yellow belly hippo tang

[YNOT16HIGH]

This past spring I bought a complete 55 gallon setup out of the local paper. The tank came with a yellow tang, maroon and gold clownfish and a yellow belly hippo tang. I kept all three for the summer, but when I moved into my apartment this fall I got rid of the yellow tang and the maroon and gold clown because they were out growing the tank. I kept the yellow belly because it is semi rare (I have only been doing this for two years but have never seen another in person) and wasn't pushing the limits to hardcore yet. Well four months later he is significantly bigger. He is healthy and I keep him fat. So... I am now at a fork where I don't really want to upgrade, but as close as I am with my LFS I know I am going to get ripped off if I trade him in. So here is my questions.....Would a 90 gallon aquarium be large enough, where it would be worth it for me to spend the money to upgrade. How often have you seen Yellow Belly Hippo's in your LFS and what do they usually go for?????.....Online they go for $120 as a baby and upto $250 for adults.

[sunfish11]

Here is one on Diver Den. It is 329

http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/ItemDisplay.cfm?ddid=27015&siteid=20

Lisa

[tangafish]

i have one that i got about 2 months ago and it has already grown a couple inches, i wouldnt recommend the expense of upgrading to a 90 because honestly that longterm is going to be big enough for him..they get about 12" full grown so if you were going to upgrade it would need to be bigger..

right now with the holidays LFS have some good deals on their tanks so maybe you could get a deal on a larger tank..my 135 is 6' long so he has room to swim but i still will probably upgrade to a bigger tank in a couple years.

i have to say my yellow belly is by far my favorite fish, he is healthy and from what i have seen they tend to be hardier than the regular blue hippos. i paid 89.00 for mine in the divers den he was about 3.5 " when i got him i think..

[killagoby]

I had a regular Hippo in a 75 gallon for 3 years and he grew to be full size. The bigger the tank the better for a Tang. I would say a 55 is too small for it. Upgrade the tank or trade it for some nice frags of Micromussa...

[bureau13]

I have a yellow-belly, although his belly isn't as obvious as some others I've seen.

The key is, you have to find someone who imports African fish. I got mine at about 2" for...I think $75? But my LFS gets regular shipments of fish from Africa, so they have these quite frequently.

jds

[YNOT16HIGH]

Thanks,
My hippo isn't as large as the one pictured @ divers den... and his yellow isn't quite as defined. I have read it becomes more pronounced with age. Mine is just starting to turn yellow in the oval blue spot on its side. Still up in the air, if I could find a good home for him I might go that route. I'm a college student so I don't think spend a ton more money on a new tank would be wise, however I am watching the papers maybe I'll catch a deal.