hippo tang Help ? maybe he's just dumb

[Richard savage]

Just got a M/L blue hippo tang from my LFS last Wednesday (27th), since his addition he did get bullied a little by the sail fin so I separated him on one side with egg crate and since I work all day I haven't been able to see if he is grazing on the algae rock I dropped in for him and he doesn't want to come out to eat, he just stays sandwiched in the rock structure, I
know its a typical trait for them to be weird but how long do I wait to be concerned about him not eating ?

 

[HB AL]

Have you tried feeding it some frozen foods? Hippos aren't true algae eaters like a yellow, purple tang etc... are. I rarely see mine picking at rocks for algae but my yellow and purple tang are non stop. I dont feed algae sheets, just a variety of Hikari cubes.

 

[Richard savage]

Have you tried feeding it some frozen foods? Hippos aren't true algae eaters like a yellow, purple tang etc... are. I rarely see mine picking at rocks for algae but my yellow and purple tang are non stop. I dont feed algae sheets, just a variety of Hikari cubes.

Yes I feed a mix variety of brine, reef frenzy and sometimes the emerald entree for my other tangs, he just sits in his rock and watches the food blow around

 

[HB AL]

Get a baster and squirt some mysis and brine where it hides and see if it eats it.

 

[ThePurple12]

Fish can go a long time without eating. Was he healthy and active in the store?
I would give it a few more days, he's most likely just extremely shy.

 

[Richard savage]

Fish can go a long time without eating. Was he healthy and active in the store?
I would give it a few more days, he's most likely just extremely shy.

My lfs only orders for pick up so it’s kind of a what you are is what you get, but he was active in the bag and pretty chunky so I snagged him, maybe I’ll just dim the lights on the side of the tank I stuck him on to better acclimate him because he is very skittish

 

[Uncle99]

Just leave him alone and run everything normal.
Let him explore at his discretion.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Sandwhiching into rocks is normal behavior as is delayed feeding response when new. You can try walking away as soon as you drop food and run your phone on video mode and come back 20 mins later and review footage. They are bashful and very aware of their surroundings/persons

 

[Richard savage]

Just leave him alone and run everything normal.
Let him explore at his discretion.

If I take the barrier out and he starts getting picked on when should I intervene, I’ve had tangs before just haven’t attempted to space them out due to not having all the money all at once to introduce them together, just not sure how much aggression should be natural or how long it should last ?

 

[Uncle99]

If I take the barrier out and he starts getting picked on when should I intervene, I’ve had tangs before just haven’t attempted to space them out due to not having all the money all at once to introduce them together, just not sure how much aggression should be natural or how long it should last ?

That’s an excellent question.
I let it go unless:
A) it’s 100% on attack and/or
B) is causing damage to one another.

Then the aggressor gets 48hrs in the penalty box.

We do want them to work it out on their own that’s critical and you just got to watch carefully and be ready to act.

 

[jaxteller007]

Ours sandwiches all the time and he's a big fat pig lol.
Finding Nemo did not embellish how dumb they are lol.
Ours swims upside on occasion when he comes out of hiding before he realizes what he is doing. There's a reason we call him Andy Dwyer.

 

[DinoMagnet]

Mine didn’t eat for about a solid week super skiddish. Now he almost rips off the veggie clip when I put julians purple nori sheets

 

[Sam816]

Always, always ask the fish store staff about the food they feed their fish.
Additionally, I have always had success with live black worms and blood worms with fish. Live baby brine with smaller fish like firefish, hawkfish n blennies( I have had 2)

 

[Richard savage]

Ours sandwiches all the time and he's a big fat pig lol.
Finding Nemo did not embellish how dumb they are lol.
Ours swims upside on occasion when he comes out of hiding before he realizes what he is doing. There's a reason we call him Andy Dwyer.

Haha that’s awesome, mines definitely at that dumb level, just need to turn him into a little piggie and find out his go to food is

 

[Richard savage]

Always, always ask the fish store staff about the food they feed their fish.
Additionally, I have always had success with live black worms and blood worms with fish. Live baby brine with smaller fish like firefish, hawkfish n blennies( I have had 2)

Like I stated earlier in the thread, my lfs sells fish basically right out of the suppliers box, and from what I understand is that the supplier feeds flake, so far no luck :/

 

[Deezill]

Sandwhiching into rocks is normal behavior as is delayed feeding response when new. You can try walking away as soon as you drop food and run your phone on video mode and come back 20 mins later and review footage. They are bashful and very aware of their surroundings/persons

+1 on squeezing between rocks I have had mine for a year and he does it every night. Weirdest thing I saw at first but its normal for him. mine has two places he likes to squeeze in. the first time I thought he was dead. I feed Mysis emerald green and flakes some pellets. He eats it all. I really don't do Nori strips as I should.

 

[Richard savage]

+1 on squeezing between rocks I have had mine for a year and he does it every night. Weirdest thing I saw at first but its normal for him. mine has two places he likes to squeeze in. the first time I thought he was dead. I feed Mysis emerald green and flakes some pellets. He eats it all. I really don't do Nori strips as I should.

I have tried nori and emerald entree, what kind of pellets do you use ? I might go pick some up later

 

[Uncle99]

He will eat most things from flake to frozen.
Just let him settle.
Offer nori sheets on a clip, he’ll get used to it.

 

[jaxteller007]

Haha that’s awesome, mines definitely at that dumb level, just need to turn him into a little piggie and find out his go to food is

Any finicky fish we've had we have had good luck with any of the LRS frozen or like the Hikari frozen cubes. We defrost them in a cup of tank water so that it's a feeding frenzy for everyone.

 

[Deezill]

I have tried nori and emerald entree, what kind of pellets do you use ? I might go pick some up later

Sorry for the delay in the answer but I use spectrum pellets.

PE Pellets Saltwater Fish Food

A Nutritionally Complete Diet that Saltwater Fish Love! Made with Sustainably Harvested PE Mysis Packed with Omega Fatty Acids and Natural Color Enhancers Available in Three Pellet Sizes for All Fish Types PE Pellets are a palatable, highly digestible fish food specifically formulated to...

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