Hippo tang question

[hiltymj]

I have a 75 gallon reef tank and my lfs has hippo tangs that are no more than an inch and they are the cutest little guys ever.

I know hippo tanks need 6ft long tanks from 150 gal and up but I was wondering if putting that little itty bitty guy in there would hurt him?

Because I don't want to put him in my large tank that I'm setting up next march (my birthday!) when he is that small. So he will have a larger tank to go to when he gets bigger. Suggestions?

 

[KeeperOfFish]

I have a 75 gallon reef tank and my lfs has hippo tangs that are no more than an inch and they are the cutest little guys ever.

I know hippo tanks need 6ft long tanks from 150 gal and up but I was wondering if putting that little itty bitty guy in there would hurt him?

Because I don't want to put him in my large tank that I'm setting up next march (my birthday!) when he is that small. So he will have a larger tank to go to when he gets bigger. Suggestions?

So your saying your gonna put him in a smaller tank while he's small and your bigger when it's set up when he's bigger, right? If that's what your saying then that will work perfectly I would say.

 

[hiltymj]

Yep that's exactly what I'm saying put him in the small tank for now and big tank when he gets bigger l

 

[KeeperOfFish]

Yep that's exactly what I'm saying put him in the small tank for now and big tank when he gets bigger l

Ok that would be a good idea but you might wanna wait til it gets closer to march

 

[kriben]

Tangs grow very fast, and a 150 gallon 6ft tank is too small for them. They are an active 12" fish. Not only will your tank look small, but he will be cramped. I would no suggest a hippo unless you are going to be getting a tank that is at least 240 gallons and 8ft long. Just my 2 cents.

 

[hiltymj]

I'm thinking maybe I'll just do a scopas tang lol

 

[gerridee]

I have a 75 gallon reef tank and my lfs has hippo tangs that are no more than an inch and they are the cutest little guys ever.

I know hippo tanks need 6ft long tanks from 150 gal and up but I was wondering if putting that little itty bitty guy in there would hurt him?

Because I don't want to put him in my large tank that I'm setting up next march (my birthday!) when he is that small. So he will have a larger tank to go to when he gets bigger. Suggestions?

I had a Hippo Tang for 5 yrs in my 75 gal tank he was 5"long,, and had a sweet lips tank, yellow tang, and a sailfin tang.all in the same tank....your little guy will be fine...

 

[hiltymj]

Alright cool. I ended up getting the hippo and the scopas both are barely an inch and I'm just going to set that tank up when needed.

 

[kriben]

You will more than likely need to upgrade within the next two years, so start saving for it! BTW if your tang is well fed and kept healthy it will reach 5" quicker than 5 years. Some people have them grow around 1" every two months which seems insane but it does happen. It is a survival strategy, the sooner you don't fit in other fishs' mouths the better. My personal opinion is to start the fish off in a proper tank size, it stresses the fish out much less than upgrading. Also, don't upgrade to the current size of the fish, save the money and get the proper one, saves a ton of money.

 

[brian242pa]

LOL TANG POLICE i currently hav 2 hippos in my 29 gal... i know that is WAY TO SMALL but mine hav never grow an inch in a month, maby and inch in a year. your tank will be perfectly fine as long as they stay under about 5" which will take a while

 

[carey]

LOL TANG POLICE i currently hav 2 hippos in my 29 gal... i know that is WAY TO SMALL but mine hav never grow an inch in a month, maby and inch in a year. your tank will be perfectly fine as long as they stay under about 5" which will take a while

I wouldn't brag about 2 hippos in a 29g. Even when small they can get stressed out due to tank size. A stressed blue tang is a serious issue.

Good luck with those tangs

 

[brian242pa]

ive had for long time and i said im not bragging by saying its way to small, im going to buy a fish trap and probably give to my lfs, it is a very good one not a crappy 1

 

[joy13]

How long is a long time? A long time is keeping them 20 years to me and yes saltwater fish live that long if properly taken care of.

 

[brian242pa]

ive had they for almost 2 years, i want to get rid of em so someone can have a proper home for them and i know sw fish can live for VERY LONG and i hope i can keep my clowns for that long

 

[kriben]

There is probably a reason why your tangs aren't growing that fast. I am only bringing up the fact that a 75 gallon tank is too small for a blue tang for the tangs long term health. I only suggest the bristletooth tangs for a 75 gallon tank because they stay smaller in size. Also I only suggest one tang in a tank that small. People leave this hobby because of bad experiences, so getting fish that can live their entire life in your tank without an upgrade are the only ones that should be considered. If you are going to upgrade, wait to buy it until then.