Blue Hippo Tang

[Bpfor3]

This post is exactly what I am going through! Had an ich free system with 13 fish yellow, naso, regal, blue throat trigger, and others added a sail fin and it caused some aggression for a couple days next thing I knew my blue regal had ich spots. Since then it has spread to some other fish and the spots have all come and went a couple times on various fish. The blue regal being hit the hardest for sure but I have a UV running and I’m feeding heavily with vitamarin. It’s been about a week since the spots first showed up and fish are doing well still don’t see flashing or rapid breathing just the spots. Guess that sailfin caused me to go the ich management route! Going to see how it goes. I can’t pull out that much rock and coral and QT that many fish..

Man doing the same thing. QT'd everything, but must have come in on a coral. I am running UV, feeding well and started dosing peroxide. Good luck!

 

[Ribo15]

Yeah Bpfor3 I feel like ICH irradiation is a great option and going through all the protocols to avoid it seems great until all your hard work is undone with one new addition. Then it becomes less appealing to rip everything apart and start from scratch going fallow for 76 days. Management can’t be that horrible as long as the fish seem healthy and eat fine. We will see I guess. Sorry for veering from original posters question lol

To your original question. If you’re not going to QT your new fish and treat for ich prior to addition no matter what the new addition will be then you might as well try your luck with what ever fish you want to add. Provided you can give it a tank it will thrive in. IE rock work for hiding and space for swimming. Good luck!

 

[ReefGamer]

That is a legitimate concern. You could run a large UV when introducing the new fish - UV won't eliminate ich, but it will reduce parasite pressure. This is also another reason to do QT. You can use water from your display to 'expose' a new fish to anything in your tank water and it can build up some level of immunity (or die).

I was thinking of ordering the Polyp medic labs stuff if I ever see it in my DT on the tang and it could help them fight it to the point of management. QT isn’t really in the question, if ich could not come from coral or inverts then I would suck it up and do it. I’ve just been debating if my favorite fish is worth it, I might gamble since it will be my last fish and I’ve been preparing for it but man I can’t lose the fish I have right now bc of a tang

 

[ReefGamer]

I have a 32g tank set up. I have similar fishes besides the wrasses. But I do as well have a fox face fish. I believe if you get a blue hippo tang it should be fine and would be a wonderful add.

I have a kole tang in my tang with mostly everything you mentioned plus my fox face. Surprisingly my tang gets along with my fox face. The tang was a bully prior to me getting the fox face. But once I got my fox face idk how everything calmed down in my tank.

That is crazy, that is super small for those fish, even the 72 gallon. But if the fish are happy then it’s all good to me. You can tell if they are happy or stressed. I heard the blue hippo was the most peaceful tang and I have a very peaceful tank. Hope it fits right in.

 

[ReefGamer]

I’m with you there. I like buying small so they can grow with my tank. I purchased a 2” and a 4”. When I was buying, those were the only two available. You might want it’s size to be comparable to the gramma to avoid bullying though the tang will be a lot faster.

Sounds good, I’ll probably shoot for a 2”

 

[lilkiwi930]

That is crazy, that is super small for those fish, even the 72 gallon. But if the fish are happy then it’s all good to me. You can tell if they are happy or stressed. I heard the blue hippo was the most peaceful tang and I have a very peaceful tank. Hope it fits right in.

Yeah I spoke with the person I go to, to buy my fish and he said it would be fine as long as I create areas for them to hide and space out. They are perfectly happy.

 

[ReefGamer]

Do you have plans to upgrade to a minimum 6 foot tank in the future, or are willing to rehome the fish within a year or two? If the answer is no to both, don't get a Hippo. 4' is way too small for an adult.

What people mean by 'ich magnet' is that if ich is present in a system, if your perameters are perfect and the fish is happy and healthy, it will be fine, but throw off a perameter or stress the fish and it will get ich. Odds are without quarantine, regardless of the stores QT practices, it is likely present in your tank, just hidden.

I got my own Hippo about six weeks ago. Lfs told me they coppered it, but after 3 weeks of observation, I forgot a water change, and next day, ich. Ich everywhere.

The answer is yes to both, I definitely want a 180 gallon in the future. It would be more like two years. I would have no qualms with rehoming if it was unhappy.

I am jealous you have one lol why would a missed water change stress it out? Many many people don’t even do water changes at all.Was it ich everywhere in the tang or all the fish?

 

[ReefGamer]

Yeah Bpfor3 I feel like ICH irradiation is a great option and going through all the protocols to avoid it seems great until all your hard work is undone with one new addition. Then it becomes less appealing to rip everything apart and start from scratch going fallow for 76 days. Management can’t be that horrible as long as the fish seem healthy and eat fine. We will see I guess. Sorry for veering from original posters question lol

To your original question. If you’re not going to QT your new fish and treat for ich prior to addition no matter what the new addition will be then you might as well try your luck with what ever fish you want to add. Provided you can give it a tank it will thrive in. IE rock work for hiding and space for swimming. Good luck!

Yeah man, the plan is management and not QT. Not to mention the stress of QT and tank transfer leads to a lot of deaths as well :/ I think it will do very well in my tank, lots of room ( the rocks go up to half the tank, the whole upper half is open water). Tons of caves too. I just hope to get passed the initial stress of adding without ich taking over.

 

[ReefGamer]

Yeah I spoke with the person I go to, to buy my fish and he said it would be fine as long as I create areas for them to hide and space out. They are perfectly happy.

Be careful though, this LFS has lied to me so many times to sell me fish and I liked them. 3 months in and tried to say it’s perfectly fine adding that 5 inch powder blue tang and I almost did but it many times. But I listened to everyone in here. After this, I tested them with basic questions and they would straight lie to me on answers I knew :/ personally 32 is WAY too small for those, crazy. But like I said the really nice reefers our here who sell frags and have super nice tanks.. ALL of them have multiple tanks in their tanks, only tangs it seems also. These tanks are not big it all.

 

[Hugh Mann]

The answer is yes to both, I definitely want a 180 gallon in the future. It would be more like two years. I would have no qualms with rehoming if it was unhappy.

I am jealous you have one lol why would a missed water change stress it out? Many many people don’t even do water changes at all.Was it ich everywhere in the tang or all the fish?

It was in my 20 gallon quarantine, which has minimal filtration. Was just observing due to lack of good meds in Canada. Missed water change degraded the water quality enough for the ich to break out.
Tank Transfer Method, and the fish is happy and ich free in my display now.

Mine is about 3" and happy in my 4' 55 gallon. Already have a 265 that I haven't set up yet.

 

[ReefGamer]

It was in my 20 gallon quarantine, which has minimal filtration. Was just observing due to lack of good meds in Canada. Missed water change degraded the water quality enough for the ich to break out.
Tank Transfer Method, and the fish is happy and ich free in my display now.

Mine is about 3" and happy in my 4' 55 gallon. Already have a 265 that I haven't set up yet.

Oh okay, I get that now. So they can get over it even being new. I wonder the odds of them dying once obtaining it? Seems like the majority survive. 265 gallon sounds awesome. I would do more than 180 gallons but j already know them water changes plus all the dosing would be double to maintain. Man..

 

[BiggestE22]

I’ve had them for many years. They are ich magnets. You just have to accept the fact that you may lose your fish in the event you get ich.

Mine had black ich aka worms. But they are amazing and busy fish. Even when smaller they will take over as the boss of the tank in most cases. They will eat anything meaty and of course veggies and graze the tank glass and rocks. I have a cinnamon clown. A six line and the tank. They do grow pretty fast also. Mine went from 1 inch to 1.5 inches in about 4 months.

 

[BiggestE22]

This post is exactly what I am going through! Had an ich free system with 13 fish yellow, naso, regal, blue throat trigger, and others added a sail fin and it caused some aggression for a couple days next thing I knew my blue regal had ich spots. Since then it has spread to some other fish and the spots have all come and went a couple times on various fish. The blue regal being hit the hardest for sure but I have a UV running and I’m feeding heavily with vitamarin. It’s been about a week since the spots first showed up and fish are doing well still don’t see flashing or rapid breathing just the spots. Guess that sailfin caused me to go the ich management route! Going to see how it goes. I can’t pull out that much rock and coral and QT that many fish..

Be very wary of purchasing and adding new fish to an established tank. New fish can greatly change the tank dynamics and you are truly rolling the dice unlesss you run a serious quarantine tank. These fish are crowded and stressed when being shipped and it’s likely they will have some kind if issue.