tang police in here please

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footballdude2k3

footballdude2k3

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hello, I was going to get a 40b, then i went to my lfs and saw my first hippo tang in person. It was love at first sight. I now want one more than i did before. I have read that they can get quite large, and I do not want to put added stress on it. Bottomline I am now thinking about getting a 72 bow instead, but only if it is big enough for a tang. What are your thoughts?

thanks,
Paul
 
I am by no means the tang police but no way will a hippo do well in a 72g. The only tang's suitable for that tank would be some bristletooth tangs. You could have a small baby hippo in a 72g for a little while but you'd soon have to give it away,so what's the point. Your doing the right thing by doing your research first though.
 
I saw a decent sized blue tang in a 75g standard tank and trust me it looked like it didn't belong there. Was probably 10" or so. Just looked too big compared to the size of the tank.

Are you able to get a 5 ft tank? Maybe look through the classifieds. Good deals to be had sometimes.
 
ditto - depending on initial size he'd be fine for a little while; however, you'd eventually have to find him a home. had a buddy who had a hippo in a 90g - it got huge; he's now living in a 180g and happy.
 
I have to agree with eveyone else. A 72 is too small. I had a Hippo in a 120 and had to get rid of it. hHe was almost nine inches long and seemed miserable in a 4' long tank. Not to mention it kept knocking over all of my corals.
 
Korrine said:
I saw a decent sized blue tang in a 75g standard tank and trust me it looked like it didn't belong there. Was probably 10" or so. Just looked too big compared to the size of the tank.

Are you able to get a 5 ft tank? Maybe look through the classifieds. Good deals to be had sometimes.
Click to expand...

:eek2::eek2:

Wow, a 10" hippo in a 75 is just gross. I hope you told the person that the fish was way too big for the tank.

And forget 5', I'd shoot for at least 6' for a hippo. You're talking about a huge fish.
 
Hippo tangs are my favourite fish but I will never have space for one.

Let's start a selective breeding program and make some pygmy hippos, okay? :lolspin:
 
but be good for a couple of years in 72, but not long ..

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If you got a small one it would be fine for quite awhile. Its not gonna be 6"+ anytime soon. By then you will have your plans for a 180+ like everyone else that gets stuck on that damn slippery slope ;)
 
Heres an idea. If you love tangs, you will never be happy until you have a tank big enough to house the fish you want to keep. Why not keep saving and then go for a bigger tang sized tank? Or is size a problem?
 
A Hippo would be fine in a 4' tank. It might not be optimal, obviously any fish likes more swimming room, but don't be overly concerned with the doom and gloom crowd. Its not like it will be unhappy there, just don't add any other large fish. I have a PBT in a 65g and not only is it doing just fine, it is the healthiest specimen I have ever seen in person.

In 5+ years when it starts to reach its maximum size you might start to have a problem, but this is reefing, you will either not have a tank at all by then or one three times larger ;)
 
If a blue tang (( Paracanthurus hepatus )) doesn't outgrow a 4' tank in a year (( excluding starting with the tiny tiny ones )), then you don't have a healthy fish.

IMO, it is a very poor idea to try one in a 4' tank. Just wait until you have a proper sized tank.
 
I also agree that a small hippo would be fine for a little while in a 4' tank. I am in no way advocating keeping the fish in there for the duration of its life time though. I have a 3 inch purple tang in my 90 and he is doing just fine. As long as the tang is small and you are able to make the next step into a bigger tank tank when it comes time I see no problems. Tony
 
ReefKeeper2009 said:
I also agree that a small hippo would be fine for a little while in a 4' tank. I am in no way advocating keeping the fish in there for the duration of its life time though. I have a 3 inch purple tang in my 90 and he is doing just fine. As long as the tang is small and you are able to make the next step into a bigger tank tank when it comes time I see no problems. Tony
Click to expand...

From personal experience, that "bigger" tank doesn't always happen. I should have had my big tank by now, but life got in the way. I had had a purple tang, that was going to be moved into the bigger tank... I had to sell it, which wasn't fun; catching it and having to get rid of a fish that I had grown attached to. It was in my 75, and the last couple months that I had it (( was about 4" )), it was a holy terror -- which is common for tang in tanks that aren't big enough.
 
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