Survival Rate of Small Hippo Tang

[ThatAquariumKid]

there is a lfs near my house that has 3 1.5 inch hippo tangs and i would really like to buy one for my tank. i was wondering if it is worth spending the money. are they likely to die in my tank when they are that small. thanks for the help

 

[xxtriggermanxx]

need more info to help you ... sorry but tank size ? other fish ? inverts ? swimming room ? water conditions , temp ? these are just the basics but any answer without knowing this would be useless

 

[ThatAquariumKid]

ok tank is a 90 gallon has been running for 1.5 years. the only other large fish i have is a Foxface he is about 4 inches. my inverts are 1 rbta and 1 cleaner shrimp. it would has a ton of swimming room and all water conditions have been very stable for the past year.

 

[dattong]

if it eats then go for it. I raised mine since he's quarter size till he got 8" big, very fun watching him grew up

 

[Ostara]

One store near me got in a blue tang (P. hepatus) the size of a jellybean. It still managed to do well, ate constantly, and grew fast! It looked like a tiny blue blimp with its stomach so full. If one that small can survive, I wouldn't be concerned about a 1.5" specimen. I had one a little larger than a dime from LiveAquaria that also did very well. As long as it's eating (I'm sure they are, blue tangs are gluttons) and you quarantine it, I'd say go for it.

 

[zoolover]

I'm with dattong, if he eats take him home. Last one I bought was barely bigger than a nickel and he's thriving, 2" now!

 

[BigAirHarper]

I'd say go for it as long as u QT. I've purchased 2 that were 1" recently. One had ich bad, the other developed black ich. Both had to be medicated but survived and ate voraciously. They are just very shy at first and you have to put the food right where they are in the QT.

 

[Hoosierfan]

I hate to be that guy, but just be prepared for that fish to outgrow your tank.

 

[o2manyfish]

They get collected in big schools in very very tiny sizes. Somtimes smaller than a dime. So a 1.5" tang isn't really tiny compared to some that are collected.

At 1.5" you have a pretty developed fish. With a healthy environment I don't see any issues with a blue tang at that size.

Dave B

 

[BrianD]

I wouldn't put the hepatus in a 90 gallon tank. It will quickly outgrow it.

 

[Tmoriarty]

Depends on what you consider quickly? I have a blue tang in my 203g and he has only grown maybe 2 inches in the last 15 months. He started at 4 inches and is now around or under 6 inches. With those numbers the op would most likely be able to keep the fish for 3 years before he outgrew the tank if not longer. At which point it is always possible to trade him back to the LFS for credit and get another small one.

I would say if he is healthy go for it.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I wouldn't put the hepatus in a 90 gallon tank. It will quickly outgrow it.

Me either, its really tough to give up a fish you've raised. These are tough fish and I've seen some pitiful, but alive, Regals that were returned when they grew too big.

I have no personal experience with tiny Regals; but know I've seen several mentions of tiny ones having dismal survival rates. But many are now reared (not bred) in captivity and I assume they do quite well. But, wouldn't you rather have a fish that will be thriving in your tank for many years?

 

[itz216]

survival is not the question ...

survival is not the question ...

My experience - bought (2) because they were $12/ea from a respected online seller. They arrived and I couldn't believe how small they were ...perhaps an inch long ...maybe!

Long story short ..they both lived and grew faster than any fish I have ever had. Within 3-4 months they began battling and one was sold.

The other continued to grow and bully and grow and bully ...no fear of a trigger and a scopas tang! Both with a couple of years on the Blue!!!

When I sold him he was 6+ inches and growing. I haven't followed up - but I suspect he outgrew the 200g as well.

Beautiful fish. If they look healthy I don't think you'll have any trouble keeping them alive. BUT, they'll need a lot of room in a VERY short period of time.

 

[BrianD]

Depends on what you consider quickly? I have a blue tang in my 203g and he has only grown maybe 2 inches in the last 15 months. He started at 4 inches and is now around or under 6 inches. With those numbers the op would most likely be able to keep the fish for 3 years before he outgrew the tank if not longer. At which point it is always possible to trade him back to the LFS for credit and get another small one.

I would say if he is healthy go for it.

There is a substantial difference in growth rate between a hepatus tang that is 1.5" compared to one that is 4".

Regardless of that fact, it goes against everything I believe as a responsible reefkeeper to purchase a fish with the hope that I can trade it in to a LFS at some point down the road.

 

[BrianD]

My experience .

My experience was much the same.

 

[Ambition]

From my reading of people's comments on tang growth, I think most quickly grow up to around 4-6" depending on the species. After that growth is slower, I believe. This might have something to do with the fact that you need to quickly outgrow predators' mouths in order to have a better chance at survival. Take this tid bit with a hug grain of salt, I am just going off of what I have read as I have no hands on experience with tangs.

I would never put a P. hepatus in a tank that small. IMO, they need at least a 240 gallon tank to be comfortable. There have been several P. hepatus that I have seen in fellow reefers' 4-6ft tanks that just seem to be way too big for the tank, thus making the tank look smaller than it is. Also, some were showing signs of cramped space. Pacing, aggression, destructive, etc. at sizes between 3" and 6".

On a side note, never expect an LFS to take in a fish from you that outgrew your tank. By the time that happens the fish is usually of decent size and much harder to sell than the tiny ones they have. There just aren't a whole lot of people out there that will take in a 6"+ tang.

 

[jcoll]

ive had my yellow belly since penny size he is now 3.5 inches and fat! he is the healthiest in my tank

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

The small ones these days seem to be quite healthy, so size shouldn't be an obstacle. The problem as noted by so many is that the fish will outgrow your tank, probably pretty quickly. Many people are against buying a fish that you will have to rehome, whereas others think nothing of it. Depending on the individual fish, it could get quite aggressive once is starts feeling cramped.

 

[nasoisking]

if it were me, I might go for it. If you dont have your tank packed with lr there is alot of swimming room for a small tang. Not to mention, as he gets bigger....just one more reason to get a larger setup =) ! If i didnt plan on upgrading or didnt have alot of room inside the tank i wouldnt get it.

 

[29144u]

think of it as a great reason to upgrade