I have had a young chevron in the tank for 1 month- I would like to add a regal- my choice of 2 1/2" or 4". Will they exist ok together?? I have read as long as they are not same variety/family they are ok. Anyone with experience? Also- the lfs has had them for 1 month now- therefore, do I need to quarantine? if the answer is yes- why??
Chevron & Regal together??
- Thread starter Dawn II
- Start date
I assume you mean a regal tang?
If so they should be fine in my opinion (in the right size aquarium). You are putting them in the correct order. The caution I would note would be too big a difference in size. That could cause some aggresion down the road.
You should always quarantine. Tangs are the worst for certain problems, primarily ich.
If so they should be fine in my opinion (in the right size aquarium). You are putting them in the correct order. The caution I would note would be too big a difference in size. That could cause some aggresion down the road.
You should always quarantine. Tangs are the worst for certain problems, primarily ich.
XeniaMania
Active member
They'll still show some aggression towards each other cuz they're tangs. I've seen tangs show aggression towards angels. The Blue aka Regal tang is the most disease prone tang. As for quarantine and stuff...well...I'd like to avoid that topic if you remember why Dawn...
XeniaMania
Active member
Well...my theory is, as well as others that I've found, what it may be immune to in the LFS, it may not be immune to in your tank. There are different strands of ich, and while quarantining does work by not introducing a new strain of ich into your tank, it doesn't defend the fish from what's currently in your tank. I've sold almost all of my fish because I wanted to focus more on corals(one sure way of keeping nitrates low), however, I am in the market for an Aus Sailfin or Atl Blue Tang. I'm sure once I get it, even though my Midas Blenny won't get ich, the new fish will, only for it to subside in a few days. I think Lugol's really does help. Recently I had a xenia that wasn't looking so hot, I waited for a day, and it still didn't open, so I dipped it in 1/2 cup of water with 6 drops of Lugols for 20 secs, the next day it opened. My methodogies may be somewhat controversial to some on this board, but it's what I've found to work through my own testing and experiences, rather than following someone else's thoughts.
In terms of size, try to get them as close as possible. They are different species so they'll show less aggression to each other, but nonetheless, they will challenge each other for dominance. Introduce the blue tang when the lights are out, and hopefully the Chevron won't be as inclined to show dominance immediately. But just bear in mind, the blues are known to be very disease prone, for what reason I'm unsure since I've never kept one so I have no observation experience when it comes to this species. But following my own knowledge, I would think it's better to put the blue in first, then introduce the chevron later for stress reasons. Perhapse if your blue was slightly bigger than the chevron, then it wouldn't be as stressed.
In terms of size, try to get them as close as possible. They are different species so they'll show less aggression to each other, but nonetheless, they will challenge each other for dominance. Introduce the blue tang when the lights are out, and hopefully the Chevron won't be as inclined to show dominance immediately. But just bear in mind, the blues are known to be very disease prone, for what reason I'm unsure since I've never kept one so I have no observation experience when it comes to this species. But following my own knowledge, I would think it's better to put the blue in first, then introduce the chevron later for stress reasons. Perhapse if your blue was slightly bigger than the chevron, then it wouldn't be as stressed.
XeniaMania
Active member
Well, again, I'm a huge advocate of Lugols. I use to freshwater dip my fish in the past, but my experiences were, that whenever I did that, they actually got a worse case of ich. See, when you put a fish into QT, or hypo, there's 2 ways of looking at it. 1 way is that you can think, "oh ya, I'm putting it in an enviroment where ich can't survive". The 2nd way would be "I'm giving it a better enviroment to build immunity". Have you bought the hippo yet?
XeniaMania
Active member
Sorry, I just reread your post. I'd go with the 4" one. Also for dipping, currently I'm not comfortable with any methods regarding that so I reluctantly will need to refrain from giving any suggestions there. I will tell you though, with my next fish, I will do a Lugol dip on it and see how it affects the fish. I'm assuming you have a QT tank up already. If you do, I don't see why you can't keep the fish in there, and just add 1 drop of Lugols for every 20-25 gallons of water that's in that tank a week. I'm sure your hippo will be fine.
No- this afetrnoon or tomorrow, as they are in a diff. city. All the hippos in my area are REALLY small- like half dollar size. previously, I've put my fish in quarantine - doing nothing. They either died, or made it. I previously got a chevron- put it in QT- wouldn't eat- died in 3 days. Took it to the vet- who dida necropsy, and could find nothing wrong. it seems a toss-up: either you get a healthy fish, or you don't. Where do you buy Lugols, and how do you use it?
Going back 3 years ago- I was sold a hippo(as an easy fish) as one of my first fish. He had ich- almost died in QT because of bad, or non advice from the lfs. Took it to the vet- had bacterial infection by now- gave me little hope and anti biotics. As I was going out of town- after 5 days of recoup -I put him in the reef. There he lived happily (with advancing HLLE), until he suddenly got sick- this time there was nothing to be done- so the vet put him down. I really like regals- but after that ordeal, am unsure what to do!
XeniaMania
Active member
Well, part of the reason I avoid quarantining is because I feel in my tank, it's a more natural enviroment. There are rocks to hide behind, currents to be felt, algae to be eaten. Maybe some people do set up a quarantine tank like a natural habitat, but wait, how's that possible? If that's the case, why don't we set all of our main tanks like QT to avoid disease? I do firmly believe stress is the main cause of death and disease. I feel if you give them as natural of a surrounding as possible, there's less chance of stress. Here's my steps in getting a new fish.
1) Go to the store, find a healthy specimen, and ask them to feed it. I want to see it eat.
2) Take it home, put in a 1/8" tubing which drips my tank water into the bag, I use the drip acclimation method (i'll be adding 1 drop of Lugol during this process soon).
3) Once the lights are out (they're usually out though because my lights turn on at 3pm) I introduce the fish into the tank, bag water and all *gasp* :lol:
At this point, the fish will usualy swim behind the rocks and I'll see it poke it's head out once in a while, and nibble here and there. I'll introduce some frozen food since that stimulates eating best and they usually eat.
You can find Lugol's at your LFS, it's made by Kent and it's $19 per bottle, but it'll last a very long time. I've even made 2 mercy purchases, fish that were sick, but I thought they had a shot at recovering. The reason I don't do it anymore is because it wrecks havoc on my water parameters due to the heavy feeding, but it's possible.
There are also other factors you have to consider, like if the fish was collected w/ Cyanide. If they were, it's hard to tell, and they'll die no matter what if that's the case. Also, I try to avoid new fish, but since you state the hippos have been there for over a month, I'd say it's safe to rule out cyanide collection. Another guage I like to use is the "Eagerness guage". When the fish has been in captivity for a while, the recognize humans as the bringer of food, and when they seem eager versus shy, that's a good fish to get.
1) Go to the store, find a healthy specimen, and ask them to feed it. I want to see it eat.
2) Take it home, put in a 1/8" tubing which drips my tank water into the bag, I use the drip acclimation method (i'll be adding 1 drop of Lugol during this process soon).
3) Once the lights are out (they're usually out though because my lights turn on at 3pm) I introduce the fish into the tank, bag water and all *gasp* :lol:
At this point, the fish will usualy swim behind the rocks and I'll see it poke it's head out once in a while, and nibble here and there. I'll introduce some frozen food since that stimulates eating best and they usually eat.
You can find Lugol's at your LFS, it's made by Kent and it's $19 per bottle, but it'll last a very long time. I've even made 2 mercy purchases, fish that were sick, but I thought they had a shot at recovering. The reason I don't do it anymore is because it wrecks havoc on my water parameters due to the heavy feeding, but it's possible.
There are also other factors you have to consider, like if the fish was collected w/ Cyanide. If they were, it's hard to tell, and they'll die no matter what if that's the case. Also, I try to avoid new fish, but since you state the hippos have been there for over a month, I'd say it's safe to rule out cyanide collection. Another guage I like to use is the "Eagerness guage". When the fish has been in captivity for a while, the recognize humans as the bringer of food, and when they seem eager versus shy, that's a good fish to get.
It's hard to kwnow if a fish is healthy or not. After the 1st chevron died, I decided to buy a Koles. The lfs had him for over 3 weeks and it looked good. I told them to hold it. I went in 3 days later- it had gotten sick and died. if i had picked it up 3 days earlier- i would have thought I had done something wnong! This lfs. displays always look pristine! so you go figure... i have always drip acclimated my fish (1 HR.) and thrown the water away.
XeniaMania
Active member
Did you see that Kole there for 3 weeks or did they say that? I guess over time, we become less of an impulsive shopper, and gradually learn what signs to look for. The Kole could have gotten sick from a new introduction, too many factors to pinpoint one via this forum. Well, best of luck with your new hippo, let me know how it does and if I can be of any help
spoiledcats
New member
I am on my 3rd hippo tang. This one has lived in my tank for about 4 years now. The first 2 I got were smaller (about 2"). When I bought this last one I made sure he would be the biggest fish in the tank, and it worked well for me. I have lots of ins and outs in my live rock, and it makes him very happy. I would say get the bigger one, as the chevron is already in the tank and hippos are so shy(except for mine who is the boss of the tank). Also have lots of hiding places. All of my fish disappear into the rock at night to 'sleep'.
XeniaMania
Active member
It's a strong Iodine blend that acts as a disinfectant. I add 1 drop per week to my tank and you can use it as a coral dip too. I've used it for 10 yrs and it's a must have for me.
XeniaMania
Active member
How's the fish(ies)?
Xenia- the chevron is happy, but I don't have the Hippo tang. Went to the store- about an hour away- that told me the coloration etc, was good, they'd had them for about a month. They had 4 or 5 diff. tangs- all 4-7" Light coloration, listless, and all with HLLE. I went to a second store that told me they had gotten lots in all sizes. 2 hrs. away. These tangs had good coloration- but all 6-7". I want to start with a smaller one- bigger than the Chevron, but smaller than these. So, I am waiting, I call the stores in the area-a couple times a week- with exception to one that seems to have ick in all his tanks. Thanks for asking, what's up with you?
XeniaMania
Active member
Oh just fragging and selling corals.. Having a 20G tank is more of a controlled experiment enviroment. Seeing what works and what doesn't in a marine tank and coral propagation. Unfortunately no exciting fish stories here...:lol: Well, patience is good, no sense rushing out and buying a crappy fish. It's sux how LFS ppl will say watever to get you in hoping you're an idiot and just buy off their recommendation. Good eye on your part.
Having a 20G tank is more of a controlled experiment enviroment. Seeing what works and what doesn't in a marine tank and coral propagation. Unfortunately no exciting fish stories here...:lol: Well, patience is good, no sense rushing out and buying a crappy fish. It's sux how LFS ppl will say watever to get you in hoping you're an idiot and just buy off their recommendation. Good eye on your part.
