How many here successfully qt'd a hippo tang?

knight2255

knight2255

New member
Will have to order my 4th one sometime in the next week or so after I found the medium sized one I bought dead yesterday after only 6 days in qt.

I ordered small ones the first 2 times and could never get them eating. I figured I'd try a medium sized one thinking it would have more fat reserves in case it didn't eat as well.

I have no ammonia issues in qt and have tried broccoli, nori on clip, nori on rock, nls pellets in water, nls pellets in tray, nls pellets in a glass jar, spirulina pellets all 3 ways, and all alternated with/without garlic juice.
 
Try Rod's food. Tangs are not only herbivores, and good meaty frozen food will often tempt them.
 
Are you ordering them from the same place? How is your qt tank set up? IME fish like to hide when they first get into a new tank. In a qt tank, I use pieces of PVC to provide shelter. It's also important to acclimate them properly. I've had the best success with slow drip acclimation. If you buy from a LFS store, make sure you see them eating before you buy. I hope you have better luck with your next one - hippos are so much fun!
 
3 is very surprising, I think at least after the first 2 time to stop getting them from there, at worst 3. I got a few from LFS and never had a problem getting them to eat. I think you're having a different issue. You could always ask to have an LFS feed a fish in front of you.
 
Got first from petco store, second from lfs, third from saltwaterfish.com

I've got pvc for them to chill in but they seem to like to squeeze in between the glass and the fountain pump or canister filter I have in there.

I just saw the thread on here about sedating/feeding with a tube so I think I'll go that route if it doesn't eat. I've had a few fish that didn't eat in qt but learned quickly how to once in the DT.
 
knight2255 said:
Got first from petco store, second from lfs, third from saltwaterfish.com

I've got pvc for them to chill in but they seem to like to squeeze in between the glass and the fountain pump or canister filter I have in there.

I just saw the thread on here about sedating/feeding with a tube so I think I'll go that route if it doesn't eat. I've had a few fish that didn't eat in qt but learned quickly how to once in the DT.
Click to expand...

Really sounds like something is wrong with your quarantine. Electric current? Something off about the water? I'm just throwing darts in the dark, but seems very unlikely you got 3 bad blue tangs from different places.
 
No electric current that I can feel. I clean the tank out and put fresh water in between fish purchases. Seachem ammonia alert with prime whenever it changes colors.

The hippo is the last fish I want to get to finish stocking my tank so hopefully I can get one to make it a few weeks. I thought it would be a piece of cake to qt one and that my powder blue would be the tough one to get to eat but it's completely opposite for me at least.
 
Fish can go weeks without eating before they will die, sometimes just throwing lots of food throughout they day can kill a fish before starvation due to water quality. With blue hippos start with brine for smalls, mysis for largers. Flake food works good to. Have good flow so the food stays in water column then back off so they don't see you since they are very shy.


Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android
 
How do they look when you get them? When I've had tangs not eating, they get really thin, almost as if their stomachs concave. Live brine shrimp is a good idea to try to get a feeding response. You could add some vita-chem to the water the shrimp is in. If you can find a good LFS, IME that's the best place to get healthy fish. It took me a while to find a reputable place.
 
I think the key is to see them eat at Lfs...most hippos I think r now captive breed and should eat brine mysis with no problem..I've tried 4 up to date with all success now...good luck...
 
Hippo (tangs are not herbivores and you are feeding an herbivores diet plus pellets that many fish wont eat right away if at all. Order one from LA online and acclimate and quarantine carefully. Manage ammonia to 0 with water changes and an already cycled qt.
Feed primarily meaty foods like mysis, chopped shrimp and scallop from your grocery store, Rod's food for omnivores, Formula One, etc. Use some live brine only as a last resort.

If it shows up with ich, treat with the tank transfer method or Cupramine.

These aren't difficult fish.
 
Mrscribbled said:
Fish can go weeks without eating before they will die, sometimes just throwing lots of food throughout they day can kill a fish before starvation due to water quality. With blue hippos start with brine for smalls, mysis for largers. Flake food works good to. Have good flow so the food stays in water column then back off so they don't see you since they are very shy.


Posted from ReefCentral.com App for Android
Click to expand...

I agree.

IMO & IME, Regal tangs (Hippos) are one of the easiest fish of any type to keep. This may be why they are one of the most abused fish in they hobby. Six days is way too early to worry about not eating. Very small hippos can be difficult, however.

There are no tank bred Hippos on the market, I believe that none has ever even raised the fish fro egg to juvi fish. There are some tank-raised' hippos; tiny juvis or even larvae are raised to salable size. Huge difference between tang raised and tank bred.
 
knight2255 said:
Got first from petco store, second from lfs, third from saltwaterfish.com

I've got pvc for them to chill in but they seem to like to squeeze in between the glass and the fountain pump or canister filter I have in there.

I just saw the thread on here about sedating/feeding with a tube so I think I'll go that route if it doesn't eat. I've had a few fish that didn't eat in qt but learned quickly how to once in the DT.
Click to expand...

I don't know about your lfs but the other two sources are garbage. Get a fish from a quality distributor and try the additional foods that have been recommended and you should be fine.
 
I've a newly bought 1.5 to 2 inches hippo in QT for jst over a week now and i got it to eat seaweed using veggie clip the 3rd day but i had to change the position of clip several times untill the fish reconized it as food. It was very shy at first but now it doesnt even wait for me to put my hand out of the tank to attack the seaweed.
The LFS kept it in hypo, so i started with the same salinity and raising it slowly.
 
knight2255 said:
Got first from petco store, second from lfs, third from saltwaterfish.com
Click to expand...

I think that is your problem. I don't have faith in LFS's they always have ich and whatever else in there systems. Dunno about saltwaterfish.com but have seen negative threads on them.

Bluezooaquatics is best IMO, and you get a guarantee for 7 days how can you beat that? Ask you LFS for a 7 day guarantee. Even Reefs2go gives a 14 day guarantee. I like them too but I got a few DOA's from them that I don't think should have been. At least I got credit though.

As for the hippo I got a small one from bluezoo and it ate/eats everything I ever put in from day one. No issue and he is growing fast now. He really liked romaine lettuce at first before he got into nori, now not so much, likes nori better now.

knight2255 said:
No electric current that I can feel. I clean the tank out and put fresh water in between fish purchases. Seachem ammonia alert with prime whenever it changes colors.
Click to expand...
prime could be a problem, I don't trust any of those, should be a last resort only and I can't even think of anything that would prompt me to use it. Especially if you are using it while treating, that is bad. Try adding an airstone either way, some meds cause o2 depletion.
 
I have a small hippo tang going into its 3rd week of QT and it was ordered online as well. Aside from the fact it likes to play dead and taking several hours to do the drip acclimation process while still trying to "up-right" him. Once settled into the QT tank, I fed some mysis shrimp and a seaweed clip and it has been eating everything since its arrival.
 
I bought my 1.5 inches hippo on 8th of this month and it isnt touching any food except for nori (Ocean nutrition & Julian sprung). I've been trying to feed him brine shrimps and Hikari Marine S in addition to nori. Should i be worried?
 
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