Does this stomach look normal??

[Scaggs1117]

In addition to the excellent food recommendations by @vetteguy53081, I would add a couple of items to the list, which will also help rapidly fatten up your Hippo Tang and promote general health.

Fresh Clams

I find fresh clams are invaluable in both getting fish to eat and fattening them up. Fresh clams are a good source of two key nutrients that are important (especially for Hippo Tangs).


Omega-3 Fatty Acids

If you remember your high school biology class, Omega-3 Fatty Acids include the infamous DHA, which is critical in brain and organ health. This will ensure physical robustness and feed fat stores.


Vitamin B12

Tangs are highly susceptible to HLLE. It has been proven through multiple research studies that there is a strong connection between HLLE and the use of particulate-abundant ("dusty") activated carbon (which is pretty much all carbon). Jay Hemdal has an excellent study he conducted with a partner that I feel is a bedrock study that all should commit to memory. One less studied influence of HLLE is a vitamin B12 deficiency. In the 80's and 90's, with the help of a vet, I treated HLLE with B12 injections. We observed a dramatic slowing of the disease amongst fish that were treated with B12 shots. My personal experience was not conducted as a true research study; that experience left me with the strong opinion that feeding food rich in vitamin B12 helps prevent HLLE. Clams have a high level of vitamin B12


Chopped Squid

Chopped squid is another food that I find my tangs love. Please note, not all fish go crazy for squid, but those that do benefit from two key items in its nutritional profile:

1. High Levels of Protein - Squid is incredibly protein-dense. When my wife was on Whole 30, squid was something that she used as a great supercharged source of protein.
2. Selenium - Which is a mineral that supports growth and a healthy immune system.

If you choose the frozen route for your squid, make sure it is labeled "raw" and has no additives (salt or preservatives). I find high-end supermarkets, specialty meat vendors, and Asian markets carry pure raw frozen squid.

I personally feed these items as a supplement to a diet built around various algae (nori, spirulina, other macros). FYI, I get all my algae products from Amazon; that way I avoid the "Reef Tax". I get 10x to 50x the product for the same price.

This is very helpful thank you!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thank you! Stupid question…you shut the wave makers off for feeding?

I dont but many have a feed mode to slow speed for 5 minutes.

 

[vetteguy53081]

No that’s the quarantine tank, I was gonna do 2 weeks metroplex/paraguard and 2 weeks observation after

Do not apply metro which should be used when absolutely necessary and precise by weight which is .5gm which is a tiny amount. This is not an internal issue. Paraguard is useless. Use Coppersafe or copperPwer at 2.25pp, for 30 days

 

[exnisstech]

Thank you! Stupid question…you shut the wave makers off for feeding?

No stupid questions. I do not turn mine off. In my large tank I run two MP40s on each end and have 24 fish, 9 tangs and the rest small fish so I leave them on and it looks like a snow storm when I feed but the fish are so busy chasing food they don't have a chance to fight over it and all the little fish get they're share as well.

 

[Scaggs1117]

Do not apply metro which should be used when absolutely necessary and precise by weight which is .5gm which is a tiny amount. This is not an internal issue. Paraguard is useless. Use Coppersafe or copperPwer at 2.25pp, for 30 days

Do you have to keep using Seachem Prime for the ammonia spikes with that? I read it kills off the beneficial bacteria as well

 

[Scaggs1117]

No stupid questions. I do not turn mine off. In my large tank I run two MP40s on each end and have 24 fish, 9 tangs and the rest small fish so I leave them on and it looks like a snow storm when I feed but the fish are so busy chasing food they don't have a chance to fight over it and all the little fish get they're share as well.

Ah okk thank you

 

[Paul B]

He looks fine, but a little thin.

I just got him today, was planning on pellets, nori, and mysis

I personally would never feed anything a pellet or any dry foods. I have been keeping them continuously since the 70s. They normally live, (for me) about 10 years but I am sure they can live much longer) Accidents happen.

I would also not dip, medicate, or quarantine anything, but don't go by me, do what you feel is best for you.



I feed all my fish LRS food in addition to live whiteworms, live earthworms and fresh or freshly frozen shellfish like clams, oysters or mussels.

I never feed nori but I do feed some mysis. I am not crazy about mysis because it is mostly an indigestible shell which is not made of calcium.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Do you have to keep using Seachem Prime for the ammonia spikes with that? I read it kills off the beneficial bacteria as well

Do not use seachem prime in the tank. Its a water conditioner and does not remove ammonia as the bottle implies. Water changes reduce ammonia

 

[winxp_man]

I don’t see it mentioned much by many. Many pellet companies have fillers put into their foods. I recommend reading labels. These fillers might not be good for marine life. One brand that I use is spectrum. The only filler is wheat as a binder. Wheat is one of the better binders that does not harm fish like others can possibly in the long run.

Read the labels and you will see what I mean.

Been feeding spectrum pellets for over a year now after reading labels. Can’t say enough about spectrum food. They make flakes, full blown algae wafer pellets and standard pellets. I like the wafers for when I QT tangs I can keep less nori in tanks. Have some tangs that shred nori for the sake of just ripper things apart. Then going back and slowly eating it. But most of it ends up in the HOB filters I use for QT systems. Hahaha! No thanks so in come the wafers.

Once again read labels and don’t just feed your fish any kind of dry food. There are differences.

 

[MnFish1]

I am going to say what I did - which is contrary to many others. I fed all of my fish once daily. The largest component was a high quality flake food, as well as LRS (varied types). I do not think one needs to add supplements nor fresh fish/squid/etc. (Note I'm not criticizing people that do this - I've just never found the need). Usually, these fish do quite well if they have enough 'grazing' food on rock, etc - and in the tank. There are at least a couple articles/opinion pieces out there suggesting that trying to make a custom diet often leads to various deficiencies, and that a prepared food is often the best base food. Of course I would occasionally give Nori, etc.

Note - again - not a criticism of what others do - I tend to think feeding is overthought. Now - in the case of an ill fish (or one that is thin, one might want to feed smaller amounts more often).

 

[exnisstech]

I don’t see it mentioned much by many. Many pellet companies have fillers put into their foods. I recommend reading labels. These fillers might not be good for marine life. One brand that I use is spectrum. The only filler is wheat as a binder. Wheat is one of the better binders that does not harm fish like others can possibly in the long run.

Read the labels and you will see what I mean.

Been feeding spectrum pellets for over a year now after reading labels. Can’t say enough about spectrum food. They make flakes, full blown algae wafer pellets and standard pellets. I like the wafers for when I QT tangs I can keep less nori in tanks. Have some tangs that shred nori for the sake of just ripper things apart. Then going back and slowly eating it. But most of it ends up in the HOB filters I use for QT systems. Hahaha! No thanks so in come the wafers.

Once again read labels and don’t just feed your fish any kind of dry food. There are differences.

Sound just like human food

 

[Scaggs1117]

He looks fine, but a little thin.


I personally would never feed anything a pellet or any dry foods. I have been keeping them continuously since the 70s. They normally live, (for me) about 10 years but I am sure they can live much longer) Accidents happen.

I would also not dip, medicate, or quarantine anything, but don't go by me, do what you feel is best for you.



I feed all my fish LRS food in addition to live whiteworms, live earthworms and fresh or freshly frozen shellfish like clams, oysters or mussels.

I never feed nori but I do feed some mysis. I am not crazy about mysis because it is mostly an indigestible shell which is not made of calcium.

Beautiful coloring, is there a better shrimp then mysis? Brine maybe?

 

[Scaggs1117]

Do not use seachem prime in the tank. It’s a water conditioner and does not remove ammonia as the bottle implies. Water changes reduce ammonia

So water changes every other day? 10%?

 

[vetteguy53081]

So water changes every other day? 10%?

You can until ammonia level is in safe range

 

[Scaggs1117]

I don’t see it mentioned much by many. Many pellet companies have fillers put into their foods. I recommend reading labels. These fillers might not be good for marine life. One brand that I use is spectrum. The only filler is wheat as a binder. Wheat is one of the better binders that does not harm fish like others can possibly in the long run.

Read the labels and you will see what I mean.

Been feeding spectrum pellets for over a year now after reading labels. Can’t say enough about spectrum food. They make flakes, full blown algae wafer pellets and standard pellets. I like the wafers for when I QT tangs I can keep less nori in tanks. Have some tangs that shred nori for the sake of just ripper things apart. Then going back and slowly eating it. But most of it ends up in the HOB filters I use for QT systems. Hahaha! No thanks so in come the wafers.

Once again read labels and don’t just feed your fish any kind of dry food. There are differences.

Thank you!

 

[Scaggs1117]

He looks fine, but a little thin.


I personally would never feed anything a pellet or any dry foods. I have been keeping them continuously since the 70s. They normally live, (for me) about 10 years but I am sure they can live much longer) Accidents happen.

I would also not dip, medicate, or quarantine anything, but don't go by me, do what you feel is best for you.



I feed all my fish LRS food in addition to live whiteworms, live earthworms and fresh or freshly frozen shellfish like clams, oysters or mussels.

I never feed nori but I do feed some mysis. I am not crazy about mysis because it is mostly an indigestible shell which is not made of calcium.

Also, I started out not quarantining and I wound up having a fish that had ich and another with velvet, took the whole tank out..is there a way to avoid that without quarantining? I have 150gal system

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I don’t see it mentioned much by many. Many pellet companies have fillers put into their foods. I recommend reading labels. These fillers might not be good for marine life. One brand that I use is spectrum. The only filler is wheat as a binder. Wheat is one of the better binders that does not harm fish like others can possibly in the long run.

Read the labels and you will see what I mean.

Been feeding spectrum pellets for over a year now after reading labels. Can’t say enough about spectrum food. They make flakes, full blown algae wafer pellets and standard pellets. I like the wafers for when I QT tangs I can keep less nori in tanks. Have some tangs that shred nori for the sake of just ripper things apart. Then going back and slowly eating it. But most of it ends up in the HOB filters I use for QT systems. Hahaha! No thanks so in come the wafers.

Once again read labels and don’t just feed your fish any kind of dry food. There are differences.

I find that New Life Spectrum is a very good pelleted food. I have a Darwin clown that has been fed exclusively on this food for over four years and it looks pristine! I've been doing this as a long term test. My interest in NLS stems from the company itself - Pablo Tepoot, the originator of the product was my old boss at "Omega Exotic Fish" a major fish importer in Ann Arbor, back in the 1970's. I haven't spoken with Pablo for over a decade, his son Ian may be running the company now.

 

[kboogie]

Also, I started out not quarantining and I wound up having a fish that had ich and another with velvet, took the whole tank out..is there a way to avoid that without quarantining? I have 150gal system

I fully understand how having that experience would cause you to question whether executing quarantine is the right thing to do. Please allow me to walk you through some information that will help you have high levels of success in keeping fish.

The tldr; follow the official quarantine protocol: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/

1. Ignore "Pseudo-science" and focus on true "Science"​

Pseudo-science is the improper application of limited scientific facts to justify actions that are counter to the broadly accepted beliefs of the scientific community. Pseudo-science frequently takes advantage of people's desire to have things fast and easy. Pseudo-science supports its positions based on flawed logic, such as "I've been doing it like this forever and never had a problem" or citing questionable research from organizations or researchers who are not credible. Pseudo-science frequently uses a single observation as justification for a position.

True Science is based on scholarly research conducted by credible organizations and globally recognized leaders in the field. True science is thorough and complete. True science leverages "experimental design" and repeated tests with statistical validation. True science provides actual proof!

2. "Post Hoc Ergo Proctor Hoc" - Don't assume, do an investigation to understand​

If you had the pleasure of taking a philosophy class or methods of research class in college, you most likely heard this famous Latin phrase. This phrase is intended to tell people not to assume that because an outcome occurred after an action or observation, do not attribute that outcome to the action. Common examples of this thinking are believing "quarantining killed my fish" or "quarantining doesn't work because after quarantine, my fish still got ich when I put it in my display." What you will find when you investigate is that the root cause was not the quarantine but something else, usually an unfortunate oversight that can be corrected.

3. If You are Patient, You Will Have Success​

Rome was not built in a day. One of the pillars of long-lasting success in the hobby is being patient. Rushing to put that new fish into your display will be the reason you struggle to keep your fish alive. As you will see in the official Reef 2 Reef Quarantine Protocol, you need to do a 30-day medicated quarantine to have success in quarantine. Wanting to see your new fish in your display and having to watch in a hidden bare aquarium for 30-days is one of the hardest things in this hobby, which probably explains why people skip or skimp on this critical step. Rest assured in the knowledge that executing that quarantine process will maximize the life of your new fish and all of your other fish in your display by preventing the introduction of pathogens that wipe out your fish. Take it from someone who lost over $5K in fish from not being patient.

4. Be Prepared​

In my opinion, based on my personal observations, the most common reason people fail at quarantine is not being prepared. Whether it is not having a suitable quarantine tank, not having a copper test kit, not having proper filtration, using the wrong medicines, or whatever. People typically fail because they are not prepared. Being prepared is much easier than you may realize. The official Reef 2 Reef Quarantine Protocol lists the equipment needed to execute a basic quarantine of a new fish. One of the situations I find most people are not prepared for is a breakthrough outbreak in their display. An outbreak requires removing ALL fish from the display, placing them in a 30-day medicated quarantine, and keeping the display fallow for at least 45 days ( I personally like 60 days, but the experts agree 45 days is effective).

Things to consider when preparing for an outbreak are:

1. How will I catch all my fish?
2. Do I have an emergency quarantine system large enough for ALL my fish
3. How can I create the space to store all my fish in a separate location from my display
4. What type of mechanical filtration will I need to support ALL my fish at once
5. How do I fully establish biological filtration on day one

I had the misfortune of needing to execute my emergency quarantine plan because of a bad seam in my aquarium that required immediate tank replacement. While I didn't have all the equipment I needed on hand, I had a written plan of what I would do if I needed to do the extreme. I used four large plastic storage bins/totes from Home Depot as mini homes for my fish. I separated the fish in a way to avoid aggression during this long-term temporary housing. I had eight large sponge filters and bought a large 35-watt piston drive air pump to supply ample gas exchange and current through the sponge filters.

One of the most important parts of my plan was ensuring day one biological filtration. I knew I was going to spread my abundance of ceramic bio media and rock across the multiple bins and provide a boost through Fritz Turbo Start 900. IMHO, poor ammonia management kills more fish in quarantine than anything else.

5. Being Pennywise Kills Fish​

I see people frequently say, "I can't afford to buy the equipment to quarantine". These same people have dozens of $200 frags and fish that are $500 each. I have three dedicated quarantine systems, not including my emergency ALL fish system. All the equipment, medications, and Hanna test kit cost less than $105. My emergency cost $127. Being willing to spend this money provides a huge benefit!

6. Follow the True Experts​

In my professional life, whenever I am looking to conduct any activity, I always start by understanding what the best in the world does, then I try to understand the components of what they do and figure out how I can implement it on a smaller scale. If you look at the processes followed by the large public aquariums, they all follow a thorough medicated quarantine process. The Reef 2 Reef community is fortunate to have Jay Hemdal, who has decades of experience running large public aquariums and has written a quarantine process derived from the steps they followed, scaled down and simplified for the home aquarist. We literally have access to a quarantine protocol derived from the best practices of the world's leading aquarists and marine biologists. This protocol provides 99.9% effectiveness.

I apologize for the long post, but I feel it is important to be thorough to avoid confusion. If you listen to the advice of people like Jay, @vetteguy53081, and @MnFish1 while avoiding the misinformation from people who go against proven science, you will have success!

 

[Paul B]

Beautiful coloring, is there a better shrimp then mysis? Brine maybe?

Not really. Brine would be worse. Clams are the best food IMO but I also feed mysis. Some fish, such as some pipefish will eat nothing else unless it is alive.