Odd Hippo Tang Stradegy, but it worked!

[Juiceman]

You guys are familiar with my unsuccess with hippo tangs.

Well I got a quarantine tank up and running and got an odd suggestion for Shane at Fishy Business. He said once I decided to try the hippo, I should put a towel over the tank whenever I'm home, so as not to stress the fish in anyway more than regular acclimation.

I've never had a hippo make it past a week.

Here we are 2 weeks in and its fat and happy. I left the towel over it the first week it was here only taking it off when I wasn't home, and now I've taken it off these last few days and he's been out eating, and goin for the little bit of hair algae that's in the tank.

I'm going to keep him by himself another 2 weeks or so to make sure he's good, then he'll be movin on up!

[+brian.srock]

Wow didn't know I needed a strategy. I just got a baby blue hippo and after acclimation put him in the tank last night. Couldn't find him in the tank this morning and feared he jumped ship but then he came out of the rock work from my tower of rocks

[Juiceman]

Some people have great success with hippos, I wasn't one of those people.

[Timfish]

I've never heard of that (or I've forgotten ) but I'm not surprised. I have always found them to be skittish especially the smaller sizes. One trick I someone told me a long time ago was use some dither fish in the QT tank with them which really helped a lot. After reading Tristan Lougher's comment in his book "What Fish? a Buyer's Guide to Marine Fish" about the juviniles schooling I wonder if that might not be a better way to quarintine and acclimate them.