are hippo tangs as hard as they say??

[D.J.]

hey guys i know a few of yall got them and im just wondering.......

are they as hard to keep alive as people say......i had a SMALL one(the size of a quarter ruflly) year ago that i kept alive for 4 weeks untill it got ick and wouldnt go away.......

just wondering if the larger ones that are available are any easier? like the 2-3in size.........

thanks

[Jrmass]

They are difficult that is no doubt... Very easy targets for ick as well... But, like everything else in this hobby... husbandry goes a lot way... Thus some people can maintain them for years with very little issue... They should really be left to advanced/experts IMHO.

My $0.02

Jason

[DJED]

I am learning! I have one about 4" I got from Matt at OTP. Had him a couple weeks now. Couple white spots early on that the cleaner shrimp took care of. He looks really good now but I noticed last night one eye might be just a bit cloudy. Have to keep on top of that. He is very active and eats like a horse though, which is good.

[hansmatt]

Mine started a bit bigger than a quarter, and is now, a year and a half later, a fat, 2-3" chunk...I'm hoping he'll not grow too fast, or I'll have to upgrade tanks from my 90g . I agree, smaller ones are harder to keep, and I've been lucky with no ick, but I use garlic & selecon with the food for the first few weeks.

[reefcrazy8587]

I stand behind using garlic from the start. my purple had ick 3 weeks after i got it..and instead of treating I pumped him full of garlic seaweed..WORKED, and it is really healthy now. I have always wanted a yellow bellied blue hippo--but have chosen to wait for the simple fact that I know they are a little harder to keep (Want to make sure I am not moving around when I get one) best of luck
also, I am not a fan of putting fish into a smaller tank than needed-make sure you can handle the bio-load.

[hansmatt]

agreed about the tank size...though my tank had 3 large yellows and a sailfin when I got it, I think that 2 smaller tangs is pretty much the max for a 90g, maybe 3, but again, I dont' want to push it.

[reefcrazy8587]

I did not realize that they only needed 70gallons or more...I would definitely be a little scared of it since I have 2 tangs in my tank...but man it would be pretty...upgrade the skimmer...leave lots of swimming room...GOT ME THINKING (Just dont wanna worry about infecting my other tangs/fish with ick...)

[Jrmass]

Originally Posted by CoonValleyCorals LLC

I did not realize that they only needed 70gallons or more...I would definitely be a little scared of it since I have 2 tangs in my tank...but man it would be pretty...upgrade the skimmer...leave lots of swimming room...GOT ME THINKING (Just dont wanna worry about infecting my other tangs/fish with ick...)

I would advise against having one in a 70 gallon tank... Seeing a 70 typically is the dimensions of my tank which is only 3' long. A 75 I guess wouldn't be a terrible place to start...

Jas

[reefcrazy8587]

i kinda dont like to put a "tang" in less than 100gallons...i just dont think it is fair...but to each their own
i also like the "more rock" look...which is why i would always want a bigger tank for tangs

[Afish4u]

The only issue I have had with a blue hippo is the jump factor my other hippo I have had for a year and half and has been great.

[D.J.]

im really debating on getting one...but again i have a yellow and a powder brown in my 90...im not worried about my skimmer and all being able to keep up since i went BIGGER than i need on them....granted i wouldnt get one untill im close to setting the 125 up so id have room for it

i am however scared(SP) of the ick factor.....as NON of my fish have it or show signs of it...the PB tang was iffy at first but it quickly went away and he has ate everything i throw in there since ive had him....

like i said i had the one a year ago.....with no signs of ick....3 weeks in QT and the day i got ready to acclimate him over to the 75 BAM>>>ICK and 1-2 weeks later the lil guy died...but was still eating at the time...which consisted of garlic marine 2 pellets,garlic seaweed and flakes....

[Kimberfish]

early on in my obsession with saltwater I tried two and lost them...swore I wouldn't try another. Then a local LFS was going out of business and marked one 1/2 off. I couldn't resist. He was about 1.5-2" long. That was 19 months ago and now he is about 3.5" long and is doing well

In my 265g I have a 7-8'" naso, 3" sailfin, 3.5" hippo, and a 3-4" yellow. I won't be adding anymore but am doing great with them for now - they're all fat and happy. I've never had any issues with jumping but if my naso doesn't get her nori fast enough she will splash me!

[Jrmass]

[quote=Kimberfish;1555920]In my 265g I have a 7-8'" naso, 3" sailfin, 3.5" hippo, and a 3-4" yellow.

See, there is the key... you have them in a 265 gallon tank... DJ is talking about putting a 3rd on in a 90... That is too much DJ... I'm not the tang police... But, why jeopardize your tank??? I guess that's just where I do not understand people in this hobby... Push everything right to the limit until something goes wrong and then it's a huge rush to try to put things the way they should have been in the first place. It's my opinion take what you want from it.

Jason

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by CoonValleyCorals LLC

i kinda dont like to put a "tang" in less than 100gallons...i just dont think it is fair...but to each their own
i also like the "more rock" look...which is why i would always want a bigger tank for tangs

I agree with you!

[firsthesitation]

My Yellow Belly Regal was from a system that the store owner was treating with copper already so I've never had any issues. *knock knock*