Ittsy-Bittsy, Teeney-Weeney Tang

[Meche]

LFS has a couple of micro-hippo tangs. I was thinking about getting one but I thought about 2 problems.

1) Are these things worth getting? I know they are sensitive creatures to begin with. Them being really small has got to make them even more so, no? I'd like to see them grow as much as possible but I'd rather see them live. Has anyone had sucess with the >.5" size?

2) I have a Blue Damsel (maybe 2"). He is obviously aggressive but he hasn't killed my 1" Green Chromis, chases him around a little though; my 2 ocellaris (1.5") don't take any crap from him either. I know tangs can defend themselves with their spike(s) but what would be the minimum size tang I should put in there?

When/If this happens, I'll go through the works to destroy territories and maybe put the damsel in the qt tank to let the tang settle without the damsels harassment.

 

[Krish]

I've never had any, but Ron (ronj) may be a good person to talk with. He has quite a bit of experiece with hippos

 

[Meche]

:lol: yeah I know. Shoulda put his name in the thread's title :lol:

 

[Brenden]

I had grown one from less to a inch to approx 6" now. Just make sure you QT it. You will more than likely have problems with the damsel.

 

[balogh03]

i cant exactly help you, but i know that mario from ocean reef got about 30 hippo's about the size of a dime about a 1 year ago. i only got one and it swam into the anenome that night, but i am sure that other people got some and had success with them.

 

[IAP Brian]

I think Hippo's are ick bombs just waiting to go off on a good day, just add stress for a fuse. I would advise that you move the damsel until the hippos are fully adjusted to the tank and have grown quite a bit larger than the damsel. Being smaller and blue in color I think the damsel would pester them into a serious ick outbreak.

 

[Slickdonkey]

Like Brendan says, QT the fish for sure and make sure there is no ich in your tank to begin with or he will get it, I guarantee it. Had one of these fish wipe out my tank back in the day. However, I'm keeping one now that is growing fast and doing very well. He was about 1" when I got him.

If you want a hippo tang I'd suggest getting a larger one. It will do better. Also a larger one will hold its own against the damsel if you really want to mix them.

You didn't say anything about tank size. I'd recommend > 125 gallons at a minimum (actually for most tangs). These fish will get large and like to swim. Keep a sheet of seaweed around for grazing during the day; they're like cows.

Some light reading: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-03/hcs3/index.php

 

[Meche]

Some light reading: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...hcs3/index.php

Good stuff. Thanks.

 

[IAP Brian]

As a whole, Hippo tangs do very well in aquariums. With few exceptions, they are considered hardy and durable aquarium fish. A few criteria need to be met to ensure successful husbandry, however.

I am sure that after a year of saying this I am starting to sound like a broken record, but the story remains the same for most any aquarium fish. The first consideration is a well-aged and stable aquarium. Surgeonfish are definitely not an exception, and in particular, Paracanthurus hepatus requires stable water conditions. This fish has been garnished the nick-name of 'ich magnet' by many aquarists, thanks to the likelihood of it developing a case of Cryptocaryon irritans when newly introduced to an aquarium. If the aquarium has appropriate water conditions, which mirror natural sea water as closely as possible, and suitable tank mates, which will not pester the new addition, it should recover from this affliction with little intervention from the hobbyist. Watch closely for a secondary bacterial infection, which is a sure sign that the fish cannot overcome this illness without your help. Upon first observation of this infection, treatment in a quarantine tank should start immediately.

Kind of a contradiction there. If they are hardy and durable why the next paragraph?

I also like how he says, "..it should recover from this affliction with little inervention..." What exactly is "little intervention".

I'm not a blue tang hater, but I think people should be well informed of the livestock they are about to try and provide for. Hippo tangs are very attractive and I know a lot of people who keep them in perfect health in their reef tanks. However, I know more people (including myself) that have had blue tangs ick out the whole tank.

I just think as responsible caretakers of our fish we need to consider the special needs of our livestock, and this particular one I consider high maintenance.

 

[Meche]

Kind of a contradiction there. If they are hardy and durable why the next paragraph?

He/she does begin the sentence with, "With few exceptions...". Obviously ich is one of thoes.

I think people should be well informed of the livestock they are about to try and provide for.

Absolutly right on that one. I think if your an active member of this site then your already ahead of the curve. I have noticed very few, other than newbies, start a thread with, "so I just got this (aquatic organism)... now what?"

However, I know more people (including myself) that have had blue tangs ick out the whole tank.

Did you/they QT for 4-6 weeks? Not tying to call you out, I'm just courious if you had problems even after a "proper" QT.

 

[steve-s]

Meche, this is one fish I would actually suggest you suspect as a potential carrier for C. irritans from the get go. Not from them being "carriers" as is often assumed by so many but rather that they have absolutely no natural resistance. They are often infested once they enter the collection system and since they do not receive the necessary treatment or a long enough duration if treated, their appearance can often be misleading (healthy when they are not). That appearance will generally not remain so as they will quickly exhibit signs within a week or so if infested. If you phrophylactically treat, please choose hyposalinity but only after all other potential parasites have been ruled out. Regal tangs are very sensitive fish and are easily afflicted by parasites and poor diet in particular. If attention is payed to their particular needs, as with any other fish, they are not difficult fish at all. The largest problem often being an insufficient tank size. Regals must have a good 6+ foot tank to swim in. They dart constantly and will get at least a good 6" in about 2ish years. Most of that growth being in the first 6-18 months.

Quarantine as always but if the fish is as small as you say, keep it in the QT until it gets some size on it. This will also give it a chance to easily acclimate to captive life while not having to compete with tank mates for resources. Once it has some gurth to it, then consider adding it to your display. I would seriously wait until it's at least 2"+. While still small they are not that great of swimmers and can easily succumb to power heads and other equipment. More often than not, that's how a good majority die in captivity at that size other than tank mate aggression. Of which, the clowns should not be too much a concern as long as the Regal is a little larger. The damsel on the other hand might actually need removing, some are just outright devil spawn. What's the exact species of blue damsel?

 

[Meche]

The kind that is all blue except a small black dot between the dorsal and tail fin, and a black strip about its eyes. Is there a species list somewhere? I couldn't find it on liveaquaria.com

Thanks steve.

 

[ronj]

Meche, i have had 2 of these tiny hippo's before....now the ones that i bought were in awful conditions.....both of them died within 1-2 days..i have also seen them at several fish stores..i have never personally seen one that lived..it wouldn't be a safe buy unless you got it before it was added to the tanks at your lfs....here are the ones that i had

 

[steve-s]

The kind that is all blue except a small black dot between the dorsal and tail fin, and a black strip about its eyes. Is there a species list somewhere? I couldn't find it on liveaquaria.com

Thanks steve.

Chrysiptera cyanea? This one definitely earns the title "devil" damsel.

http://filaman.ifm-geomar.de/identification/specieslist.cfm?famcode=350&areacode=

 

[Meche]

Nope, either Chrysiptera sinclairi or Chrysiptera springeri. Probably the first one because of the spot.

 

[Meche]

Meche, i have had 2 of these tiny hippo's before....now the ones that i bought were in awful conditions.....both of them died within 1-2 days..i have also seen them at several fish stores..i have never personally seen one that lived..it wouldn't be a safe buy unless you got it before it was added to the tanks at your lfs....here are the ones that i had

Thanks ronj.

 

[IAP Brian]

Did you/they QT for 4-6 weeks? Not tying to call you out, I'm just courious if you had problems even after a "proper" QT.

No I didn't (that was quite a few years ago) I do know one person who has religiously QT'd and still keeps an active med tank, and still can't seem to keep a Regal Tang healthy.

But, like I said I also know quite a few people who have Regal Tangs ( QT and no QT ) and have not had a problem.

I do think QT for new fish is vital to the health and welfare of an established tank. It has been s.o.p. for me for many years now.

 

[steve-s]

Meche, I think we are discussing a moot issue if your previous posts are accurate...

Is this for the tank that just finished cycling 2 months ago and is it a 55 gal tank?

 

[Meche]

Is this for the tank that just finished cycling 2 months ago and is it a 55 gal tank?

Yeah its true. :doubt: Almost got away with it eh? :lol:

Here is the deal. I saw them at the store, thought to myself, "oh that would be nice", but I didn't buy them (I had research to do ). From what I've read, their growth is rather linear through the first 5 years (about 2 inches/ year). I'm moving in a few months and will be obtaining a much larger tank, so before he gets to 3 inches, he'll be in a proper size adult tank. I did assume that this would be OK because I know there is no way most people keep 6' QTs. I figured this would be like an extended QT stay, no?

 

[ronj]

if you got one that was teeny tiny like that, it would be ok for a few months in a smaller tank..i have had two that i bought when they were small and they have grown quite fast...i was surprised to see how fast they grew...how big of a tank are you planning on getting??? also, how much is your lfs charging for the tangs??