should be introduced last but I was wondering if I could add the blue tang?

 

[bdhough]

I Woudln't They don't do well in anything less than a 120 generally. They also do best in a reef type environment. Don't know if you have that. If you are interested in a colorful fish that would fit in your tank quite nicely try looking into the dwarf angels. They are varied and very pretty.

 

[aquaworld75]

Thanks for the reply.
I am wanting to start a reef type aquarium also what I have is below. No corals yet but in the process of adding various polyps and mushrooms.
I thought you could keep Blue hippo in a 70gal or less? Are you referring to the Powder Blue tang which needs 120gal or more?
Maybe I am just mistaken.
_________
75 Gallon, 80 lbs live rock, 100 lbs live sand, Maroon Clown Fish, Purple pseudochromis, Yellow Tang, 20 Blue Legs and Scarlet Hermits, 15 Turbo and Astraea Snails, 20 Cerith Snails, 12 Nassarius Snails, 1 Fighting Conch, 3 Feather Dusters, Wet/dry filter System/Sump,
7 gallon refugium w/ overflow to sump, 260 watt power compacts

 

[ozadars]

No Aquaworld,
Blue/Regal/Hippo tangs need at least 120 gal. Powder blues are ok in a 100 gal and yellow needs 100 too IMO but most people puts them something under 100 like 75-65-55, there are even some people w/ their tangs in 35 gals!!! I think they dont know how big a tang gets and that they need swimming room...
Also yes dwarf angels have wonderful colours

 

[rhomer]

That is some pretty shaky advice. I would watch out for the fast and true rules. You have well est tank with a very small bio load. If you wanted a hippo I would get a medium sized one about 3-4 inches.
They don't grow as fast as some would claim they do. I've had mine for nearly two years and I haven't seen much growth out of him.
As for pigmy angels, if your thinking about going with a reef setup you could run into problems with them. They "can/maybe" nip at corals and even some will eat them. There are many people here who have had success with them and I would bet that most would say it's a matter of luck.
I would watch out for advice that states things as hard fast rules. There are some things that are clearly wrong (ie placing tangs in tanks under 55 gallons).
Rob
(sorry for the stomp)

 

[bluemandj]

bdhough might be right on the size of the aquaium. I have a hippo and a yellow in the same tank (125 gal). they actually sleep in the same cave.

 

[buzz]

Tank size for tangs is one of the most heated debates on this board. There are too many variables involved such as amount of rockwork, footprint of the tank, etc., to make a statement that a Blue Tang MUST have a 120g or more, or a Yellow Tang MUST have 100g or more...You alone must make the decision as to whether or not the fish you have is fairing well in your tank. The "ideal" tank size opinion changes as often as the seasons.
As to introducing the Tang, you may have some problems there. Many, including myself, keep both a Yellow and a Blue Tang together. Mine get along great together. But they were in the same display tank at the LFS, were transported in the same bag, and were introduced at the same time.
That is kind of the key - introducing them at the same time. There is a higher success rate with that method.

 

[rhomer]

as for introduction the hippo will be the more aggressive based on it's size.
I added a mimic tang after my hippo. The hippo was larger and picked on the mimic tang for a day maybe two days, but after that mine schooled together.
The other thought I had about introduction is to add them at night after the lights are off. This will reduce stress during introduction.
Rob

 

[bdhough]

Well i understand that you can keep babies in smaller tanks. I've seen a small purple tang in a 20 gallon and he seemed comfortable. Yes they do grow very slowly. Yes it would take years for them to be out of place in a 75. But also remember that a fish in the wild full life would live just as long as a cat or dog, say 10-15 years depending on how well they are taken care of. I kind of liken it to a full size cat or dog living in a closet. A kitten or puppy may be ok but wait a couple years.... Its alot harder to pick up and move 75 gallons of water as opposed to a dog or cat as well.....
Having worked in the LFS before i've come to the understanding that if you have to ask then you aren't cofortable in doing it mentality. I personally would feel comfortable putting a small blue tang in there. Blue tangs while widely available BUT are hard to keep properly. If you ultimately decide to get one i would very much suggest getting a QT tank FIRST. I will bet money he brings something into your established tank and everyone gets sick. They are NOTORIOUS for that and you're out some nice fish....
As some have stated there are too many variables to just "get a blue tang" Thats why i said no.... I just want to see it done properly if its going to be done. Why waste so much money on something like that may just be a fancy?

 

[rhomer]

I think a more accurate comparison between a 120 and a 75 would be keeping a cat in an house vs an apartment. Sure the cat would have more room in the house, but the apartment is sufficient.
There is also a lot of debate about how fish grow in captivity. I have read some theories that fish will release a hormone in the water that will prevent it from growing to it's largest size and this includes saltwater fish.
Now we can get into that discussion about whether it is even ethical to keep fish at all if we are stunting their growth, but the discussion is 75/120 for a blue hippo tang with 3 other fish in the system.
My vote is you will be fine with that fish in a 75 for a very very long time.

 

[bdhough]

And i don't disagree with you at all but Aquaworld may or may not have experience enough to properly put one in their tank without a major risk to their existing setup. Like i said if you set up a QT tank before buying one then ok try the tang. I personally would not add one to such an established tank without a QT. I've seen to many sick blue tangs.

 

[aquaworld75]

Thank you so much for the information and debate .
I agree that it is based on so much more than just the fish and the size of the tank.
I think what I will do is begin setting up a reef tank as opposed to adding any other fish at this time. I like the idea of my tank being nice and stable and feel that going towards a reef system is going to be tough enough that I should focus on that.
Eventually I will probably get a blue tang, just because I love the way they look.
Again thanks

 

[bdhough]

Sure. You're going to need the extra money anyways to go towards the reef.
I should know. Get into your lfs or find out if anyone near you keeps corals. That is the best way to get your hands on cheap frags rather than 50-80 pieces at the store....

 

[ozadars]

Ron, tangs grow really fast. My friend had a tang in a very small tank and it didnt grow for years but when he put him in a bigger tank he started growing in months. Your tang sure dont grow because he is under a very bad condition. The tangs in normal tanks will grow really fast. My lfs said they put some hippo tangs in a small tang for years and when they decided to put them ina bigger tank, the tangs become dwarfs. No growing and this will make the tang die earier for sure...

 

[rhomer]

ozadars,
As a curtosy I will recommend that you tone it down a notch.
You are making some gross acusations, I'm sure that my 90 gallon tank parameters are just fine and have been for over a year. I suspect that there is a much larger issue that can be disucssed here, such as, why all fish kept in captivity grow at slower rates and grow less than when they are in the wild.
I suspect that fish in captivity will in general die prematurally regardless of the tank size they are kept in. But again there isn't any real data to back this up.
Your statement about "your friend" carries no weight unless you have some data to back it up. I'm guessing that your statement about years is also a bit exaggerated (this is only a guess).
I would appreciate it if you respond only when you have something constructive to add to a thread.
Rob

 

[ozadars]

Hi Ron,
I had a hippo tang in my 20 gal before and he was about 1'', i had corals and few more small fish, my all corals and inverts were ok and but just the hippo had white spots on, he had these every day and all the parametres were ok (because corals, inverts and other fish were ok) the tang was ok for more then 3-4 months but then his ich spreaded to other fish and they all died.
This is my experience and i had a 1'' tang in a 20 gal so thats equal to 4'' tang in a 80 gal

 

[rhomer]

please if you are going to post a response to me it is "ROB" not RON.
Your math doesn't hold any water here. In no instace should a hippo tang of any size be kept in a tank that small. I think that everyone here would back me up on that one. And there isn't any real way to compare a one inch fish in a 20 gallon tank to a 4 inch fish in an 80 gallon tank. In fact that statement is so ridiculous I'm going to ignore just about anything you say on this board from now on.
I really don't think your expereince has much relevance to the original question.
Rob, Rob, Rob, Rob

 

[bdhough]

Ill agree the comparison is not right. You can't measure a fish on length. A 4 inch fish is equivalent to i think 8 1 inch fish. Im not sure on the correct ratio but thats the volume ratio. A 4 inch fish has alot more BULK than a 1 inch fish. And the fact that the tang had ich for 4 months and died after maybe living only a year of his natural life is not success. Blue tangs can live upwards of 10 years if not longer and can reach a foot in body length which would be the equivalent of quite a few 1 inch fish......

 

[ozadars]

Yes bdhough you can be right but i m sure the tang died because of the size of the tank because except him, everything was perfect... Hippo tangs have gorgeous colours and probably the best fish i have ever seen but putting an ACTIVE SWIMMER, 1' long fish in a something smaller then 125 gal is just a torture IMO

 

[ryebread]

Ozodars-
Just curious.......
What do you guys call Turkey ( Da Lunchmeat kind ) over there in Turkey?
And while we are on the subject.......how do you say that you are hungry if you are in Hungary?