Myth Busters wanted

Hi all-- So I was told that Yellow Belly Hippo Tangs are more hardy then the Blue Hippo? BUSTED, CONFIRMED, OR PLAUSABLE???

 

They come from the shores of South Africa. A lot is going to be based on whether it was imported or transhipped, who did the shipping, etc.

However, as a species, I would say they are pretty much the same, assuming all other things equal.

 

I dont see why one would be more hardy than the other. Agree with inwall, it really does depend on how they were caught and shipped.

 

what about size? Is there a certain size you should look for when buying? Do ones that are slightly larger tend to be more sucessful then smaller ones, say an inch or so.

 

I don't see why they would be any hardier, but this is just based on my presumptions which could be wrong.

 

We are kind of getting to the same issue here. Were the fish re-oxed, were they purged before shipping, were they QT'd? There are a lot of variables involved.

 

Sorry to get all scholarly here, but i would think that yes.. they are... due to the recent events occurring in the Indian Ocean (Where the yellow belly hippo tang is from) there is reason to believe that the surviving ones of the yellow belly variety have gone through extensive trauma to the reefs and even water parameters. Some studies show that the entire Indian Ocean is experiencing water temp drops and an increase in pollution due to the recent Tsunamis and cyclonic storms... i know that all oceans experience these kinds of traumas, but in the Indian oceans it can be considered somewhat worse because of the millions of tonnes of debris that has been swept into the ocean from the back draft of the tsunami... other factors such as whether they were caught with cyanide or not play an important role. i know it's cruel, but a fish caught with cyanide and surviving is tough

 

I can see that you were using logic and that is appreciated. However, stressors do not make a fish tougher, they make them weaker. Industrial accidents, pollution, bad weather, etc. do not "toughen up" a fish. For instance, a fish caught with Cyanide is likely to die in your tank that might have lived had it been collected in a more responsible manner.

 

I never said that catching with cyanide was a good thing if that's what it sounded like. One might say that stressors do make the fish weaker, however, only the strong survive. May be a little far fetched, but thought i would contribute something a little more...

 

I know this was kind of an open question.. Kind of like asking who lives longer men or women.. Well while in some cases a man might, generally speaking women do. so while there are specific things that may cause one fish or another to be stressed if all was equal is one tang (yellow belly) more hardy then the other.

Thanks for your input everyone. I just have had no success keeping these fish in the past and was thinking of doing a yellow belly in my new 120 I just set up.