hippo not looking good.

[cj7eagle]

Well i added a very small hippo tang (about 1-1.5") to my tank last tuesday. he was shy the first two days, and then he started coming out to swim by thursday. i fed him cylcop eeze, flakes, mysis throughout the week. after i fed him friday he went to his hidding spot in a rock, and didnt come out until tuesday when he was laying down on the bottom of the tank under his rock. he would come out a little bit when i dropped food down there. I saw him eating it, so i figured something freaked him out yet. tuesday he was still nipping at food that floated towards him. yesterday he wedged himself under another rock on the bottom of the tank and didnt come out for food. today i checked and he is laying on the bottom breathing sort of heavy. any ideas what i can do to help him?
my water as of 9/15
ammonia - 0
nitrites - 0
nitrates -5
ph - 8.2
phos - 0
calcium - 404
SG - 1.026
temp - i keep between 78-80

 

[cj7eagle]

also, the only other fish in there are two baby clownfish that stay on the other end of the tank.

 

[cj7eagle]

when i decided to feed the tank. i dropped in some cyclop-eeze where he has been laying, went upstairs for a few minutes and when i came down he was out, but still laying on his side.
i squirted some cyclop-eeze above him, and when it got to his mouth he was nipping at it, and eating it, but he wasnt chasing it on his own.
any ideas?

 

[sepulatian]

How did you acclimate him? Hippos often lay on their side when they are stressed. Is his stomache pinched in or is it the photo?

 

[cj7eagle]

i dripped him for 3 hours. I dont think his stomach is pinched. It also looks as though something may have been nipping at his back fin.
I was aware that they often lay on their sides, so i wasnt too concerned at first, but its been about a week since i have seen him swim.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by cj7eagle
i dripped him for 3 hours. I dont think his stomach is pinched. It also looks as though something may have been nipping at his back fin.
I was aware that they often lay on their sides, so i wasnt too concerned at first, but its been about a week since i have seen him swim.
Hm, it doesn't usualy take a week. Is he more active when the lights are off? Sorry, I may have missed this, but what other fish are in there? What sized tank is this?

 

[cj7eagle]

its a 72 gallon bowfront. the only other fish are two very small clownfish. they are doing great.
with the lights off he still just lays there. i just went and checked on him, and he is laying there behind that rock, breathing heavy. i shined a flashlight right on him, and he didnt move. he is breathing pretty heavy/fast

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by cj7eagle
its a 72 gallon bowfront. the only other fish are two very small clownfish. they are doing great.
with the lights off he still just lays there. i just went and checked on him, and he is laying there behind that rock, breathing heavy. i shined a flashlight right on him, and he didnt move. he is breathing pretty heavy/fast
Did you buy him from an LFS or online? I could see him acting like that with the lights on. By now he should be up and moving when the lights are off. He may not have been well when you got him.

 

[cj7eagle]

i bought him from an lfs last tuesday. he was shy at first, but then for a day or two was out swimming around the area he liked. wouldnt even go as far as half way across the tank. but he would eat without any problems. just the last few days, he would only eat when food came very close to him.

 

[sepulatian]

Sorry, I was having computer troubles. My advise is to take him back. Your water readings are fine, you acclimated him long enough, he is trying to eat but is listless. If you don't want to take him back then try adding more veggies to his diet. Add some nori or frozen formula two dosed with vitamines. The diet is not perfect, but he is tryng to eat. It is never a great idea to buy hippos that small. They just have a lower survival rate than ones that are 2-2 1/2 inches. It is your choice, if you want to try to save him then that is awsome!!!

 

[cj7eagle]

I would love to try and keep him alive. i will run out tomorrow and pick up some formula two frozen.I have some formual 2 small pellets, but i think they would be too big for him yet.
the lfs has hippos as a "restricted species" meaning they dont gurantee them, So taking him back is not an option. I will do my best with this one.
Thanks for all of your help!

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by cj7eagle
I would love to try and keep him alive. i will run out tomorrow and pick up some formula two frozen.I have some formual 2 small pellets, but i think they would be too big for him yet.
the lfs has hippos as a "restricted species" meaning they dont gurantee them, So taking him back is not an option. I will do my best with this one.
Thanks for all of your help!
Pellets and flakes are not that good for SW fish. Cyclopeeze is ok for some fish, but tangs are omnivores. The babies lean more toward the herbivore side. All tangs have to have veggies in their diet. If there is anythng that we can help you with, please let us know. Best of luck with him and please ask anything that you would like

 

[cj7eagle]

Thanks, i will see what i can do for him, and keep you updated.

 

[cj7eagle]

what foods do you reccomend? i usually rotate between flakes, pellets, frozen cyclop-eeze, and frozen mysis shrimp.

 

[smartorl]

Good luck with your baby! I had a big struggle when I brought a really small one home as well. I fed her tiny portions several times a day and she did pull through but I thought she was a goner several times. It was touch and go and then she just snapped out of it and is now the biggest pig in my tank. They are really amazing fish and well worth the trouble. Fingers crossed.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by cj7eagle
what foods do you reccomend? i usually rotate between flakes, pellets, frozen cyclop-eeze, and frozen mysis shrimp.
Frozen formula one, formula two, jullian sprugs sea veggies, marine cousine, there are many good foods out there. Look for FORMULA frozen foods. They have a mix of many nutritious ingredients together. It is much better than feeding single foods.

 

[cj7eagle]

Originally Posted by smartorl
Good luck with your baby! I had a big struggle when I brought a really small one home as well. I fed her tiny portions several times a day and she did pull through but I thought she was a goner several times. It was touch and go and then she just snapped out of it and is now the biggest pig in my tank. They are really amazing fish and well worth the trouble. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the words of encouragement, I am really hoping the little guy pulls through. I will feed him a couple times a day and hopefully he gets better.
So far today i havent been able to find him, but thats not uncommon, i think he really gets himself far under his rock.
sepulatian, How do you feed the frozen formula 1? i got so aggrivated with that stuff because of the gel used to hold it together. i couldnt get it to defrost right, I would have to tear it apart to get by hand to get the pieces small enough for the fish to eat.

 

[rudedog40]

Get you a small Hawaiian Puffer. He's my "food breaker". I use the frozen veggie/shrimp cubes to feed my Puffer, Chromis, and 1" Blue Hippo. As soon as I drop it in, the puffer does an attack run and breaks it up. The chromis and hippo just sit back and wait for the pieces to hit the PH or filter, and it's dinnertime. Hope your hippo makes it through. The first few days, mine would hide behind the heater anytime I approached the tank. Now he stays out more and schools with the chromis. They even sleep together behind the heater (that was the chromis 'bed' before the hippo showed up). Do you have a QT tank you could put him in? Maybe if you could get him in his own tank, and keep the lights off longer, it might help with his recovery.

 

[cj7eagle]

i have a 10 gallon setup with a false perc, and a watman goby. I have thought about putting him there, but i dont know if that is a good idea or not.
So far today i havent been able to find him.

 

[cj7eagle]

well the hippo didnt make it. I havent seen it for two days. then today when i got home from work i saw a couple of hermits, and a bunch of bristle worm and snails all hanging out around where the hippo was last seen. I am sure they had themselves a good meal today.
I did pick up another hippo, slightly bigger. I have this one in a QT. already it eats like crazy. it almost as if i cant feed it enough.