Finding Nemo... I mean... Dory

[Recife]

Hi, my hippo tang disappeared. It was all happy in the tank last night. No signs of disease or anything. This morning I couldn't see it in the tank and now I'm back from work and it's still not back.

Is it dead?

Or can it be hiding somewhere in my rock work that has a lot of hiding places? I used a flashlight already to try and find it but no luck so far.

 

[msuzuki126]

most likely hiding

 

[Recife]

Is there a reason why it's hiding for so long? it's not really shy, but I did add 5 chromis to the tank yesterday.

Anything I can do to try and get it to come out?

 

[fsa]

How big is he? Check all of the places he might could get caught. I had one get caught in my power head suction at feeding time. I guess he chased a morsel into the intake. But he was real small then, about the size of a quarter or .50 piece. He was stuck and could not get out. I had to turn it off. When he got bigger, he jumped out when I was on vacation. I don't know why.

Keep looking

Frank

 

[Brenden]

These tangs are known for this. Mainly when new to a tank. How long you had it?

 

[Cutiewitbooty]

Just give it time, it's amazing how long you can go without seeing your fish.

 

[Recife]

It is in the tank for about a week, so hopefully that's it. I don't think it got sucked cause it's not small enough to fit the holes.

 

[Brenden]

If only a week then it is prob OK. Pefectly normal for this fish. Good Luck.

 

[davocean]

Check where he MIGHT COULD get caught?
Isn't that YOUSTA COULD for the you might be a reeferneck book?

5 new fish, he's probably hiding.
Those same 5 will probably bring out shy fish later.
Try some nori w/ garlic

 

[tkeracer619]

Most likley in the rockwork. Definitly look around. I had a powder brown who freeked out and got caught in between two rocks. Couldnt find him......... i started to loose it and pull rocks. Then the tang used all his power to nudge his nose out a hole. And within seconds he was free to swim back to japan.... well almost.

 

[manowar41]

Have to be careful thow mine likes to lay sideways in my rock i thought he was dead several times i moved rock away from him and bam off to the other side of the tank they like to lay on their side in the rock this is common for hippo tangs

 

[mission man]

yea my hippo sleeps wedged between 2 rocks. I remember the first time I saw it I thought he was stuck

 

[spoiledcats]

They can get in places you would never imagine, and if you just added other fish it could be hiding. My cleaner wrasse disappeared for 2 days and I figured it died, but then my son found it in the overflow box. But the hippo tang (well mine is big now so he can't hide like he used to) gets into rocks and disappears every night.

 

[Asuran]

i had my hippo tang for about 3 weeks and it was a small one too at the time and it would always sleep inside a hole of my LR well one day it couldnt get out in the morning (it was eating and growing) it was a big piece of LR too so i couldnt take it out of the tank or anything... but eventually at night it was able to get itself out and two days later that hole was covered up with some shells?