Nano tank / Blue Hippo Tang

B

bdub

Small Fish
#1
Feb 5, 2006
18
0
0
40
Jacksonville, FL
#1
Ok first of all, be gentle......if I were claiming to be an expert I would not be on here asking advice....... :)

So I have a 25 gallon nano tank. I've been at this a year and haven't killed anything yet so i'm pretty happy with this. However, my g/f decided she wanted to complete my tank (with a finding Nemo'ish theme) by adding a "dory" blue hippo tang fish. Now, everything I have read says this fish needs room. A 25 gallon nano tank wont cut it. However the guys at the fish store still sent her home with this fish. They did warn her that it wasn't a beginner fish, but that it could survive in my tank. My question to you all, with the specs listed below, are they setting me up for disaster or is it possible for this fish to survive in my tank???

Current fish:
2 true percs
A yellow goby (I think, I asked about a yellow goby, they steered me away and gave me what they said was a smaller fish that wouldn't damage anything like the big guys, whatever that means......a useless fish once I got it home and find that I only see it at feeding time)
Tons of snails, blue hermits, etc

Other stuff:
3 blue/purple mushrooms
2 different types of zooanthids
Enough live rock that the tank is full to the top (in the middle, away from the glass)
2 pink bubble tip anemones (originally one, it split)

Equipment:
25 gallon tall tank
Power compact 2 x 65 watt lunar aqualite
2 x penguin 1140 powerheads
Pennplax cascade 500 canister that I keep stocked with charcoal/floss/etc
Red Sea Deluxe Prizm skimmer
 

CAPSLOCK

CAPSLOCK

Elite Fish
#3
Jul 19, 2004
3,682
33
48
39
Cape Cod
#3
They do need a lot more room (even as babies), and they are also very susceptible to ich and I would never add a tang to a tank without first quarantining it... or you risk losing all your fish.
 

B

bdub

Small Fish
#6
Feb 5, 2006
18
0
0
40
Jacksonville, FL
#6
Yeah, i'm going to call them tomorrow and take it back. Really frustrated that they would give it to her in the first place judging by what she told me she told them. Oh well, as long as it gets taken care of/fixed in the end.

Would love to have a big tank, but that will be down the road when I'm in a house that can hold it, and dont have plans on moving frequently. Apartment living/renting makes keeping a big tank a pain. Even this one was a pain to move to the house i'm renting right now.

Thanks everyone for the replies.
 

TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#7
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#7
if its a small hipo tang short term i think it may work but would definitly need at least a 55 gallon in the near future...if you dont plan on upgrading soon bring it back
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#8
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#8
Hippos need a minimum of a 90g, keeping them in anything less would stress them to the point of disease etc.......best thing is to return it.....
 

T

TheFool

Large Fish
#11
Apr 19, 2006
323
2
0
#11
50 gals is not bg enough for a hippo tang, even a juvie will look very cramped in that size tank. It will look ok for a few weeks, but then will start to feel cramped... they need their space. Live aquaria is generally reliable, but tight on tank sizes
 

Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#12
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#12
I personally wouldn't keep one unless I had at least a 150G so it had at least some room to "spread it's fins" he he he
I would definately question the LFS you/gf got it from. A LFS that will sell you anything without concern and just for profit is a LFS to stay away from!
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#13
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#13
Agreed......personally I think a 120 would do it and then only one or two. I feel my 75 is sometimes small for my yellow tang as he has become quite territorial in that size space.
 

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