tang experts help please

[scorcho]

posted this in the general reefkeeping but thought should post here too, looking for help

I bought a pair of 1" hippo tangs wednesday, acclimated them slowly, bothe were eating right away exploring the tank and looking great, the next day my lights come on and they are still doing great eating etc.. Friday my lights come on and I only see one tang!! The other is nowhere in sight and last night when I went to bed it was still missing. I have a 280g reef with 2 percula clowns,rbta,2 small green chromies,mandarin,lawnmower blennie,elegant pseudo (peaceful), CB shrimp and a large copperband butterfly. All my params look fine.

Is this fish just scared in it's new home? I am worried about it I don't think something killed it and like I said it looked healthy, is it normal for these fish to dissapear into the rockwork for a few days? I really hope so, please let me know what you guys think.

[ozadars]

My old hippo tang was moving the sand w/ his tail and making a small cave under the rocks and sleeping under the rocks! So i think yours is hiding

[EdKruzel]

In a tank of that size there must be a million hiding areas you can't check.
I hope that is all that it is and it will be out and about as I'm writing this.
However, Hippo's (and several other large species fish) have a very high mortality rate when purchased at the tiny size of about one inch.

As you stated they were both visible the first two days and then one disappeared; then it's likely it has perished.

Don't concern yourself with trying to find and remove the body. In a large tank with plenty of LR the fauna and any other rock dweller will make short work of that tiny guy.


Take care,
Ed

[scorcho]

thanks for the reply but is it normal for one to hide for a whole day? My lights run from 1pm to 11pm and I didn't see it once.

[ozadars]

maybe your cbs got it while he is sleeping?

[EdKruzel]

One day, yes, two days, well....

Unless the CB shrimp was very large, it couldn't have killed it.

Stranger things have happened then a fish missing for a day or two. Doubtful but maybe it will appear.

Good Luck,
Ed

[Geepers Creepers]

Look behind the tank and in the over flows.I found a clown fish in my over flow that was missing for two weeks he was fine. It’s not a good sign if a tang won’t come out to eat for a day. Where were they collected. The may have been collected with cyanide. I never had a hippo live past two weeks, until I got a tank raised one. I have had this one for three years now.

[dragon_slayer]

i'd say most likely hiding. they are IME the most shy of all tangs for the most part. some will happily play at the front glass all day and other hide whenever they see anything out of the normal.

at 1" it would be hard to tell if it died in the tank, i dont think you'd get much of a spike in ammonia so testing the water proablly wont help you know.

and fwiw i have owned cbs's for more years then i care to remember, i have never had one kill a fish, or anything for that matter. they like to defend their part of the tank, as would anyone/anything else. they get a bad rap for some unknown reason but are great additions to all marine tanks IMO.

kc

[scorcho]

It is still MIA thanks for all the opinions. The other is still doing great, I'll hope for the best.

[bob124578]

I have lots of experience with Hippo's. This fish is hiding. The babies are very nervous and may hid for 90% of their life until they grow bigger -- which is pretty fast. I would suggest keeping live macro somewhere in the tank so he doesn't starve. He'll make an appearance when he feels safer.

I agree also that you should check your overflow box and sump/refugium, and any submerged powerheads. I have found babies stuck to intakes (turn it off, don't pull the fish) -- one was bent for a day and then became normal again.

Trade the CBS for a cleaner shrimp. Hippo's are happier with them.

Good luck!

[dragon_slayer]

Originally posted by bob124578
Trade the CBS for a cleaner shrimp. ..........
Good luck!



there are many types of "cleaner" shrimp.......the CBS is one of them and in the over 20 years i'v had them they tend to all fish hippo tang included.

kc

[scorcho]

I only have 2 overflows and have eggcrate to prevent any fish going in and 2 Tunze 6100 pumps in the tank and it definately isn't in my sump or fuge. still keeping my fingers crossed. I have plent of grape macro in my fuge would he nibble on that? I was thinking about getting some Nori too.

[bob124578]

My Hippo's eat Grape Caulerpa but not tons. It's good to have around if they are hungry enough -- they'll nip it. The eat Feather Caulerpa more so and "tang heaven" they scarf down.

I didn't say they couldn't be happy with a CBS, I said they are happier with cleaner shrimp -- the scarlet ones with the white triangles in the tail. I speak fish and know this for a fact....:crazy1:

[SLKs reef]

I would try to search all area's that he many be hiding if he is. Do you have a lot of LR.. if so there are tons of hiding spots in it. also check overflow.
My two cents

[ozadars]

I also think he will come back.
For cbs, i would trade him too. Mine killed lots of fish and shrimps and crabs and snails and feather dusters... Cleaners are better, they will also clean your fish but cbs wont, at least they wont clean your tang, cbs usually clean just eels and groupers

[kadams2]

I agree with Bob,
I have seven different tangs in my reef tank and the little one loves to hide to feel safe. the multiple tangs don't fight though, contrary to popular belief, except maybe the first day to establish territory. After that, they each take their turn at the algae clip to feed and couldn't be happier together!
I also agree with getting cleaner shrimp, and lots of them. I have six of them in my 75 gal. tank and they clean the hell out of all my fish at night while the fish sleep and forrage for leftover food during the day. I would go for about 10 of them in your 280 gal. tank depending on how many fish you have.
I also have a CB shrimp and never had any problems. Also have two cammel shrimp, two fire shrimp, an arrow crab, a sally lightfoot crab....All are excellent forragers that will cleanup your tank.
Kevin

[Strandedthinker]

he should come out for feeding, maybe use a little garlic which you should be using to lure him out ;)

[BrianD]

I have seven different tangs in my reef tank

[chimp]

7 tangs in a 75 gallon tank is incredibly cruel, imo.

[Peter Schmiedel]

Originally posted by BrianD
<img src="/images/chimp_shaking_head.gif" width=120 height=82 border=0>

7 tangs in a 75 gallon tank is incredibly cruel, imo.

Hi Brian,

as I am new here and did not want to offend anyone I was already surprised that no one from thre team commented on that!

This is one of the reasons why I am a Mod in the biggest German board and why I am also active here. It makes me feel ashame to read how cruel people can be to their pets and dont even realize what they are doing.

Of course I am not perfect, and yes I also killed some fish in my "career". But I learned from it and try to help where I can.

[BrianD]

First, on the topic of the thread:

As many have said, the hepatus is very skittish and will hide itself in the tank. They are ravenous eaters though, so if they don't come out when the tank is fed, it is not a good sign. To expand on some comments about nori, tang heaven, etc, it is good to keep in mind that hepatus are planktivores, and rely much more on meaty foods than any other tang. Regarding the mortality of very small hepatus tangs, the majority of the inch or so hepatus tangs I have seen were captive raised, and I have found that these fish are very hardy. I have purchased several less than quarter size, and all survived and flourished.

Now, back to my last post. Peter, sometimes I bite my tongue because no matter how obvious it is to most people that stocking levels DO matter, there are always those who believe since they have "success" for a few months, that they are right and the world is wrong.

Brian

[ozadars]

Did you read the this topic "Add a powder blue with a purple?" a guy has 11 tangs in a 150gal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can there be a sticky on the top about tangs? Sure just mods can do that?

[BrianD]

There are only so many battles you can fight......

[ozadars]

There are 1000s of people like that who thinks they know a lot about tangs and other fish also they think, people who says tangs should be kept in bigger tanks, knows nothing about fish!

[pubily]

smiling...recently I've visited a lot of lfs in Illinois and Wisconsin. Just amazing the number of clownfish/tang combinations being sold and I make a point of listening in. Seldom hear store personnel asking about tank size/condition, etc. Maybe I'm as much at fault...I didn't say anything either. I have definitely noticed a jump in clown prices and I'm afraid I know why.......

[scorcho]

the tang is still not coming out so i guess it is gone. I can't imagine what happened.