recently aquired Hippo tang.....

[jtoz116]

hey evry1,
i haven't posted in such a long time, or even browsed the board...but I'm back sooo yeyey...well anyway my birthday is today and my g/f got me a small hippo tang for my birthday....
i have a 75 gallon reef...and had problems with aiptasia..but now most gone..thanks to Joes juice..btw.. i rlee forgot a lot of the stuff i learned on here..and so far this is the most non timid fish i have ever added into my tank..as soon as he was added he been swimming all over the place...anyway question is my g/f bought the tang rather thin(not knowing better)....and it kinda worries me...how long b4 he eats.....i currently have seaweed in the tank..but hasnt touched it yet....i know its early but im juss worried....
anyway..its good to be back

 

[greenwolf52]

We had a hippo tang for a little bit with nothing but problems. But then again I know a guy who got one back in 95 and shes still alive. Ours got ick and the ick caused a secondary infection, which caused the tang to go blind. In turn she was no longer able to eat which after a few weeks caused her death. From what I have heard from other with this fish is that they are very sensative to subtle temp changes, salinity, and if they get any sickness it will most likely kill them . Basically if it gets sick its over, the chances of them getting better are very slim, and if they do a secondary infection will most likely kill them. Good luck with the fish though, make sure to give it plenty of seaweed sheets to keep its immunes strong!

 

[ice4ice]

A 75 gallon tank won't be big enough for your tang once he reaches adult size. They do best in 125G tanks or larger due to their swimming nature. He'll be fine for now but eventually you'll have to put him in a larger tank. Remember, Tangs are open sea swimmers and they need at least 6 feet of swimming room.

 

[jam1e]

Originally Posted by greenwolf52
We had a hippo tang for a little bit with nothing but problems. But then again I know a guy who got one back in 95 and shes still alive. Ours got ick and the ick caused a secondary infection, which caused the tang to go blind. In turn she was no longer able to eat which after a few weeks caused her death. From what I have heard from other with this fish is that they are very sensative to subtle temp changes, salinity, and if they get any sickness it will most likely kill them . Basically if it gets sick its over, the chances of them getting better are very slim, and if they do a secondary infection will most likely kill them. Good luck with the fish though, make sure to give it plenty of seaweed sheets to keep its immunes strong!
I disagree with this. It's true that a palette surgeon is a very sensitive fish. But just because it gets sick doesn't mean that it's doomed. Mine has had ich multiple times and he's completely healthy now. Have a little more faith in birthday boy over here.

 

[greenwolf52]

Hopefully it works out for birthday boy. Obviously no one wants any fish to die. It was aweful seeing my tang slowly starve to death and run into the walls of the tank, but like I said I know a guy who's had one for 11 years so anythings possible.