Tang Police ASSEMBLE! :)

[tuscani]

Ok so a few months back I was uneducated and LFS sold me a baby blue hippo tang.. they said I should be good 2-3 years. I am thinking that is false. I have a Red Sea Reefer 250 G2+ System (54 Gal Display, 11 Gal Sump).

The tang is about 3-4" already. Is it time to think about a rehome yet? He seems to still have plenty of swimming room and appears healthy. And other then him chasing my Lawnmower Blenny around no real aggression.

Thanks!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

What's your top choice? Go bigger or find someone to take him?

 

[george9]

Perfect excuse to upgrade in the near future!

Honestly I am probably in the minority here, but if you aren't seeing aggression and it has ample room to swim and hide for now, I wouldn't be in a HUGE rush to upgrade/rehome but do know that it will probably be necessary eventually when it starts getting a bit more cramped. I'd say at least have a plan in the back of your mind for now.

 

[TX_REEF]

You should upgrade or rehome as soon as possible, that size tank is simply not approriate for a hippo tang unfortunately.

 

[tuscani]

No room to upgrade right now. I would love to keep him though

 

[Lavey29]

No room to upgrade right now. I would love to keep him though

I saw 6 shamus in a swimming pool

 

[Fishy888]

Agreed. And if you decide to upgrade get a 180 gallon or even a 210 gallon. And for the love of all things fishy DON’T get a Red Sea, especially in those sizes. You don’t need a leak or worse yet a catastrophic failure on your hands.

 

[mues]

I have a 150G with a hippo and will likely be rehoming him in the future. They get massive

 

[Fishy888]

No room to upgrade right now. I would love to keep him though

Try to make room if you can. If you REALLY want to keep her, surely there’s a way!

 

[tuscani]

Perfect excuse to upgrade in the near future!

Honestly I am probably in the minority here, but if you aren't seeing aggression and it has ample room to swim and hide for now, I wouldn't be in a HUGE rush to upgrade/rehome but do know that it will probably be necessary eventually when it starts getting a bit more cramped. I'd say at least have a plan in the back of your mind for now.

Yeah he still fits in the rock crevice that he likes to hide and sleep in

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

No room to upgrade right now. I would love to keep him though

The real reason for this thread is to get bias confirmation for keeping the fish in that tank.

He's your fish, do whatever you want.

 

[Uncle99]

I kept my 5” blue tang and 3” yellow in my 65g for three years before upgrading to 180g without any issues.

Arrest me!

 

[m3xm3xm3x]

You should upgrade or rehome as soon as possible, that size tank is simply not approriate for a hippo tang unfortunately.

I’m not a tang police, but your tank is too small for hippo tang. If theres a will, there is a way!

 

[Fishy888]

I have a 150G with a hippo and will likely be rehoming him in the future. They get massive

They can get massive. Mine’s in a 210. She was stunted due to only being fed flake food for 3 years before she was rescued. She was 3 inches long, if that, when my friend rescued her and 15 other fish. Most of them were other tangs including a Desjardini tang and a Naso tang. They were all in a 180 gallon tank.

After she arranged to rescue them she gave me a heads up that she wanted me to take Dory which I did. We both decided to let the fish start eating first in her tanks because two transitions in a short amount of time would have likely done her in.

She’s about 5 inches long now and has been rapidly growing! She uses every inch of swimming space. It’s definitely time to rehome your hippo tang given your current tank’s size if you decide to not upgrade.

 

[Lavey29]

Agreed. And if you decide to upgrade get a 180 gallon or even a 210 gallon. And for the love of all things fishy DON’T get a Red Sea, especially in those sizes. You don’t need a leak or worse yet a catastrophic failure on your hands.

I think the large G2 models have reliable improvements now.

 

[mues]

They can get massive. Mine’s in a 210. She was stunted due to only being fed flake food for 3 years before she was rescued. She was 3 inches long, if that, when my friend rescued her and 15 other fish. Most of them were other tangs including a Desjardini tang and a Naso tang. They were all in a 180 gallon tank.

After she arranged to rescue them she gave me a heads up that she wanted me to take Dory which I did. We both decided to let the fish start eating first in her tanks because two transitions in a short amount of time would have likely done her in.

She’s about 5 inches long now and has been rapidly growing! She uses every inch of swimming space. It’s definitely time to rehome your hippo tang given your current tank’s size if you decide to not upgrade.

Luckily mine is still small enough to fit in the rockwork, and I only have one other tang in the tank, so he's fat and happy. I've seen them the size of footballs though, impressive fish.

 

[exnisstech]

You know the tank is going to be too small in the near future so make plans. Larger tank or rehome are your only options IMO. I keep a yellow, 2 spot bristle tooth , and a copperband in a reefer 300. But I have a 180g up and running and am setting up a new tank 84x30x25 so I have a plan in place.
I've never been a fan of adding fish that I know are going to outgrow my tank. I'm not the type of person that wants to grow an animal and get attached only to have to rehome it or worse keep it confined in an area that is too small. I'm like that with all pets not just fish. If I couldnt take my dogs outside to run and play I would have a cat instead. OK that's a lie I just wouldn't have pets besides fish

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Ok so a few months back I was uneducated and LFS sold me a baby blue hippo tang.. they said I should be good 2-3 years. I am thinking that is false. I have a Red Sea Reefer 250 G2+ System (54 Gal Display, 11 Gal Sump).

The tang is about 3-4" already. Is it time to think about a rehome yet? He seems to still have plenty of swimming room and appears healthy. And other then him chasing my Lawnmower Blenny around no real aggression.

Thanks!

Unfortunately, I had the same issue. I bought a naso (which gets considerably bigger than a hippo) at a fish store, not knowing any better. But I now know I will have to rehome it within about a year. Therefore I reached out to The Virginia Aquarium, and they are going to take mine when the time comes. I would much rather give it to them, than sell it to someone not really knowing how it will be cared for.

 

[Fish Styx]

A Hippo needs an 8' tank, minimum. If you cannot upgrade soon, then you need to rehome it.

 

[marinesnow]

We're responsible for the well-being of the inhabitants we bring into our homes. If you don't upgrade or rehome, your tang will be more susceptible to stress and therefore disease.