Blue Hippo Tang Min. Tank size?

[justinwwwallin]

Originally Posted by steelytom
http:///forum/post/2913952
i bought a small one in my 75g knowing I am upgrading in a year. It is growing very fast. I have had him for about three months and it and it has gone from 1.5" to about 3". I feed Nori every day and two or three cubes of frozen food. I have a pretty heavily stocked 75.
what all do u feed your fish? like what kidna cubes?

 

[mboswell1982]

Originally Posted by LKGRenegade22
http:///forum/post/2913184
I'm about to move her to a 10G with that powerhead. LOL. She's obsessed with it.
careful, she might just end up turning into a surfin fish, hell, u could make big bucks off her then, bill her as the worlds only surfing fish, get her a lil surfboard an everything, it'll be sweet LOL

i crack myself up

 

[hlcroghan]

That is awesome....have you guys seen that skateboarding dog on youtube?? he he...anyways, are any of the tangs going to fit in a 66 gallon for life?? i would like to have one but i am looking at the red sea max which is 66 gallons.....

 

[bigjakec]

All of the books i have say hippos can be kept in a min. 40 to 55 gal tank. That being said, i did try a hippo in my 46 and he was misreble. They do need room to roam for sure.

 

[subielover]

Originally Posted by hlcroghan
http:///forum/post/2914120
That is awesome....have you guys seen that skateboarding dog on youtube?? he he...anyways, are any of the tangs going to fit in a 66 gallon for life?? i would like to have one but i am looking at the red sea max which is 66 gallons.....
I don't think it is a good idea, especially since that tank is wide instead of being very long. There are still plenty of awesome fish that you could house in it though.

 

[spanko]

Here I am gonna throw this out there, it is from the Mod's on another site. They put it up to keep everyone kind of in line. Did not work.These are their thoughts on minimum sizes for tangs. (They went with gallon, I personally think dimensions are more important but here goes)
1. Tangs are not good choices for newly set up aquaria. To thrive they need a stable environment with pristine water conditions. Anyone thinking their newly set up aquarium is stable is invited to read through the following thread:
Maturity Issues
2. Tangs are medium to large, active fish that need plenty of space. On the question of tank sizes, we defer to Scott W. Michael, who recommends the following minimum sizes in Marine Fishes, 500+ Essential-To-Know Aquarium Species, Microcosm Ltd., 1999:
1. Acanthurus achilles, Achilles Surgeonfish, 100 gal (380l).
2. Acanthurus coeruleus, Atlantic Blue Tang, 75 gal (285l).
3. Acanthurus japonicus, Powder Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
4. Acanthurus leucosternon, Powder Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
5. Acanthurus lineatus, Lined or Clown Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
6. Acanthurus nigricans, Whitecheek Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
7. Acanthurus olivaceus, Orangeshoulder Surgeonfish, 135 gal (510l).
8. Acanthurus pyroferus, Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
9. Acanthurus sohal, Sohal Surgeonfish, 180 gal (680l).
10. Acanthurus tristegus, Convict Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
11. Acanthurus tristis, Indian Mimic Surgeonfish, 75 gal (285l).
12. Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis, Chevron Tang, 100 gal (380l).
13. Ctenochaetus strigosus, Kole's Tang, 75 gal (285l).
14. Naso brevirostris, Spotted Unicornfish, 180 gal (685l).
15. Naso lituratus, Orangespine Unicornfish or Naso Tang, 135 gal (510l).
16. Naso unicornis, Bluespine Unicornfish, 200 gal (760l).
17. Paracanthurus hepatus, Pacific Blue Tang, 100 gal (380l).
18. Zebrasoma desjardinii, Indian Ocean or Red Sea Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
19. Zebrasoma flavescens, Yellow Tang, 75 gal (285l).
20. Zebrasoma scopas, Brown Tang, 75 gal (285l).
21. Zebrasoma veliferum, Sailfin Tang, 135 gal (510l).
22. Zebrasoma xanthurum, Purple Tang, 100 gal (380l).
You will note that none of these minimum sizes are less than 75 gallons. If you have a tang in a smaller tank, you should expect that some people will give you a hard time about it. Expressing outrage about that could result in suspension of your posting privileges. We are not, BTW, giving a free pass to the self-styled "Tang Police" to be abusive.
3. The above sizes assume a standard rectangular shape with plenty of open swimming space. If your tank is full to the brim with coral, your tang won't be happy. Tanks 125G or larger are assumed to be at least six feet long (approx. two meters). Where possible, choose longer rather than deeper shapes. While smaller species may be OK in a four foot tank, they will probably do better in a five foot or longer tank.
4. We do not condone the practice of keeping more than one specimen of the same or very similar species together in the same aquarium, except possibly for Zebrasoma species in a very large tank.
5. If you wish to keep multiple dissimilar tangs in the same aquarium, we recommend you have an aquarium significantly larger than the sizes listed above.

 

[braydonosu]

What are the exact dimensions on the 66 gal? Kole tangs stay pretty small (6-7") I would think that they are your best bet if you must get a smaller tang. For the Hippo that you asked about I like the above opinions - a 6' tank is best (longer would be better - see some of the 10' long tanks on this message board)
I'm sure that some people would be offended if you kept the kole in a 66 or 72, but then again I'm sure that those people do things with their tanks that would offend others.
On a side note - do you have a LFS here is cincinnati? I have only found 1 and I'm not too impressed with it.

 

[cocoacf]

I've had three hippo tangs in my 5.5g nano for about three years now.

They swim around/hide in their rock every day. They love it and each other. It's really neat to watch them play tag and chase each other around etc.. :

jk...

 

[aquaknight]

It's all about what you feel. People say they will trade the fish out when they go to large, but unforunately many don't as they become too attached to the fish. The line "well compared to the ocean, any tank is immune" couldn't be further from the truth. Think about it, would you prefer to be locked inside a lit closet, or contained to a 2500sq. ft house? I know which one I'd pick...
Provide your fish with what you think is enough. Honestly, after watching a couple adult Paulette Tangs at the LFS, not in my 125gal....

 

[khaosreign]

Hey Quan
I have hade my Hippo for about 2.5 yrs ina 75gal tank. He has at least doubled in size since I first purchased him. He is doing great comes out and frolics with my clowns and seems all around to be content. again it also depends on the temperament of the fish. also this is the only "large" fish i own as well so it has plenty of swim room IMO. But like most most others have said in the end its a personal choice to either buy one or not.

 

[quandary]

Wow thanks for all the great answers! It is hard so many books give different answers and them on boards everyone has their own take on the situation.
I am still up in the air about what fish to get for a 75g I started about a month ago, but I guess that is the fun.
Anyone know what other fish you can put with a Blue Hippo??

 

[florida joe]

Every one seems to forget to include what else you have in your tank a hippo in a crowed 125 g tank IMO is not as happy as one in a 50g with only two fish. I always divide my tank gallon size by the number of fish I have to get a general idea of compatibility

 

[quandary]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/2916608
Every one seems to forget to include what else you have in your tank a hippo in a crowed 125 g tank IMO is not as happy as one in a 50g with only two fish. I always divide my tank gallon size by the number of fish I have to get a general idea of compatibility
I only want to keep about 3 to 4 fish.

 

[braydonosu]

You could always try to keep the tang as the center piece and just add 3-4 smaller fish for added color/movment. Firefish, small wrasses, and clowns are always fun to watch and would get along with the tang.

 

[pacmanmp]

I have mine in a 29 biocube- but it is only 2 in and i have planes to move it to my 154 after it finishes cycling

 

[mie]

One very important thing to mention is the fact that them not being able to swim freely will stress them out and I am sure you know the hippo's are problaby the easist fish to get ich. I would find another fish choice. Remember this hobby requires patience and resbonsible decisions.

 

[calvertbill]

Originally Posted by blacktop pete
http:///forum/post/2912685
55gal min. only one hippo at a time. quarantine for one month
Double No!
1. Hippos are prone to ICH so the quarantine period should be the entire paracite life cycle from the trophont stage. Six weeks is totally safe.
2. My Hippos are in a 10' 450gal. and they're already approaching 6" at one-year-old.
Anecdotal stories about "I once had a Tang in a teacup" aren't worth very much. Our prison system proves a man can live 20 years in a 6x9 cell, but he ain't gonna be as healthy, and he ain't gonna be happy.

 

[volks]

I have a Blue Hippo Tang in a 125 gallon aquarium. I first purchased the fish 4 years ago and he was about 1" in size (maybe less), after much feeding and space to swim around he's now a nice 8-10". Formula One herbivore pellets and Seaweed Selects algae strips pretty much make up his diet. Be ready for ****** outbreaks (aka saltwater fish ich) as mine still gets them when I do maintenance on the tank because he gets a little stressed. The outbreak is usually 1-5 spots but they eventually are cleaned away by the group of cleaner shrimp I have in the aquarium. Which brings me to my next point... QUARANTINE him at first for sure, and make sure you have at least a couple cleaner shrimp to keep him parasite free just in case. Also make sure it has access to plenty of rock caves as they are timid fish from juveniles to adulthood.
PS As for the size of the tank... honestly he looks pretty big in my 125 so I'd go with the comment made earlier about the tank being at least 6'. If I had the money I'd upgrade him to a bigger tank than the 125. They swim constantly and quickly.

 

[calvertbill]

Originally Posted by Volks
http:///forum/post/2920184
PS As for the size of the tank... honestly he looks pretty big in my 125 so I'd go with the comment made earlier about the tank being at least 6'. If I had the money I'd upgrade him to a bigger tank than the 125. They swim constantly and quickly.
I'm not sure where you are, but I know of a great Tang Retirement Community that has an opening for a Hippo but because of harmony restrictions can't accept any new admissions from fish under 5". It's current residents include 4 Zebrasoma flavescens (Yellow), 2 Paracanthurus hepatus (Blue Hippos), 1 Zebrasoma desjardinii (Desjardinii), 1 Zebrasoma veliferum (Sailfin), 1 Zebrasoma xanthurum (Purple).
The facility is 10' long, doesn't have any tennis courts but does have a fine 450 gallon pool and a fine security system at: http://98.218.41.235:1024/img/main.c..._file=main.htm
It's in Maryland, 1 hour from the inaugural balls that are going on now. I have pull with the operators and am given to understand that in two years the facility is probably moving to new quarters that are 14' x 6' x 30" with a 1575 gallon in-wall pool.