hippo tangs

[spoiledcats]

I have a general question for anyone. I have a hippo tang that is about 6 inches long, 2 to 3 years old in a 90 gallon tank. I have read that hippos can get to be about 12 inches long. Will he actually get that big in my tank, or will the size limit his growth?

[marrone]

If you keep feeding him, and have good water quailty, he will continue to grow and even though he mayn't reach 12" he will get a lot larger.

[Horizon Canopy]

this is an area of debate, but i personally think he will get larger in your tank. the growth will be slower than before though.

[Fishfirst]

unfortunately the rumor that "fish grow to the size of their tank" is completely untrue.

[Ti]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6918375#post6918375 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fishfirst
unfortunately the rumor that "fish grow to the size of their tank" is completely untrue.
really?

[emperior911]

fish do infact grow to the size of their tank

[reefD]

do a exstensive search. you implying that an organism despite dna factors will be influence against natural growth by tank size? no i agree that fish stay small in small tanks but thats not due to tank size but nutrients building up and water quality stunting growth. not the size of the tank. disagree? so why did by baby oscar grow to 16 inches in a 20 gallon.? i did every other day water changes and his growth never ceased...


in any case fish staying the size of the tank they are in is a myth. yes they do stay small but due to improper water chemestry not a natural occurance at all. again do a extensive search on this topic it will surprize you!

[reefD]

yes they do grow to size of tank then they suffer ...will survive but not growing properly. so yes if you want to imprison a fish in a small tank it will work but any stunt of growth is due to neglect. and not a balance act....it is a survival method but heck why do we think it is natural? ok if not natural is it safe? no way and it is an unnatural influence that we imply to the fish. if it can adapt so be it but it is NOT safe or natural...you are abusing your fishes potential. so it must be stressed but will live on happy or not and in a crowded area the suffer and possibly live on. true but an influenced result NOT NATURAL!!!!!

[reefD]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7233423#post7233423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ti
really?


yes!!!! do research! it has been scientifically established that other neglect issues cause the stunt. not a natural defense but a neglect issue. no fish wants to stunt growth for size of tank. so when it happens it is forced ...not natural....such is possible but not a adaptation but a forced occurance.

[Fishfirst]

obviously, ocean fish are slightly different than fw fish. freshwater fish often "stunt" due to Growth inhibiting hormones that they (only some of them) produce. In a vast expanse such as the ocean, a growth inhibiting hormone would be too expensive for its worth, thus it hasn't evolved in saltwater fish. Yes you are going to get a shorter life span and a shorter unhealthy fish if you don't keep water quality up, or if you don't feed them well... but its not directly caused by the "stunting" of the fish by its own chemical means.

[stykthyn]

fish do infact grow to the size of their tank

and then some, dont rely on your tank to limit a fish to a certaiin size. under proper conditions fish grow quite readily regardless of tank size

[Teremei]

Hmm, I have seen many hippos. I've seen a 5 yr. old blue tang in a 180 and it was naught more than 7" long. Wet web media says blue tang: up to 12 inches in nature, rarely more than half that in the home aquarium.

It is up to debate. But I do beleive that they do grow to the size of a tank. It is unatural yes. But if you really beleive against doing that to fish then you'd need atleast probably a 500 gallon tank for a blue tang. 1000 for a naso, ect. .

[spoiledcats]

I have to say, since this thread is back, that I was wrong about the age of my fish. I said it was 2-3 years old. But it is actually about 5 or 6 years old. I was forgetting that we've had this tank about 6 years now, and I got the hippo in the first year. Here's a picture of him now

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i113/spoiledcats/HPIM0255.jpg

[SDguy]

I've never seen a 12" blue tang outside of a public aquarium. I'd love to see some pics of one that large in any home aquarium.

[Monkeyfish]

I think we also need to keep in mind individual genetic diversity, as well as environmental factors when discussing the eventual "fully grown" size of a fish. Like any other creature, their size is dictated by a combination of genetic blueprint and environmental factors. Not every hippo tang will reach a size of 12 inches regardless of it's environment simply because not all fish have the potential to get that big. My height of 5'6" isn't due to poor nutrition or being locked in a closet, but rather was "pre-programmed" due to having short parents.

I believe that when housing certain species we should make the assumption that the fish will reach it's full potential so as to have the best interests of the animal in mind, but should not be shocked if every tang doesn't end up being the size of a dinner plate; even if it is in a 500 gallon tank with perfect water parameters and getting the best nutrition possible.

[thor32766]

yeah monkeyfish well said. its kind of like saying groups of being will have all the same height. every situation is a differant one thats for sure.

[Hendersonracing]

my hippo has some small white spots just a few on him...is this normal for their new environment? also he stays hid alot in rocks?

[Monkeyfish]

If the "white spots" look like grains of salt then he may have Ick... a common ailment for tangs often caused by stress.

[Hendersonracing]

just a few blotches...lol should he be ok? someone said mabe a paracite?

[thor32766]

do you have a cleaner shrimp, if not, they can really help out with a small outbreak of it.

[Hendersonracing]

I have 3 peppermint shrimg and a few fire shrimp! will this do the job?

[thor32766]

maybe someone else can chime in on those shrimp. I have two skunk cleaners in my 90 and 4 cleaners for my 220. These were bought just for my tangs and to keep them clean. They love their cleanings. good luck and bump to see if someone knows about those doing a good job of cleaning.

[spoiledcats]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7823750#post7823750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thor32766
maybe someone else can chime in on those shrimp. I have two skunk cleaners in my 90 and 4 cleaners for my 220. These were bought just for my tangs and to keep them clean. They love their cleanings. good luck and bump to see if someone knows about those doing a good job of cleaning.

I've heard different people say different things about cleaner shrimp. Mine has always done a great job of keeping the fish clean. I've only had one outbreak of ich in my tank in about 5 years. But it wasn't a bad outbreak, and the shrimp took care of it. I think if it's a really bad outbreak, they can't keep up with it. But one of the LFS here says the only thing they do to control ich is keep cleaner shrimp in the tanks. And I saw a purple tang there that one week had ich so bad I thought it wouldn't live, and the next week I went, and it showed no signs of ich. They have a cleaner shrimp or 2 in every tank with the fish. I think they do a great job.:)

[SDguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7823611#post7823611 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Hendersonracing
I have 3 peppermint shrimg and a few fire shrimp! will this do the job?

Peppermint shrimp will not clean fish. Fire shrimp are technically cleaners. However, they are often so reclusive, that they are never out to do any cleaning, even if the fish wanted them to.

[spoiledcats]

Peppermint shrimp will not clean fish. Fire shrimp are technically cleaners. However, they are often so reclusive, that they are never out to do any cleaning, even if the fish wanted them to.


It's true that fire shrimp are reclusive. My hippo tang can wedge himself down into the rock where the fire shrimp hangs out to get himself a good cleaning. If your shrimp is accessible, the fish will find it. But the skunk shrimp is out all the time, so I would go with one of them if you are looking for a cleaner.