Aquatic miracle!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so I'm taking the sponge out from the sump...
Haven't changed or it cleaned it for months and figured now's the time to get it out...
I'm looking up at the piping under the tank... when I see a fish in the overflow box... at first I thought it was a reflection....
I most have looked into the tank and then back down under 10 times before I realized there's no mirror for a reflection...

I grab a flashlight ... remove the canopy... get my foot stool... look down... and bam!! There it is... my missing blue hippo! I couldn't believe my eyes... it's been in there since Memorial weekend when I left for Philly. I came back and it was gone... I thought it was invert food by then... no signs of it anywhere until now...

I stick my hand down there since I couldn't find my net... and grabbed it by the grace of god... it got me good with it's spine... drew blood actually... then put in the tank...

Problem now is... I have two hippos... because I purchased another since I thought that one was dead...!!!! I'm freakin' out right now! Has anyone heard of this happening before? It survived that long!?!!

Can I even have two blue hippos in a 72 gallon?
wow... i just can't believe this story and wanted to share with you all immediately!!!

Ryan

 

Photos of Miracle Hippo

The smaller blue hippo is the miracle hippo...
It has a small cut but no signs of disease... and just ate like a big fat pig...
The two hippos seem to like each other! ;-)

Ryan

Edit-- The big one does not like the smaller once missing one...
His back turns yellow like his fin... and he's following it everywhere...

I wonder if I should turn the lights off... any help?!?

 

Wow good story. I wouldnt count on them getting along when they hit maturity but who knows it is a miracle fish.

 

I demand you send me one hippo! Glad you found it.

 

if there looks like a problem. definitely turn out the lights. will calm them all down, and hopefully tomorrow things are better. i had to do that when i added a 2nd dwarf angel. next day they were fine. but the 2 hipos will get to big eventually in a 75. good luck ryan

 

+ 1 on divott and Id like to add that even one of them is going to get to big for a 72
these fish are massive as adults (seen some 6 -8 inch specimens recently in a 10ft/ 3m display tank in Fangcun amazing fish although the colours where not as bright as they are in your juveniles)

if I where you, Id keep the one you like most and return the other one
hippos are famous for parasitic infections and having 2 that fight, increases the stress levels for both and thus the potential for infection


Steve

 

Here Clownfish in Overflow

 

That clownfish link was funny... She left them in the overflow box! No way I could do that when I saw it in there. I think it electrocuted me too when it stabbed me with it's dorsal fin. As it stands the big one HATES the little one. Lights are out... It's going to be a wild night. Part of me doesn't want to part without the miracle fish but I will just have to make a decision in the morning. *fingers crossed*

 

Wow jsut wow. I love it. I would part with the older one and get close to the smaller one! he was there first! lol

 

cool story! I have a jawfish living in my refuge (at least he was a while back) I could not get to him but I saw him once back there. Figured that it would get all the food he wanted and had a nice mud area for him to dig in!

I actually had a female blue jaw in my overflow for a bit. I was feeding my tank and I noted something splashing in the overflow...came up and grabbed the food that fell in there. So I did the same thing...went diving for it...but I was lucky I had aquagloves so she could not bite me.

Keep an eye on that cut though...there is too much junk and bacteria floating in our tanks!

Again, I would have to say I would not think that the 2 would do well together as they get older, not in a 72g at least.

I have cut filter pads to cover my overflow. I did this to cut down on the algea buildup in there but it works well to keep fish out. My female trigger again jumped back there a little later, hit that pad and jumped right back into the tank! Luckily she did not jump further out of the tank!