Blue hippo tang- I NEED HELP

[btaylor]

I just bought a blue hippo tang last night. I acclimated it and did all that and it acted alright it was eating and swiming around and this morning it was alright. Its not acting quite right now. It wont eat and its hiding in and under the rocks. I have a 75 gal. tank w/ a maroon clown, 2 cleaner shrimp, 4 green chromis, a scissor tail , and a yellow tang. the blue tang is a little bit smaller than the yellow tang not much. I have looked for one of these fish for a long time, finally got it and i hate for it to die. Any possibilites of what might the problem be?

[Reefland]

Hi btaylor, Welcome to Reefland!

I would not be concerned at this point. It is very common for Paracanthurus hepatus to hide in the rock work and appear totally still at night and when newly introduced to a new environment. They will often lay on their side under a rock to remain hidden.

[dougc]

I have a small one in my quarantine tank now, and after two weeks, he is still quite timid. Spends most of the time nestled down in the branches of a fake coral and only briefly and nervously pops out to eat. It may take a while for yours to get acclimated. This is a fish that probably benefits more than most from quarantine. Mine will be all fattened up and disease-free when it goes into the tank. I may even temporarily move the familiar fake coral into the display tank. It might make the transition easier.

[saltjunkie]

ALL,ALL tangs will be shy..... i have had mine for over a year.. he still hides but is very healthy... you have to stay away from the tank.. especially when you feed.. throw the food in, move away.....

and be weary of the yellow tang....

[Anthony D]

Your Tang is fine, this normal behaivor for this fish. They are very skidish and will hide most of the time

[kenn157]

My "Paracanthurus hepatus" once in a while will hide. For the most part its quite bold. I can put my face right up to the tank he'll be right there starring back at me. Especially when he's hungry which is like all the time!

[saltjunkie]

mine is starting to act like that.. i guess he has finally figured that i am his food source, and he better play nice with me!

[mike123]

I just bought a blue hippo tang last night. I acclimated it and did all that and it acted alright it was eating and swiming around and this morning it was alright. Its not acting quite right now. It wont eat and its hiding in and under the rocks. I have a 75 gal. tank w/ a maroon clown, 2 cleaner shrimp, 4 green chromis, a scissor tail , and a yellow tang. the blue tang is a little bit smaller than the yellow tang not much. I have looked for one of these fish for a long time, finally got it and i hate for it to die. Any possibilites of what might the problem be?

You might need three tangs in your tank 2 dont get along 3 due.

[mike123]

You might need three tangs in your tank 2 dont get along 3 due.

My self my favorite fish is the hippo tang and the flame angel. so you might need three if you tang looks wierd it might be from the toxin they give the fish when they try to catch the fish.

[Saltwater]

Your Tang is new give it time, My Hippo still hides when I get near the tank and I have had him 11 months now. I only Have 2 Tangs in my tank with out a problem and 3's a crowd ;;

[Reefland]

You might need three tangs in your tank 2 dont get along 3 due.

I would absolutely under no circumstance consider adding 3 tangs to a tank only 75 gallons in size.

[rayjay]

With a yellow tang already in the tank, and, considering the timid nature of the regal, it may be constantly pressured to remain hiding in the rockwork as the yellow will see it as an intrusion on its own space.
A 75g tank is not enough tank for two tangs in my experience.
I had a scopus and sailfin together for two years, the first year in a 30g and then moved them to a 90g. They were in that tank another year before I came home one night to find world war III had commenced and finished, with the sailfin dying that night and the scopus a couple of days later. You just never know.

[dougc]

I just moved my hippo from quarantine to the display tank last night. Surprisingly, he/she was out pacing the tank within a couple of hours. I had been worried that my fairy wrasse, which has been aggressive toward other timid fish, would take exception to the new introduction. It actually went the other way. Both the wrasse and my school of spinecheek cardinals immediately headed for the hills. They spent the rest of the evening huddled at one end of the tank while the tang raced around. It was hilarious to watch and a bit of a relief as well. You just never know how the dynamics will play out, even with the best planning. I was fully prepared not to even catch a glimpse of the tang for a few days.

At this point, the plan is that this may end up being the only tang in the tank. I love tangs, but they produce a huge amount of waste and grow rather large, factors which are at odds with maintaining a low-nutrient, stress-free environment.