hippo tang in 55 gallon?

[Guest han012]

i really want a hippo tang for my 55 aga. has anyone had any success keeping one in a tank my size?

[jamesbuf]

Too small of a tank for tang. You'd probably have to buy at least 3 of them before you found one that would survive the stress of living in such a small tank. Just my opinion.

[Connor]

what other fish do you have in your tank becuause i personally have a little baby scopas tang im my 29(he was the second fish i got) and hes been doing fine for a few months now with no signs of stress as far as i can tell.

[Guest han012]

what other fish do you have in your tank becuause i personally have a little baby scopas tang im my 29(he was the second fish i got) and hes been doing fine for a few months now with no signs of stress as far as i can tell.

 

my tank only has a osci pair, flame angel & lawnmower blenny. the osci pair gets along w/ my flame angel even though the flame gets pretty close to the anemone that they're hosting. the blenny doesn't' bother anyone & nobody bothers it. all it does is eat all day/night.

[Guest NSC]

Don't do it!! I have tried the smallest of hippos and failed miserably, they are VERY prone to ick and WILL have it no matter what you do to combat it! 55 is simply too small for a tang of any kind, even as juveniles. My best suggestion is with a 55, get a crab. Why? It satisfies the need for a new addition and they serve a purpose, they cleanup! Plus add some character to the tank. Plus shrimp are AWESOME!!!

 

I have a 55, here is my stocking list fish first:

Pair of Gold Striped Maroon Clowns

1 Green Chromis(started with three, down to one...the female clown despises this one)

Dragon Wrasse, he stirs up so much in my tank I wonder why I keep him(cuz he 's cool)

1 juvenile Emperor Angel(I believe that in 3 months I will need a new tank to keep him)...as if that wasn't my goal

 

Crab wise I have a number of hermits, one large sally lightfoot(who at this size keeps my fish on their toes)

An anenome crab(who lives in fear of the female clown).

They eat whatever is left over keeping your tank cleaner and not only that they look cool.

And soon to be added a Mithrax Crab.

 

Outside of these I have 2 peppermint shrimp

1 cleaner shrimp

and a clean up crew that is sufficient for my tank.

 

I went through the same thing, need more of this, gotta have more of that!

Trust me go slow, mix it up a bit and ENJOY what's already in there.

Leave the tangs for larger tanks, it will save you money and heartache because when mine died I was really disappointed.

[fishcam]

i really want a hippo tang for my 55 aga. has anyone had any success keeping one in a tank my size?

 

I've got a 1.5in tang in my 55 with no problem. He survived fine in my 12g for a few months too, in between upgrades. When they get bigger, he'll prolly get stressed.

 

I dont quite agree with the crab though, I've lost too many shrimp to them...

[Gman91]

small hippos are generally a bad idea, they look fine for the first couple of days and then they just pop off.

[treesprite]

for even a half grown tang a 55 is too small, and the smaller they are, the less likely they are to survive.

[Rascal]

Agree with all that's been said so far. Unless you have a real plan to upgrade, why get a fish that will not be able to live out a full life in your tank, no matter what you do?

 

If you really want a tang, get a yellow or a Kole (or better yet, a Tomini). They and you will be happier long term.

[jason the filter freak]

get one, let it grow out, and sell or trade it, don't keep one for the long term though certianly

[YBeNormal]

I have to respectfully disagree with that advice Jason. Fish kept in substandard conditions and/or tanks that are too small will begin to stunt long before they outgrow the tank. Once stunted, they will usually not reach full size even if placed in a larger tank and they may be more susceptible to disease or early death. It's best to select fish that are compatible with the setup you currently have.

[hbh]

I had one 6" Hippo tang in my 55. He was too big. I struggled to keep my stats balanced and the tank ick free. He also ate my corals! Personally I would do it, but this particular tang came w/ the tank when I bought it. If you want more info you can p.m. me.

[Almon]

Speaking from personal experience:

 

I've had the Blue Hippo Tang represented in my avatar for over 14 years. The first 6 years he lived in a 55g. The past 8 years he has lived in a 220g. This fish has never had ick. Clearly, a larger aquarium is better than a smaller one, but it is certainly reasonable to keep a Blue Hippo in a 55g aquarium. It is also reasonable to expect the fish will grow to the capacity of the environment (55g) and will need to be moved to a larger environment, several years down the road. This applies to all fish we keep, not just the tangs.

[extreme_tooth_decay]

My ex had a very small one (started 1", got to 3") for over a year in a 46. Then sold it to flowerseller. It always seemed happy, never got ick.

 

 

I often hear the "long term" argument and kind of chuckle. I know there are some, but I don't think many folks who keep a single fish in the same tank without upgrading, moving, dying, etc for 20 years (Larry at Roozen's has a couple hippos he has had for 20 years). If I wanted one, I wouldn't hesitate to get a small one in a 55 and sell it when he got too big.

 

 

tim

Edited October 8, 2007 by extreme_tooth_decay

[treesprite]

maybe we should be thinking about dimensions. A 55 is 48" x 12". 12" is extremely narrow. They need to be able to swim around the rockwork and need to have a cave to hide in. My clown pair includes a female who is about 6" and the tank is too narrow for her (it's a 45 but it's plenty long for a clown), but I have to make sure there is enough space for her to go all around the rockwork and has a big enough cave for a fish that size to fit in comfortably, which is a hard feat to accomplish in 12".

[Guest han012]

i really want a hippo but i really love my clowns. my worst nightmare would be to have a ick breakout. i guess it really depends on the fish & not the species that you get.

 

anyone want to sell me a hippo that they've had in a 55 for a while???? i'll pay a premium!!! =D j/k j/k j/k

 

i should concentrate on the eggs that my clowns have laid. maybe i can spend my time trying to raise them

Edited October 8, 2007 by han012

[jason the filter freak]

maybe we should be thinking about dimensions. A 55 is 48" x 12". 12" is extremely narrow. They need to be able to swim around the rockwork and need to have a cave to hide in. My clown pair includes a female who is about 6" and the tank is too narrow for her (it's a 45 but it's plenty long for a clown), but I have to make sure there is enough space for her to go all around the rockwork and has a big enough cave for a fish that size to fit in comfortably, which is a hard feat to accomplish in 12".

 

what kind of clown do you have that is half a foot long?

[mexicanjavafish]

I have the same question about hippo tangs except my tank is a 75g--will I be able to do that?

[treesprite]

Its a tomato clown. Literature generally says up to 5", but this clown is bigger than that. She eats huge amounts of food - she can eat 2 cubes of frozen all by herself in a couple minutes.

[davelin315]

Here's my take on small Pacific Blue Tangs. They are notoriously susceptible to ich breakouts but if you provide them with the proper food and proper husbandry they can overcome like any other fish out there. The problem comes up with the "tiny" ones that are sold. They are not the smartest of fish and can get themselves into lots of trouble by trying to hide everywhere. When you get ones that are slightly bigger they are not as bad as the little ones. The bottom line for these guys is that if you battle the ich properly you give them a good chance of surviving. If you put them in a situation that they won't succeed in then they are more likely to succumb to disease. It's really no different than any other fish out there, just slightly more sensitive if you don't take care of them.

 

As far as in a 55, I've had them in tanks like that but again, you have to provide them with the proper environment. If they outgrow it, make sure that they have a new home that is more appropriate. I currently have a Pacific blue in a 75 at school. It's a 5' tank that is very shallow and has an island at one end of rock and then open water at the other side. The tang itself is only about 1.5", maybe 2.5" at most.

[st9z]

i have a medium size yellow tang in my 55gallon. She has been in there for about 4 months now and I haven't had any trouble at all with ick. I supplement the food I give to all my fish by adding garlic extreme, I have heard that it can help the fishy fight any diesease like ick.