New Hippo Shy, Just Want to Verify I Am Doing it Right

Hugh Mann

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On Saturday I received a lovely 2" Hippo Tang. Brought it home, and Drip acclimated it over 3 hours. From 1.027(lfs ato failed to kick on that morning) to 1.025, and added into my 20 gallon quarantine. I have an Aquaclear 70 and sponge filter for filtration/gas exchange. 3lbs of cured live rock, and a couple pvc fittings.

Having read a couple recent threads on people with new hippos, I turned off the lights so it's ambient, which is to say fairly dim, as it's in my basement, wrapped cardboard around 3 sides of the tank, and picked up some fake plants today to put in there as well.

I had a sheet of nori on a clip, which the tang seemed to eat overnight as it was mostly gone this morning, so I put in a fresh sheet. Lfs tells me it was eating nori and mysis. Haven't yet tried mysis.

So far I have only seen the Hippo poke it's head out of a pipe once to nibble on some nori. Beyond that it seems to stay hidden.

From everything I have read about this fish tells me this is pretty typical being so new to the tank, but I just want to confirm this.

Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10
SG 1.025
Temp 76f
 

Mrtakeoff53

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Perfectly normal. Let him hide all he wants. It makes them feel safe and reduces their stress. All my tangs have done this. Actually, my most recent 2 tangs both showed ich when I first introduced them. I let them be, fed my tank normally and within a week, no ich and they were swimming all over like they owned the place. Tank transfer stresses them. He’ll be ok!
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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Excellent, just what I wanted to hear.
I am happy to report this morning when I went downstairs to feed them, first thing I saw was the Hippo swimming around. Though it promptly darted into cover as soon as it saw me.
This little tang is quickly growing on me.
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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This fish is starting to wig me out a little bit. Five days and it's still in hiding, laying on its side in the tube.

It's breathing normally, so I am pretty sure nothing is wrong still. Making me nervous like a toddler with a hand grenade.
 

Mrtakeoff53

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If the tank is ‘fairly dim’ like you say, it may be sleeping, or whatever fish actually do at night. They do strange things when they are in their ‘hole in the rock’ at night. As long as it’s eating and when swimming, it acts normally, you’ll be good. It’s already in QT. Let it be and give it a quiet area to stay calm. Maybe add a little brighter light a few hours a day and see how it acts when the lights are on. It might calm you and your fish down
 

Letterkenny

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This fish is starting to wig me out a little bit. Five days and it's still in hiding, laying on its side in the tube.

It's breathing normally, so I am pretty sure nothing is wrong still. Making me nervous like a toddler with a hand grenade.
I have my blue tang in the later stages in QT right now and does the same thing. He would lay on the bottom playing dead. He would go up against the egg crate playing dead. Always thought something was wrong but in the morning he would be fine. I asked around and the consensus is that blue tangs are weird especially in QT.
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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I haven't yet actually witnessed the fish eat anything, though the nori sheets do look like they get nibbled on.

And so far have only seen it out of its cave once, and it immediately hid. Not unusual, I know.

I have a blue light and a white light. I can turn the blue on during the day, or the white pointed away from the tank.

Hippos are so unlike any other fish I have had before, I guess it's just taking some getting used to.
 

Noob_reefer

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I've had mine for a year and a half now. Dory is a very shy fish for sure. They usually come out if they are around other fish. Mine likes to hide in a hole for the night and during the day swim in the current. She still is very skittish to this day however.

20191230_171751.jpg
 

Letterkenny

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I've had mine for a year and a half now. Dory is a very shy fish for sure. They usually come out if they are around other fish. Mine likes to hide in a hole for the night and during the day swim in the current. She still is very skittish to this day however.

20191230_171751.jpg
Love the hammer garden.
 

tippin.turtle

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Sounds normal to me too ;Joyful Hippos are surprisingly social little fish too. Mine pals around with my scopus tang all day. It's nice to see tangs being buddies as I haven't witnessed that behavior
with tangs i've had in the past.
 

tippin.turtle

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How long did it take for your Hippos to start coming out and about?

I expected this, but perhaps not quite for this long.
My tang started coming out after the fifth day. My scopus tang i've had for 6 years. When I dumped her in the tank with the hippo, the hippo immediately popped out of hiding. And as I said before, they've been pals ever since. Kinda bizarre.
 

tippin.turtle

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One other thing I should mention that I find kinda funny. I'm the only person who spends anytime with
the aquariums. When someone wishes to see the tanks my hippo hides out! She is only comfortable
with the familiar. It may take some time but your fish will come around:)
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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That is very good to hear. It could be that I haven't had much time to spend around the tanks since I got it.

Unfortunately this tang is going to be pretty bored if it hangs out with my other fish. Bunch of lazy louts that barely twitch a tail.
 

Letterkenny

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I just added mine to my DT and boy is it weird. I would be worried but he did this crap in WT as well.

edit: ya I know really blue but my filters don’t come in yet. He’s stuck his body up next to the overflow box playing dead.

A3922123-DED3-4808-8B61-87BF1AEDDC55.jpeg
 

Letterkenny

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Couldn't help but snag a picture of this tang wedged into some rocks.

Bloody bizarre fish.

DSC_1083.JPG
Yea mine was playing dead today being sucked into the overflow until food came. Then everything was fine!

Are you observing or treating in QT? Highly would recommend against any rockwork in QT.
 
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Hugh Mann

Hugh Mann

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Yea mine was playing dead today being sucked into the overflow until food came. Then everything was fine!

Are you observing or treating in QT? Highly would recommend against any rockwork in QT.
Just observing. I don't treat unless something shows up. Severe lack of quality medicines in Canada.
It's just 3lbs, easy enough to remove if necessary.
 

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