[venus01815]

I'd really like to get one of these fish, I think they are very pretty but I've been told by almost every fish store they can get sick really easily. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to prevent that and what to look for when buying one?

[e_baer]

well, what size tank do you have?

[venus01815]

50 gallon...how fast do they grow? I know the guy at the fish store said they can get up to 7 inches. I really don't want a lot of fish, just a handful...i'm more interested in coral. My husband wants to upgrade to a larger fishtank later so if the blue hippo outgrows this one fast that would be a concern...do they grow to their environment?

[e_baer]

no, most marine fish are not like goldfish. a hippo tank needs at LEAST a 70 gallon tank.

before you get any fish, a good site to look at just to see the basic info is Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

I hope this helps. Also you can help out the fragile reef environments and get tank bred fishes and corals!

[carmanimports]

i have one and id say at least and min 90 gal as for getting sick yes very easy they r prone to sickness they should be the last to purchase and should be put int QT for weeks then intoduced to main tank and watched very close for ich so good luck becuase mine has been sick 3 tmes in 7 months and it sucks to catch dori every time i wait till night then i grab her hot bath then QT BUT she is pretty

[venus01815]

I've got a tank bred clown fish =). It's a funny little fish

[venus01815]

Originally Posted by carmanimports

i have one and id say at least and min 90 gal as for getting sick yes very easy they r prone to sickness they should be the last to purchase and should be put int QT for weeks then intoduced to main tank and watched very close for ich so good luck becuase mine has been sick 3 tmes in 7 months and it sucks to catch dori every time i wait till night then i grab her hot bath then QT BUT she is pretty

Yes, she is a very pretty fish that's why I wanted one...but I don't know if I want to hassle watching for sickness just yet haha. Maybe once I'm a little more experienced with a salt water tank...I've always had fresh water, but the salt water fish are much prettier in my opinion and funnier to watch! Plus I love the coral and the colors!!

[venus01815]

How about the purple tang? Do those get sick as easliy as the blue hippo tangs and are they easy to take care of?

[e_baer]

purple needs an even bigger tank. the only tang that you would be able to fin in your tnak is a yellow tang, and that is only if your tank is 48" long...about.

[venus01815]

Ah nuts, I think those are prettier! I was planning on getting a yellow...I guess I'll just stick with that...

[e_baer]

there is always the option of getting a teeny tiny ang like <2 and havng that in the tank, but then to get one that small would be hard and then if you did, it would be hard to care for as well. then to catch it when it gets larger.... just easier to get a yellow about 3" and watch it grow over the next 15 years or so.

[venus01815]

I think I'll stick with the yellow tang...that will be the last fish I get since I was told they can be teritorial...so if I get a yellow tang and I already have a clown and three damsels should I just stick with that or can I add some more small fish? I don't want to overdo it...

[carmanimports]

make sure its not the hawian yellow make sure that it is the indo tank that looks kinda like the yellow angel also what about the oarnge shoulder tand they r fairly hardy as well

[Mattfish]

The Orangeshoulder's need even more room.... so it probably isn't a good fit. You might want to go to this site:

Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums

and do some research - none of the tangs are meant for a 50g tank, as mentioned below. Getting one of the smaller ones and only expecting to have it for a small amount of time is possible, but again, choosing one that is less ich-prone and towards the smaller size is probably your best bet. There are several and the web site will show pictures so you can find one that looks nice but also fits better.

[Joan]

My LFS recomended liquid garlic. Boosts their immune system and kills parasites. I put in 6 drops daily for my 55 gallon.

[venus01815]

What kind of tangs do you have?

[Mattfish]

See, now here's the 64 gallon question: I know there are as many opinions on this as there are people but..... my general thought is that the less added to a tank, the better. If I change my water regularly, my filter pads in my sump, keep my skimmer working properly, in a perfect world, I shouldn't have to add anything except food.

I've heard many people mention garlic, and I'd previously been using Purple Up when I started my tank - which I later stopped when I realized that it was causing a serious drop in pH (see separate thread) - but why garlic? Is it really "necessary" or another theory? If necessary, what's the chemical/biological/scientific reason for it?

[gimmito]

Gotta agree with Joan...liquid garlic stimulates their appetite...especially finicky eaters. I put a few drops with flake in the morning and add a few drops in a homemade frozen mix at night. I got my mandarin to start accepting frozen brine and mysis shrimp that way. I don't know about scientific data, but I've been doing it for awhile witout any adverse effects. I must commend you for questioning adding things to your tanks...to many aquarist add "the newest thing" without a second thought.

[sarha]

i even add chopped garlic to my home made frozen mix the fishes love it

[Joan]

I have a regal blue and a sailfin. I also add the garlic to my 30 gallon freshwater, one of my large fantails had a large growth on the underside and I started using this garlic and it disapeared.

[Joan]

I know everyone is wondering why I have the blue tang in my 55 gallon! I got it very very small but have to admit they grow very fast. This weekend I bought a bubble tip anenome, along with a maroone and a anenome crab. Does anyone know the name of those crabs? It just hangs out in the bubble protecting it fom my peppermint shrimp. Not that the peppermint shrimp will hurt it but there is food in there. The maroone also seems to enjoy hanging out in there most of the time. The funny thing is when transporting it into my tank for the first time neither one of those nudged out of the anenome so it was easy to just do it all at once.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Garlic: What has been Studied Versus What has been Claimed by Steven Pro - Reefkeeping.com

[Joan]

Isn't funny how many topics can have so many stories. You and I may have the same exact fish but they may be really totally different ie. eating habits, territorial and so on. My point; I like the diversity because by now I would be totally freaked out without all options

[Joan]

Hobbies are to be challenging.

[Mattfish]

Thanks for the article link, Native. This is the kind of stuff - scientific information - that works for me. Although the article concludes not enough information exists to make a link between garlic and either appetite enhancement or health, it explores the subject pretty widely. The author seems bent towards not finding conclusions, and I wonder what other info is out there on this, but FWIW, I would tend to agree - there's only anecdotal evidence that garlic has any effect, and I'd like to see something conclusive. I'm sure if it's been researched and proven, there'd be more info out there.

This is not to say that those who feel it helps shouldn't continue - everyone's got their personally proven methods. What works for one may not work for another, and vice versa.

But I like getting scientific info - biology is a science and proven data is really helpful.