Help with hippo tang

[SnowZz]

so a friend gave me a hippo tang for my b-day, now i have to get a new tank(awesome). but in the mean time, its a adolesent. She eats algae off the side of the tank but im having a hard time to get her to eat what i put out. How can i entice her to start eating what i provide. Every time i open the top to feed she hides and wont come out forever. Should i use garlic guard on this seaweed? or what other suggestions do experienced tang owners did to bring there tangs around? I tried the seaweed on the clip method and it just disolved after a while. I know she eats because i watched her munch on my back panel on some hair algae for an hour. She decimated it lol

 

[SnowZz]

also should it only be green seaweed or do they eat purple seaweed also?

 

[melosu58]

You can also rubberband it on the LR. He`ll think it`s part of the LR. Adding garlic will help. On a side not you`ll need to upgrade the tank soon. A tang in a twenty gallon tank is asking for trouble. It really does not make a difference how small they are because they need lots of swimming room. Most places suggest at least a 75 gallon tank. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

I feed mine green and purple seaweed.

 

[Zer0]

Not to mention the space they need, but they have large bioloads. And even if right now the fish is small, it will grow, and its bioload becomes greater and greater. In a small tank like that, having a fish producing as much waste as tangs do, will only lead to trouble, very quickly.

 

[SnowZz]

i know i was sort of upset when i got it, im thinking of taking it to the LFS and trading it for something, but they dont take fish with ease at all!

 

[Zer0]

Yeah, it's always disappointing when we have to return something we love, but know we can't keep. I mean.. if you're ugrading to a larger tank within 2 months.. i would say you will be fine. But if those plans to upgrade aren't definite.. then you'll only see disaster. And when that fish dies or gets ich from too much stress, he might take any other fish with him.

 

[SnowZz]

within a month i plan on moving up to a 55g, just stressing over making a sump :x

 

[Zer0]

Well then i would try your best to get rid of that tang because a 55G tank is still not enough for that fish. Hippo tangs are extremely sensitive and are notorious for being the first fish to get ich at the slightest signs of stress. They need large tanks with large swimming area, and a 55G really can't give him that.

Also, what kind of 55G tank? A regular 4ft tank? Also, why are you stressing over a sump? What's the problem?

 

[SnowZz]

dude sumps look crazy man, i watched a video from lipits reef and it was a huge help, when that time comes ill be posting for help though