How do you keep a Hippo Tang from getting ick all of the time???

When we began our F/O tank, our kids of coarse wanted everyone from Finding Nemo. Needless to say we began with the Nemos, Bubbles, and Dory. We could not seem to keep the Hippo Tang (Dory) from having ick. It seemed as every little thing would make her break out. I tried soaking the food in Garlic, putting her in quarintine tank. She would get better in the quarintine tank but then to put her back in the regular tank, we were back to square one again. She eventually gave up and died. I want another one but I don't want all the problems. That was my first experience with the hippo tang. She also caused alot of other problems in my tank so I don't want to end up with the problems now that I've finally got my tank back in shape. I currently have a yellow tang, 6 line wrasse, algae blenny, and a pair of diamond gobies. I also started with corals: bubble, star polyps, and zooanthids. So, I want some pretty movement in the tank. Any help for a future hippo tang would be great or any other suggestions for color and movement?????

Oh, I just got a huge saddle carpet yesterday, so I'm going to get a pair of saddle clowns once I find them.

 

Most I can tell you is to try again and if you're going to quarantine and medicate, do it right off the bat so you don't have to stress the fish out later by trying to net it out of the main tank.

Also, I'm not sure that a carpet anemone is going to be such a good idea in a community tank. I had a green one years ago and it pretty much ate everything in the tank that came near it. Best for species only tanks IMO but that's me

 

How big is your Tank?

J

 

What size is the tank? The tang will be fine as long as there's nothing stressing it. Chasing it down and medicating only adds to the stress. With a yellow tang in the tank already you might have some difficulty adding a blue tang now. Even if it probably won't go very smoothly with the yellow at least in the beginning.

Hippo tangs aren't all that difficult to keep healthy in a stable system. The best way to keep fish from getting sick is to keep them happy. If they aren't happy, they will surely get sick.

HTH and good luck.

 

Oh guess that would help, tank is 75 gallons. Well, I really want another tang, I think they are so graceful and colorful. My yellow tang is the tank bully, I recently put a pair of diamond gobies in there and of coarse he had to meet them, I guess to say he is in charge. I saw somewhere about floating a large plastic strainer in the tank when introducing new fish. You would put the tank bully in the strainer while the new fish adapts. I believe I read for like four hours. I thought about when/if I get the hippo tang, I might try this. Also, my yellow is about I'd say 4-5 inches nose to tail, what size hippo should I get. I wanted smaller, obviously they are cheaper and I can watch it grow. I was thinking if I got a comparible size it would be too much compition and lead to the old problems. I had this yellow tang when I had Hippo tang and the Cole tang. Ick was so frequent that only the yellow survived. He has been by himself for about two months now with just the other fish I mentioned. I'm so over ick it's not funny. That's why I have put off more colorful fish. The last ick took my maited pair of saddle clowns, pair of oscellaris, the 2 tangs, royal gamma, and a scat, and a tomato clown, they were all in a 125 gallon then. I down sized to have furniture back, lol. Isn't that something, have less furniture to have 3 tanks and the little hospital tank. Anyhow now I have a freshwater and this tank and MORE furniture!

 

I've heard that hippos are ick magnets. Problem may be that you still have ick cysts in your main tank. Cleaner shrimp may help with the problem.

 

I have a hippo and a yellow tang in a 75 gallon. And yes hippos are ick magnets. I did hypo salinity on the 2 tangs and had them in a 5 gallon bucket together for 4 weeks. When I put them in the 75 gallon again the yellow tried to bully the hippo so the hippo bit his fin. No arguements now the swim next to each other. If you do it qt your hippo get him over ick cause he will get it, then move some of the tank around and interduce him in the dark. You should make the hippo the same size as the yellow.
They sell temp tank dividers that might work better if he is that big of a bully. You could have him swimming in the tank for a week or so. It would also give you a chance to see how the yellow will react without hurting the hippo
Al

 

Seems like you have forgotten important character from "Finding Nemo" -

"Jacques" the cleaner shrimp.

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Remember how he cleans up Nemo after first arriving in aquarium? --- Will do same for Dory..

Good Luck,

OmarD

 

I believe his name was Jacques

 

Your main tank has ich. Even though you can not see it all your fish are infected. I just went through this. The only way to beat this is to quarantine all your fish in another tank. Leave your display tank empty (no fish ich need a host to survive) raise temperature to 82-85 degrees. Itreated my fish with cuppramine for 20 days(directions say 14 but instead of 100% water change at the 15th day I elected to just do a partial change without adding the cuppramine. I also lowred salinity to 1.009 and left it there for 5 weeks. Over this last week I have begun raising salinity to normal levels. All fish are free of ich now and tank should be also. There are numerouse articles on Wet web media.com,Marine depot forums.com and CAptive reefing. These all say the same thing the only true way to get rid of ich is to remove the hosts for 6 weeks.
Mike