hippo tang..help

[do_0b]

I know tangs are shy fishes but i added the hippo tang on saturday to a 160g tank. The tang is about 3" and after acclimation, i put it in the tank and it went straight to the rocks and wedged itself into the rocks. Its been 3 days and its still there. No sign of ich or anything, but I don't think its eating...i placed nori on a clip right in front of where its hiding and i left the house for a couple of hours to come home to see nori what it seems to be uneaten. Should i be worried? If not, when should i start to worry? If it came out to eat I wouldn't worry so much but that fact that it isn't eating worries me. Its the only fish in the tank currently and water params seem to be normal.

[jason2459]

Tank is way to small... J/K but I'm sure you'll get it as it will be once it's grown up. For now it should be fine and the fish should be swimming around, a lot.

What other tank mates do you have that may be agressive toward it and causing the tang to hide?

[jason2459]

Also, I assume you didn't run any kind of a QT process. The fish may not look like it has anything wrong with it but parasites are small enough to not see or could be internal. A QT is very important. If it's internal parasites prazipro is reefsafe and can be dosed in the main tank. Please make note that prazipro will do nothing with ich or many other things. It's just good for certain parasites like flukes and worms.

[do_0b]

its actually the only fish in thank currently..
so should i take it out and qt it?

[Leena2674]

I just introduced a Kole Tang to my tank last Friday. He hides more than he's out, and he's chosen a spot behind a bunch of rocks all the way against the back of the tank. I wasn't sure he was eating, and have algae on a clip for my cowrie snail anyway, so I figured he'd go for that when he got hungry.

This morning, I woke to find a suspiciously large amount of algae gone that had been growing on the rocks last night, and he's the obvious culprit. It seems like he's doing fine, just taking his time getting accustomed to the tank and probably not feeling safe yet.

I would not automatically assume your Tang has an illness, just give him some time and continue putting food where he can get to it. Aside from the hiding, as long as he's acting normal, he should be fine.

It is also possible that he's hiding simply because having no other fishes around is unnatural. If he was wild-caught, the absence of other fishes would be a sign that predators are nearby. If he was tank-raised, he was also likely used to being around other fish on a regular basis. Again, in time he should grow to feel more safe in his surroundings. I would try not to introduce anything in the mean time that might harrass him. :-)

[do_0b]

yeah i was starting to think because there are no fishes it might be scared...
gonna give it a couple of more days...i hope it starts eating soon tho...:uhoh2:

[clownfish14]

I think they are just shy lol mine hid for about 5 days before it came out due to hunger i would assume.

[rogermccray]

Mine hides like that as well, chances are he is swimming around when you aren't looking and zooms right in there when you come into the room.

[angieg1123]

Honestly....I would take the tang out and QT him for atleast 6 weeks. They are prone to ICH and you do NOT want that in your tank. IF he gets it you will have to leave the tank fallow for close to 3 months! No fun there at all. I have a 125 that I had to tear apart to get out 5 fish because my Powder blue tang came down with ICH AFTER being in QT for a few weeks....I am no newb (15+ years) and I should have know better. I just felt bad with him in a 20g long as he was so big for that QT tank. $200 later for a larger Hospital tank, meds, and hours of catching fish in a fully stocked reef tank...I learned the hard way. Save yourself the headache....trust me :)

[Sk8r]

Actually---if you put it in your tank, and it has ich, it's kinda late to take it out and qt, because part of the ich life cycle is in sand and rock: they're like fleas and carpet. Just don't add any other fish for at least 4 weeks, ideally 8. If you don't see any outbreak, you may have dodged the bullet---but qt after this, religiously. Tangs are immensely susceptible and tend to die of it.

[rogermccray]

Honestly....I would take the tang out and QT him for atleast 6 weeks. They are prone to ICH and you do NOT want that in your tank. IF he gets it you will have to leave the tank fallow for close to 3 months! No fun there at all. I have a 125 that I had to tear apart to get out 5 fish because my Powder blue tang came down with ICH AFTER being in QT for a few weeks....I am no newb (15+ years) and I should have know better. I just felt bad with him in a 20g long as he was so big for that QT tank. $200 later for a larger Hospital tank, meds, and hours of catching fish in a fully stocked reef tank...I learned the hard way. Save yourself the headache....trust me :)

The problem with this statement is, taking out the tang now will not prevent your DT from having ICH. Either your tang had it and it is introduced into your DT or your DT has it and your tang will get it.

Edit::Seems Sk8r beat me to it....

[do_0b]

it doesn't have ich...at least not visually

[do_0b]

but the point is its hiding all the time and i don't think its eating...

[rogermccray]

but the point is its hiding all the time and i don't think its eating...

They are a timid fish, mine hides a lot. Though it does come out and eat when I put the food it likes in there. Does it look like it is getting skinny?

What are you feeding it?

[aleonn]

My blue tang was the shyest fish upon introduction for a few weeks. I'd soak the seaweed in garlic, and rubberband it on a rock so that it seems more natural. You can also garlic soak mysis or brine shrimp to further entice it to eat. Try not to make sudden movements around the tank, and eventually, he'll associate you with food.

[do_0b]

They are a timid fish, mine hides a lot. Though it does come out and eat when I put the food it likes in there. Does it look like it is getting skinny?

What are you feeding it?

seaweed held by my magfloat
i also have these that i have yet to feed it:

veggie flakes
formula 1 flakes
frozen mysis should i?

[do_0b]

mine just hides and stays there for days and nights :headwally:

[RtReef]

garlic supplement the food. Tangs like the garlic as an appetite stimulant.

[angieg1123]

Sorry...should have clarified my post about not adding any new fish while the tang is in QT. ( it was stated there are no other fish in the DT)

[rogermccray]

seaweed held by my magfloat
i also have these that i have yet to feed it:

veggie flakes
formula 1 flakes
frozen mysis should i?

Definitely try the others, my hippo tang eats formula 1 flakes and frozen mysis. That being said they cannot survive solely on mysis shrimp, but those flakes you have are good.


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[do_0b]

i lifted the rock that it wedged itself under and it swam to the bottom of the tank and wedge itself under another rock FML :headwally:

[jason2459]

i lifted the rock that it wedged itself under and it swam to the bottom of the tank and wedge itself under another rock FML :headwally:

Unless you plan to remove the tang to put into a QT then I wouldn't mess around with it like that as its already stressed and that just adds to it.

I might have missed it but how long has the tank been running and has it actually gone though a proper cycle before adding the tang since you said its the only fish?

[do_0b]

Unless you plan to remove the tang to put into a QT then I wouldn't mess around with it like that as its already stressed and that just adds to it.

I might have missed it but how long has the tank been running and has it actually gone though a proper cycle before adding the tang since you said its the only fish?

the tank has been running for 3 months
I got numerous sps corals in it and some snails
the blue tang was the first fish addition

[jason2459]

Originally Posted by jason2459 (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=19951951)
Unless you plan to remove the tang to put into a QT then I wouldn't mess around with it like that as its already stressed and that just adds to it.I might have missed it but how long has the tank been running and has it actually gone though a proper cycle before adding the tang since you said its the only fish?the tank has been running for 3 months I got numerous sps corals in it and some snailsthe blue tang was the first fish addition

I was just curious. Were you feeding the tank at all during that time? Did you test for ammonia or nitrite recently? I would just as a precaution just after increasing the bioload. I'm sure the tests would come out fine but couldn't hurt to check.

[do_0b]

I was just curious. Were you feeding the tank at all during that time? Did you test for ammonia or nitrite recently? I would just as a precaution just after increasing the bioload. I'm sure the tests would come out fine but couldn't hurt to check.

honestly, i don't have ammonia and nitrite test kits because I'm sure i don't but in this case i think ill run to the store to get some.
But with ammonia and nitrite present wouldn't my corals and snails die?

[rogermccray]

I really don't think it is an environment thing, just keep trying different foods until you find one he eats. And maybe trying watching the tank from a ways away and he might come out. My hippo tang still hides at any movement in the room but is getting better and I have had her for about three months.

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[do_0b]

I really don't think it is an environment thing, just keep trying different foods until you find one he eats. And maybe trying watching the tank from a ways away and he might come out. My hippo tang still hides at any movement in the room but is getting better and I have had her for about three months.

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ill try mysis soaked in garlic tmr

[do_0b]

woke up this morning and didn't see the tang in its usual hiding place...cant seem to find it....just around the tank to see if it jumped but nothing..just hope it would come out soon :worried:

[rogermccray]

woke up this morning and didn't see the tang in its usual hiding place...cant seem to find it....just around the tank to see if it jumped but nothing..just hope it would come out soon :worried:

Hopefully he is just hiding some place else, it is pretty amazing the small areas they can get into.

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[jason2459]

honestly, i don't have ammonia and nitrite test kits because I'm sure i don't but in this case i think ill run to the store to get some.
But with ammonia and nitrite present wouldn't my corals and snails die?

Not sure. Question would be, would adding a fish to a fishless tank that hasn't been fed for 3 months and then start to feed heavily to get the fish to eat cause a small enough and short enough ammonia spike to burn the fishes gills but not kill off the corals and snails? But like I said I was just curious if you had tested at all and if not it would be to late most likely as that mini cycle would probably be well over by now.

[do_0b]

yessss saw it come out today to eat some flakes and it quickly went back into hiding

progress? :spin3:

[jdm01]

My hippo tang spends its time hiding in the rock work. It was 1-2" when I bought it and now is 4-6". It comes out to swim but mostly hides if I make an aggressive move toward the tank. I have had mine for a couple of years now. I have a 90g which is too small, but just can't part with the hippo (pacific blue) tang.

[do_0b]

fed flakes today and it came out into the open eating the flakes it sees and quickly goes back to hiding after all the flakes were gone...i wished it stayed in the open swimming but i guess that will take time...:)

[rogermccray]

How's the hippo tang doing?

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[megatron8121]

Mine comes out alot until I sit in front of the tank and watch them then he hides, sometimes he sneaks out and comes right up to my face...then I slowly move my camera up to get a picture and he darts :(.

I feed stuff soaked in garlic, formula two flakes and pellets and brine/mysis shrimp. Along with the algae of course.

[bnumair]

if u know ur parmeters are good and there is no sign of ich then keep trying different foods. sometimes due to shipping and travelling tangs do get that way and hide for days. i had a naso that hid and didnt eat for over 7 days i could see every bone in her body the one day it started eating and got fat.

[genxson]

I had a tang that stay in the rock until it getting hungry it will come out.. They are shy fish