Got a Hippo and want some advice...

[ghstrider]

I got a blue hippo about 2.5" long for my tank. I love this fish and have him in there with 2 small 1" cardinals and my cleaner crew. I know im right at the size limit for this fish with a 72 bow tank but I dont plan on having alot of fish or any other tangs.

My current fish:

1 Blue Hippo tang

2 sm Pajama Cardinals

15 snails, 4 pepp shrimp, 4 hermits, 1 sand sifting star


My projected additions:

1 pair of black clowns

1 reef safe wrasse

1 goby/or blenny


I would like some constructive criticism (keep in mind i am not returning my hippo) and am open to changing my fish list minus the hippo. I have about 75lbs of rock but i aquascaped so that fish can squeeze around from one side of the tank to the other side behind the rocks, many holes and caves to swim from rear to front, lots of room in front of the rocks and 1/3 of the tank is wide open (above the rocks). I dont plan on going coral crazy but i will have some lps and softies around.

He was put in today and hasnt eaten yet but im not surprised... I place the nori pieces on a clip to the side glass and nada (hasnt made it to the front of the tank only swimming in the rear area for now). Tried some pellets but he hasnt gone after it. Any food tips? Any other tips overall??

Thanks for letting me rant on...Im super excited! Bring on the tang police!

 

[ACBlinky]

Did you quarantine the hippo? Sounds like you bought him and introduced him right into the display, which could be a recipe for disaster. I'd remove all three fish and put them through 4-6 weeks of hyposalinity to remove any possibility of ich in your display - tangs are notorious for bringing ich into systems if not quarantined, and if yours is harboring anything, it's already in the tank.

Hippos can reach 12" long and need room to run. IMO a 72g is way too small, but it sounds like you're well aware of that. Just watch him for signs of stress as he grows, and be prepared to upgrade or sell him on within a few years.

I wouldn't add much to your current list; the hippo is going to get BIG and need as much space as possible, and I'd recommend leaving out any fish that's territorial like clowns - just to keep the stress level down. Gobies should be fine, they get along with just about everyone

 

[Andrew]

Make sure you keep the Hippo healthy, feed a varied diet and I would soak his food in some garlic to "help" prevent a large ich out break in your tank. Your future stocking list sounds fine, but I would get some more snails.

 

[Peter Eichler]

Considering they are about as ich prone as fish can be, hope that you didn't just introduce parasites to your display by not quarantining. Other than that I don't see any issues with your future planned additions.

 

[ghstrider]

I did introduce him right in...no quarantine. I did gamble but the only fish i currently have are 2 small cardinals and if i did lose them it would suck but i will live (harsh i guess) but i was not about to have my hippo sitting in quarantine for a month and a half and not have anything to see in my display. I plan on QTing future additions but i didnt see the entire worth of qt the hippo when the tank is almost empty. I do have a UV 15w and its on a slow flow for extra burn. I know i jumped the gun a bit but i plan on setting up my tank around him so i put him in 1st. I got him right from the LFS (a pretty good one) before they placed him in their tank (right off the truck)...i did so because i didnt want him to stress by acclimating him 2 times instead of one.


Andrew...thanks for your advice but can you elaborate as this is new to me. Do i buy garlic supp from my LFS and drizzle some on the nori then place it in the tank?? Please be specific. Any other tips especially to keep him happy, healthy, and feed well?

 

[dareefking]

I cant say anything bad about your situation although I'd like to... I have a hippo about the same size in my 72 right now. On the other hand he'll be in a 210 within 2-3 months. They really do get very large and need A LOT of swimming room. So for the sake of the fish, your future plans should be to upgrade to a 180+ tank or be prepared to give him up to a better home.

My hippo is housed with a wide variety of fish inlcuding a volitan lion, panther grouper, scopas tang, quenn angel, striped damsel, spotted hawkfish, and maybe something I'm forgetting. He was the last introduced and no fish has ever picked on him. My scopas tang was in there for over a year and didnt even acknowledge the hippo.

 

[dareefking]

Oh and btw, dont be surprised about him refusing or ignoring food right now, mines didnt eat for the first day or so. Try some live brine to get it started.

 

[ACBlinky]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10456395#post10456395 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ghstrider
I did introduce him right in...no quarantine ... i was not about to have my hippo sitting in quarantine for a month and a half and not have anything to see in my display. I plan on QTing future additions but i didnt see the entire worth of qt the hippo when the tank is almost empty.

I have to address this, since IMO it's faulty logic. My thinking is this: what's six weeks, when you will hopefully have the fish for years to come? Just a drop in the bucket, and worth every minute - it's an insurance policy for your reef.

Quarantining only future additions will do nothing if the tang has brought ich into the system. It can be in a tank and not cause noticeable symptoms (hiding in the fishes' gills), until someone gets stressed and you end up with a full-on outbreak. Tangs are almost guaranteed to have ich; quarantine, preferably with either copper or hypo, is essential to keep your tank ich-free. Unless you hypo your tang and cardinals or put them through copper treatment and leave the tank fallow during the time they're in QT (so any parasites in the tank will die off without a host), it's likely your tank will always have a latent (or obvious, depending on stress levels) ich infection.

I've seen the results of this kind of logic, it rarely ends well.

 

[on3ofak1nd]

You probably don't want to hear this and I'm not trying to be a jerk... but that is very reckless thinking and really makes for poor husbandry. Your cardinals are supposed to be your pets not ants on the sidewalk that might get squished as you walk along... you say " it would suck but i will live" unfortunately the cardinals won't... when we take these creatures from the sea we are making a commitment to provide for their lively hood and needs. Potentially sacrificing the lives of something that might live upwards of 5 years normally is what I would consider cruel at the least. This is why cycling with live fish is less and less popular now days, sure there are those that still do it but frankly it's old school. In addition your reasoning; "a month and a half and not have anything to see in my display" is flawed logic. Firstly because as I'm sure you know patience is what makes this hobby fruitful, if you want immediate gratification I suggest a goldfish. Secondly your effort to save time and enjoy your display immediately may in the end result in an entirely empty display for a couple months without even the presence of 2 small (disposable?) cardinals.
Again I am sorry if this comes off as a flame, I guess it is in a way... but in reality I am just trying to convey my opinions on your methodology in a constructive way. I am not trying to belittle you or make you feel bad, I in fact hope you are successful and don't reap the consequences of a hasty decision.

 

[dareefking]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10456395#post10456395 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ghstrider
I do have a UV 15w and its on a slow flow for extra burn. I know i jumped the gun a bit but i plan on setting up my tank around him so i put him in 1st. I got him right from the LFS (a pretty good one) before they placed him in their tank (right off the truck)...i did so because i didnt want him to stress by acclimating him 2 times instead of one.

You should ask your dealer how they routinely acclimate fish. Fresh water baths, copper in FO systems, etc. These would actually help especially if your not gonna quaratine the specimen. On top of that, most LFS will hold a purchase if paid in full for, in which case they could save you the hassle of training the fish to eat prepared foods. Just another thought. Hope it helps with future purchases.

 

[Peter Eichler]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10456395#post10456395 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ghstrider
I did introduce him right in...no quarantine. I did gamble but the only fish i currently have are 2 small cardinals and if i did lose them it would suck but i will live (harsh i guess) but i was not about to have my hippo sitting in quarantine for a month and a half and not have anything to see in my display. I plan on QTing future additions but i didnt see the entire worth of qt the hippo when the tank is almost empty. I do have a UV 15w and its on a slow flow for extra burn. I know i jumped the gun a bit but i plan on setting up my tank around him so i put him in 1st. I got him right from the LFS (a pretty good one) before they placed him in their tank (right off the truck)...i did so because i didnt want him to stress by acclimating him 2 times instead of one.


Andrew...thanks for your advice but can you elaborate as this is new to me. Do i buy garlic supp from my LFS and drizzle some on the nori then place it in the tank?? Please be specific. Any other tips especially to keep him happy, healthy, and feed well?

I'm not worried so much about your Cardinals, I'm worried about you losing the Hepatus to parasites and having it in your system so you can't add other fish until you've had it void of fish for several weeks. Don't think for a second that getting it before it was in LFS will help you out. I've seen literally thousand of Hepatus tangs at wholesalers that had ich. Just keep an eye out for parasites for a few weeks, especially in the evenings, and then consider adding something else. Make sure you do quarantine new additions though, because like I said, Hepatus tangs are about as ich prone as fish get.

 

[ghstrider]

3ofakind, i think you took my statement and ran with it.... i would do everything i can to keep the cards alive and hospitalize them also. what i meant that if i did lose them as a worst case scenario i wouldnt wanna kill myself. I may have jumped the gun on this fish but its done and i am asking for advice on keeping him healthy. Thanks for all your "constructive criticism" but if you dont want to help me then dont but i am asking for tips on making sure my tank does well

 

[ghstrider]

Peter and dareefking,

thanks for your ideas and helpful insight... I will keep this in mind next time.

 

[SDhky]

Get off this guy, he asked for info on the hippo, not on his morals

 

[on3ofak1nd]

I wasn't exactly running with it... perhaps walking briskly. I understand you would attempt to save them if they fell ill, my point was better to not introduce them to illness in the first place if you're concerned for their well being. Whether they recover from an infection or not it is still undo stress. And as far as helping you, as I said it was not my meaning to be unhelpful... and I do hope you are successful in keeping both your hippo and cardinals. Besides all of that, you've already been given the best help/suggestion available to you by ACBlinky the first reply to your post...

" I'd remove all three fish and put them through 4-6 weeks of hyposalinity to remove any possibility of ich in your display - tangs are notorious for bringing ich into systems if not quarantined, and if yours is harboring anything, it's already in the tank. "

Catch it early instead of later you'll be more successful in combating it, especially with a tang.


And to SDhky I appreciate your concern and I realize that is your opinion as to what I should and should not say but likewise I am entitled to my opinion.

 

[jer77]

I also have a blue hippo tang in a 75 gallon tank. I got him when he was pretty tiny and he has grown to be about 2.5-3''. I feed him a good diet of spirulina (frozen), formula two (frozen cubes), mysis shrimp, and sometimes new life spectrum pellets. I try to feed twice a day, sometimes I soak the food in selcon, vita-chem and garlic. He seems to be a pretty shy fish still but bold enough to approach and feed next to my juvi emperor angel. Has anyone got their small hippos to eat seaweed, nori? He hasn't found it appealing yet along with the angel. I guess they will when they get larger. Anyway these fish will soon be in their new home in a 180 gallon tank. So plan to upgrade if you really love your blue hippo.

 

[dareefking]

jer77- I have yet to see my hippo go for seaweed but I attribute that to my aggressive queen angel who seems to hog up all the seaweed. He is just so aggressived with it I think the hippo is afraid to jump in this mix. Seems like he wants it, he approaches it like let me in on that, but the queen is a monster when seaweed is dropped in, ripping it to shreds within seconds.

 

[ghstrider]

guys can you elaborate on the garlic method... Any other supplements that will help keep my boy healthy?

 

[dareefking]

Well garlic is more of a immune system builder which helps fight and/or pervent disease.

You can also soak any frozen foods in Selcon or Vitachem, etc. which add vitamins to their foods in turn strenghting their immune system. Look for a frozen food when added vitamin C.

I use Selcon for my foods like 3 times a week, but I've heard of people rotating between vitamin additves and dosing every time the feed

 

[flyguy7150]

i finally got my hippo to eat seawweed from the clip. He's 1.5 or less. Try putting the clip lower in the tank maybe, that worked for me.