Blue Hippo Tangs

[DrGonzo]

How imperative is it to quarantine a blue hippo tang before introducing it into my tank? Can a do a super slow acclimation instead? I don't have much room for qt.

 

[NYreefNoob]

very important, tangs are prone to get ich and seem to attrac it

 

[nanchil]

Better to stay away from hipo.

 

[jackson6745]

Better to stay away from hipo.

Why? I think they're great reef fish. They are active swimmers and good eaters. A long as the tank is large enough, and water quality is kept high, there should be no problems.

 

[Breakin Newz]

I bought a baby hippo tang (size of a dime) from Aquatic Obsession and believe it or not I did not even QT it! It has since grown a pretty big amount within the few months I have had it...

This baby tang was in the tank all by himself at the store, I examined him for any kind of disease, he also ate pretty much instantly once in my tank.... No ich or disease's till this day from him! He is very active, eating, and poops like no tomorrow (my sps thank him for that)

 

[finksmart]

Hippos are tricky. They are either hardy as hell or extremely sensitive to any change. First of all make sure you're getting healthy ones by leaving it in the store for a couple of weeks and make sure they're eating. Then QT them with hypo. I did this for a month. And now they are the hardiest fish I've come across.

 

[DrGonzo]

Are the larger ones more hardy than the babies?

 

[finksmart]

Not necessarily. The larger ones from sea may not adapt to aquarium life as well as those the grew up in the aquarium.

Are the larger ones more hardy than the babies?

 

[nanchil]

it grows too fast... and it would be very tough to catch him at that point.

Why? I think they're great reef fish. They are active swimmers and good eaters. A long as the tank is large enough, and water quality is kept high, there should be no problems.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Had one for over a year and never QT'd it.Even the tiny ones need space so space is important.Watch them at the store to see if they're scratching or visible signs of ich.

 

[acrocrazy]

i always drip acclimate any tang that goes into my tank at home for at least a half hour that seems to work best at least for me! Good luck their great fishies

 

[DrGonzo]

Yeah I was thinking I'd do a very slow acclimation. Like a couple of hours or so.

i always drip acclimate any tang that goes into my tank at home for at least a half hour that seems to work best at least for me! Good luck their great fishies

 

[acrocrazy]

at the most i would say an hour i wouldn't push it to far a half hour is more than enough

 

[Breakin Newz]

Yeah I was thinking I'd do a very slow acclimation. Like a couple of hours or so.

I would not recommend a acclimation that long... I would do 30mins...

What I usually do is check the salinity of the store water from the bag, and match it to my tank water, the water from the petstores are usually lower... I do this by the drip-acclimating method...

 

[cthoughts1]

I'd definitely recommend a hippo.. they have great personalities, friendly with all the other fish, and very curious... (at least in my experience...) My hippo tries to immitate the other fish in the tank.. at first I was a little concerned because I thought he was trying to get close enough to nip, but turns out its his way of befriending the others.. anyhow, use the drip method to acclimate them, half an hour should be good.. I would also recommend a UV steralizer if you are going to be keeping tangs, it definitely helps.. (I know opinions are mixed on the UV).. Best of luck..

 

[tosiek]

A longer acclimation would do nothing in regards to what a proper QT would do. QT with copper medication is just to take care of any ich it might be carrying, which hippo's seem to be super susceptible to.

If it makes you feel any better, my hippo usually gets ich with every stress or change that happens in the tank. Seems to be the same story with other peoples hippo's, you walk to fast near the tank and poof, your hippo looks like he swam through a blizzard. I have yet to get ich on any other tank member, ever, but he seems to always have some on him every few months/weeks for a day or two. My cleaner shrimp usually cleans him well though. Its only been recently when i did my tank move that he's gotten ich that hasn't gone away but he hasn't been hanging around my cleaner shrimp. Again, none of my other fish show signs of infection.

Just make sure you don't throw him into an overcrowded or small tank. Ive been lucky with the ich, but there have been new hippo's who've infected complete systems with ich before.

 

[Awibrandy]

As already stated Hippos are a hit or miss. I got my hippo from LiveAquaria last year as a tiny babe, I still have him. He has grown quite a bit, is very peacefull and has never had ICH. Not even when the Chevron got ich which I believe it was from him being chased around by my sailfin. The chevron eventually sucummed to the ich, but the hippo never got it. Not eve a bit.

I did not QT (riskie I know), I dripped acclimated him for something like 45 min. Always check the salinity from the lfs don't take their word for it. And then drip acclimate to match the salinity in your system....