Buying a Hippo Tang!?!

[mindy7]

Ok,,, I've wanted to add a Hippo Tang to my tank but have been scared,, to the fear of ick or any other diseases... I have a 75 gallon,, with 2 clowns,1 coral beauty,1 damsel,and 1 cleaner shrimp,and plenty of hermits and crabs.. with softies.. So i can place my order with LFS anytime, that i feel is reputable..Should i QT before putting in main tank or just acclimate and add to main??? Would you recommend a UV sterilizer?? dont have on yet??All feedback appreciated.This is the last fish i want to add but nervous,, how is your tangs doing??? thanks MIndy

[jojo22]

I would suggest adding a uv, and NOT QT'ing it can stress the fish even more with the extra move, this does go against the norm but these fish are so prone to ich that they can get it just as easy for moveing from QT to your main.

[Tanked]

I have lost a regal tang running a uv sterilizer and I had a cleaner shrimp too.The best thing to do is watch real close for temp swings in your tank.This will cause ick real fast.If your new fish gets ick and with it being a regal it will.Raise the temp in the tank one degree at a time per day keep it there at 80 degrees until all the spots are gone.Also u may try StressGuard.This will help repair your new regals slime coat and cut down on stress.The higher tank temps shorten the life cycle of the parasite that causes ick.U could also try some kind of garlic .Just soak the flake food with a little garlic extract for about 10 minutes minute before u feed .This will help on keeping him eatting and to keep his emmune system up.Good luck.

[Fatman]

I added a hippo tang, and it never got ick, then one night a cold front came and the temp dropped over 7 degrees and I noticed the spots a few days afterwards. I upped my garlic dosage, and raised the temperature of the tank in the 82ish and between that and the cleaner shrimp she got over it and to this day is extremely happy in my tank with her buddy my yellow tang.

[unleashed]

i dont reccomend adding a hippo tang to a 75 gal at all although a tiny one will have plenty of swimming room for some time the smaller ones tend to have less survival rate med sized 4-5 inch tend to have better rates but they can stress easily, these fish do get large(over a ft) they get ich every time you move them.if your going to qt him i make sure your qt is large enough to keep stress down like a 50 gal they cannot tolerate cramped quarters(its a death sentence)if you realy want one its your tank i dont reccomend thats all.but if you decide to go on with getting one set up a 50 gal qt and coppersafe the tank add some LR(you cannot put his back in the main tank at later date) and fresh magro algaes for grazing naturally add a hang on back filter system if you run the tank with coppersafe carbons can be used if the carbon pack has been used for at least 6 days.you will also need a small powerhead lighting and such.you basicly need to set up a whole new tank if you want qt to be the least amount of stress as possible as qt is used for 30 days minimum 21 days.the coppersafe will kill all forms of paresites that could be present on your new fish not just ich.here is a pic of my qt with a newly added majestic foxface.(also related to the tang family). feeding the new commers is the hardest part this is why fresh macro is very important.ps first 24 hrs in tank i add melafix w/o carbons then day after do the coppersafe

[unleashed]

also the best foods for your new tang (pellet form)thera+A non medicated antiparesitic formula by spectrum
flake: veggie flake or kelp flake by omega one
frozen prepared foods:emerald entrese,formula 2
as a treat not a staple diet:seaweed sheets(i use seaweed selects) red variety has the most nutrients of all the sheets.the fish need to be fed 3-5 times daily in small amounts each time. i also add garlic extreme and selcon directly the the tank water at reccomended dosage to boost imune system. good luck