Hippo Tang behavior?

[AquaPython]

Blue tang bahvaior

I have been doing this hobby for a while, but just recently acquired my first tang. a juvenile hippo tang about 2" long. one month quarantine with Hypo (he had ick) and 2 weeks in the tank or so. He seems to get tired. he will swim for a few minutes, and then go back to the birds nest he sleeps in and lay down and sleep, sometimes even at a downward angle. but if i go to the glass , or a few minutes later unprovoked. he will come back out and swim around like normal.

so is this normal tang behavior? or is something wrong with him, and he might not last?
i try to feed him homemade food 3-4 times a week (flake in between) , and some nori once every two weeks or so. He grazes with the rabbit fish on alot of the algae that i already have.

 

[boilermaker1]

Doesnt sound out of the ordinary. They like to hang out around home and if they're spooked or something (it doesnt take much), they'll just hang out for a while before coming back out.

 

[mcoomer]

Yeah, they can be rather shy. A long time ago I had two that I thought were stuck in a piece of decorative coral that I had in the tank. I waited and waited for them to come out and just when I thought they wouldn't and was going to have to break the coral up to free them they came out. As soon as someone would walk in front of the tank...zip, back into the coral.

Mike

 

[AquaPython]

i feel like this guy is not shy at all. in fact the opposite.

He does not show fear of the other fish in the tank, he swims close to them, and he comes out of the coral when I get close to the tank like he is excited for some food.

it just seems like he gets tired. he will swim for a minute or two and then go and rest for a minute or two.

 

[small alien]

I don't believe one month in hypo will cure ich.

 

[sfboarders]

Sounds like normal behavior to me. My hippo swims around than goes in between the crack to rest and does that over and over. Oh yea, chases my purple tang too....

 

[AquaPython]

thanks for the replies, guys. makes me feel better about this little guy!

I don't believe one month in hypo will cure ich.

what makes you say that? in a clean tank, with no calcareous substances for it to bounce off of, that is stopping the life cycle in two different points.

 

[AquaPython]

damn i guess my gut was right. he barely moved 2 days ago. even with food. if it wasnt for gils moving, i would think he was dead. he had a couple of ick spots on him which is very disheartening, after how careful i have been to not re-introduce it into my tank.
I have the WORST luck with fish. i swear every local place is swimming with ick.

 

[TampaReefer79]

How big is the tank? What are the other tankmates?

 

[AquaPython]

its a 150, only tank mates were a foxface, ocellaris, canary tang, LMB, and green mandarin.

 

[TampaReefer79]

its a 150, only tank mates were a foxface, ocellaris, canary tang, LMB, and green mandarin.

What on earth is a canary tang???

 

[AquaPython]

lol oh shoot i meant canary wrasse , aka yellow wrasse

 

[wickedfish]

my hippo came from a tank that was gonna be broken down for the summer from another guy. These guys are super ich prone and this guy has it since I introduced him in to the display no time or p[lace to quarantine because my other tank was cycilng, lucky enough that he is the only one that has it its been 6 weeks, it comes and goes.

 

[TampaReefer79]

lol oh shoot i meant canary wrasse , aka yellow wrasse

Darn! I thought maybe you had one that I'd never seen/heard of. :lol2: