Rescuing Luna - My story of the Blue Hippo Tang

Dsanchez1221

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Hey everyone! This is sort of a "story time" post with a question at the end. It's a long post just so you are prepared. But I feel like I need to share this and get everyone's feedback and advice.

About 5 months ago my neighbor, an elderly woman, passed away. She was estranged from her family and I was her only friend (mostly because she was bat **** crazy and a hoarder, but she didn't deserve to be left all alone). Anyways, she always admired my two aquariums (a 90g and a 28g nano) and wanted to start her own with my help. Of course I was all too willing to help her. Her being only 2 houses down from me, meant that I pretty much had a third aquarium. Something I really wanted but didn't have the space for. She went bigger to allow more wiggle room for errors in water chemistry and bought a 130g tank with a sump in the stand. I LOVED this tank and we put a lot of effort (and money) in to it. It quickly cycled and we began adding fish. Mostly all "beginner" fish and corals. She REALLY wanted a Blue Hippo Tang but I explained why we needed to wait for a fish like that and she seemed to understand. About 2 weeks later she knocked on my door one Sunday holding up a bag with the Blue Hippo Tang in it. She named her Luna, so we will just say Luna going forward. The next couple month's I put a lot of time, energy and effort into trying to keep everything perfect for this fish. The tank had only finished it's cycle 1-2 week's earlier and the previous day, we had just added 4 other fish ( 3 clownfish, a yellow goby, a peppermint shrimp, 2 hermits and 3 snails). So I was already concerned Luna would die because the tank was no where near stable enough that I would recommend getting ANY tang! She loved this fish so much so I did everything I could for it. It was about the size of a quarter and very sociable for a tang in a new environment.

Flash forward 2 years and I'm still taking care of the tank. She left all the maintenance to me and she just admired it which I was fine with. I considered it my tank as well. Luna was growing and doing just fine (despite all the challenges), but wasn't growing as much as I expect a tang to grow. After 2 years she was about the size of a large egg! For some reason Luna's growth seemed stunted despite a well balanced diet and array of different foods. However, Luna seemed very happy so I wasn't too concerned.

About 6 months ago, my neighbor suddenly passes away while I was out of state taking care of my mother after heart surgery. I was away for 3 months and had the tank set up with the Apex controller and a feeder so my neighbor didn't have to do much. The tank was very stable at this point and thriving! I was her only friend so no one knew she had died until I discovered her roughly 2 weeks after she died. Not something I care to ever witness again in my life. I'm not sure the cause, but the tank had A LOT of losses. Almost all the fish died with the exception of Luna and a few LPS and 2 SPS survived.

Luna looked very rough! Her color had faded drastically, her fins were all frayed, she wouldn't eat and had very little energy. She was surely gonna die. I quickly netted her and took her to my house and put her in my 10g QT tank. I got her eating and healthy-ish again in just a couple weeks. In the meantime I was breaking down the neighbors aquarium and had planned on taking it to my house. I was gonna sell my 90g and replace it with the 130g. I got rid of all the surviving livestock but kept Luna like my neighbor would have wanted!

The very day I was moving the tank and equipment to my house, the neighbors brother pulls up. Keep in mind, he hasn't seen his sister in YEARS! But he was next of kin and decided he was keeping the tank! I got very angry and it got heated, but in the end I had no legal claim to the property. I had already gotten rid of my 90g like an idiot so my 10g QT was full, waiting for the 130g. Including Luna! So the only place I had to put Luna was in my 28g JBJ Nano-Cube. The 2 clownfish from the neighbor stayed in the 10g as a breeding tank for now.

So Now I have Luna, a Blue Hippo tang, in a 28g mixed reef nano aquarium. Keep in mind, she is still pretty small for being over 2 years old and has room to swim around a bit, but I feel incredibly guilty for keeping her in a nano reef tank. I have grown attached to her and she surely would have died had I not saved her. But I HATE that I can't really post videos of my tank like I used to, or post pictures that have Luna visible because I will get A LOT of hate from the "tang police". I've even had a couple death threats and told I'm torturing her. Yes, PEOPLE HAVE THREATENED MY LIFE over this fish! And EVERY SINGLE post I upload that has Luna in it, there is at least one comment lecturing me on the species and explaining why "Finding Dory" is the devil. It really bums me out!

I'm looking for a new home for her, but I only want her to go to someone who is knowledgeable about the hobby and will take great care of her. She is special to me and was my deceased friends favorite fish.

What would you guys have done? I've been told I should flush her, put her in the freezer, give her to my LFS to sell, or give her away on Craigslist but I don't wanna do ANY of those, lol.

Thanks for reading my story. I look forward to reading your comments and what you would have done in my position. Share your experiences, I'd love to know if anyone has had a similar issue with the "tang police"!
 

nereefpat

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Sorry for the loss of your friend.

How big is the tang? Nashville probably has some fish stores that have service accounts and patrons that have large tanks. I would contact fish stores to give it a good, forever home. Trade the fish in for some store credit.

Good luck.
 

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Why not get that big tank you want and keep her. That’s what I would do. If she seems happy right now and you don’t need to stress her moving her again.

I’m sorry for your loss. Get yourself a tank get it up and running and keep Luna!
 

xxkenny90xx

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Well that was a depressing story, sorry your dealing with all that. As @dyerrm said, go get yourself that big tank! Offerup usually has tanks for pretty cheap!
 
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Dsanchez1221

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Sorry for the loss of your friend.

How big is the tang? Nashville probably has some fish stores that have service accounts and patrons that have large tanks. I would contact fish stores to give it a good, forever home. Trade the fish in for some store credit.

Good luck.
Yea, so there is a fish store that I have frequented for many years that will probably take her and resell. I Will most likely be taking her there in the next few weeks once she has fatened up some more. She was terribly skinny at first. Currently she is roughly 3.5 inches in length and has stayed that way for the past year or so.

Honestly I think it's the emotional attachment that is making it so difficult. But it's the best for her. She can't stay in a 28g.

Thanks for your advice!
 
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Dsanchez1221

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Well that was a depressing story, sorry your dealing with all that. As @dyerrm said, go get yourself that big tank! Offerup usually has tanks for pretty cheap!
Haha, im sorry it came off so depressing. My initial intent was to have a happy ending. Luna survived and is doing better, kind of like an extension of my friend.

I've thought about getting another large tank, but I simply don't have the space, money or time. She Will most likely go to my LFS in the coming weeks now that her health has improved!

Thanks for your reply :)
 

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Offer up, Craigslist, let go, anything!! Get a bigger tank!! I did this same thing (although it was a pair of clowns) and I couldn’t bare to part with them- ever. Even if all my corals died as long as my two clowns and angel survived I’d be happy. A blue hippo would need a pretty large tank, but of course you already know that. My hopes are high for Luna!! I really hope you go the big tank route and get her the home she deserves to have after all of that, I feel like that’s the only way my conscious would be clear in that situation. A nice long tank with maybe a couple of other tang buddies and a nice sheet of nori every morning, sounds like the life your neighbor would’ve wanted her to have. I’m sorry for her loss, but you should keep her spirit alive by taking the best care of Luna that you can.
 

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Hey everyone! This is sort of a "story time" post with a question at the end. It's a long post just so you are prepared. But I feel like I need to share this and get everyone's feedback and advice.

About 5 months ago my neighbor, an elderly woman, passed away. She was estranged from her family and I was her only friend (mostly because she was bat **** crazy and a hoarder, but she didn't deserve to be left all alone). Anyways, she always admired my two aquariums (a 90g and a 28g nano) and wanted to start her own with my help. Of course I was all too willing to help her. Her being only 2 houses down from me, meant that I pretty much had a third aquarium. Something I really wanted but didn't have the space for. She went bigger to allow more wiggle room for errors in water chemistry and bought a 130g tank with a sump in the stand. I LOVED this tank and we put a lot of effort (and money) in to it. It quickly cycled and we began adding fish. Mostly all "beginner" fish and corals. She REALLY wanted a Blue Hippo Tang but I explained why we needed to wait for a fish like that and she seemed to understand. About 2 weeks later she knocked on my door one Sunday holding up a bag with the Blue Hippo Tang in it. She named her Luna, so we will just say Luna going forward. The next couple month's I put a lot of time, energy and effort into trying to keep everything perfect for this fish. The tank had only finished it's cycle 1-2 week's earlier and the previous day, we had just added 4 other fish ( 3 clownfish, a yellow goby, a peppermint shrimp, 2 hermits and 3 snails). So I was already concerned Luna would die because the tank was no where near stable enough that I would recommend getting ANY tang! She loved this fish so much so I did everything I could for it. It was about the size of a quarter and very sociable for a tang in a new environment.

Flash forward 2 years and I'm still taking care of the tank. She left all the maintenance to me and she just admired it which I was fine with. I considered it my tank as well. Luna was growing and doing just fine (despite all the challenges), but wasn't growing as much as I expect a tang to grow. After 2 years she was about the size of a large egg! For some reason Luna's growth seemed stunted despite a well balanced diet and array of different foods. However, Luna seemed very happy so I wasn't too concerned.

About 6 months ago, my neighbor suddenly passes away while I was out of state taking care of my mother after heart surgery. I was away for 3 months and had the tank set up with the Apex controller and a feeder so my neighbor didn't have to do much. The tank was very stable at this point and thriving! I was her only friend so no one knew she had died until I discovered her roughly 2 weeks after she died. Not something I care to ever witness again in my life. I'm not sure the cause, but the tank had A LOT of losses. Almost all the fish died with the exception of Luna and a few LPS and 2 SPS survived.

Luna looked very rough! Her color had faded drastically, her fins were all frayed, she wouldn't eat and had very little energy. She was surely gonna die. I quickly netted her and took her to my house and put her in my 10g QT tank. I got her eating and healthy-ish again in just a couple weeks. In the meantime I was breaking down the neighbors aquarium and had planned on taking it to my house. I was gonna sell my 90g and replace it with the 130g. I got rid of all the surviving livestock but kept Luna like my neighbor would have wanted!

The very day I was moving the tank and equipment to my house, the neighbors brother pulls up. Keep in mind, he hasn't seen his sister in YEARS! But he was next of kin and decided he was keeping the tank! I got very angry and it got heated, but in the end I had no legal claim to the property. I had already gotten rid of my 90g like an idiot so my 10g QT was full, waiting for the 130g. Including Luna! So the only place I had to put Luna was in my 28g JBJ Nano-Cube. The 2 clownfish from the neighbor stayed in the 10g as a breeding tank for now.

So Now I have Luna, a Blue Hippo tang, in a 28g mixed reef nano aquarium. Keep in mind, she is still pretty small for being over 2 years old and has room to swim around a bit, but I feel incredibly guilty for keeping her in a nano reef tank. I have grown attached to her and she surely would have died had I not saved her. But I HATE that I can't really post videos of my tank like I used to, or post pictures that have Luna visible because I will get A LOT of hate from the "tang police". I've even had a couple death threats and told I'm torturing her. Yes, PEOPLE HAVE THREATENED MY LIFE over this fish! And EVERY SINGLE post I upload that has Luna in it, there is at least one comment lecturing me on the species and explaining why "Finding Dory" is the devil. It really bums me out!

I'm looking for a new home for her, but I only want her to go to someone who is knowledgeable about the hobby and will take great care of her. She is special to me and was my deceased friends favorite fish.

What would you guys have done? I've been told I should flush her, put her in the freezer, give her to my LFS to sell, or give her away on Craigslist but I don't wanna do ANY of those, lol.

Thanks for reading my story. I look forward to reading your comments and what you would have done in my position. Share your experiences, I'd love to know if anyone has had a similar issue with the "tang police"!

You need to look hard as it's dark against dark, 13.5 G aio, 1 inch baby scopas went in yesterday because it was getting picked on, damaged and not eating, now pretty much grazing all day, tp can sit and swivel! ;)

DSC_0002 (1024x925).jpg
 
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Dsanchez1221

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Offer up, Craigslist, let go, anything!! Get a bigger tank!! I did this same thing (although it was a pair of clowns) and I couldn’t bare to part with them- ever. Even if all my corals died as long as my two clowns and angel survived I’d be happy. A blue hippo would need a pretty large tank, but of course you already know that. My hopes are high for Luna!! I really hope you go the big tank route and get her the home she deserves to have after all of that, I feel like that’s the only way my conscious would be clear in that situation. A nice long tank with maybe a couple of other tang buddies and a nice sheet of nori every morning, sounds like the life your neighbor would’ve wanted her to have. I’m sorry for her loss, but you should keep her spirit alive by taking the best care of Luna that you can.

I completely agree! I am very tempted to get a large tank and keep her just because I have such an emotional attachment to her. I just don't think I have the space for such a large tank. I really feel like rehoming her is the most logical, its just hard to part with her. I'm hoping the LFS has room in one of their huge display tanks and then I can see her every time I go to the fish store! Im waiting for the manager to call me today and let me know. She really deserves a good stable home and she is just recovered enough to rehome her without too much stress I think.
 
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Dsanchez1221

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I did have an ad on Craigslist at one point and a few people wanted her but 2 of them had tanks too small, one had a 40g and the other a 50g. The other person sent photos of their current tank and it was over stocked and didn't look healthy.
 

OrionN

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Get a 130 like you planned. You dont have to have the fancy equipment. Just a bare tank with circulation and sump and heater. It will go into the place where you planned. 2nd hand good equipment is much cheaper than get things brand new. Good luck.
 

jtf74

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I did have an ad on Craigslist at one point and a few people wanted her but 2 of them had tanks too small, one had a 40g and the other a 50g. The other person sent photos of their current tank and it was over stocked and didn't look healthy.
Look for a local forum/fish club. Craigslist brings out the worst. I had an ad for a yellow tang clearly stating must have 100 gallon tank and this moron emails me about it to add to his 55 gallon that already had a yellow tang in it.
 

Hugh Mann

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I would suggest getting a 130 or so like you wanted to, and keeping Luna. You've stated her growth is stunted, so it's entirely possible she just won't grow to the size where you need a tank fit for a "normal" Hippo. Or if her growth returns to normal, a 130 gives you years before you have to rehome or upgrade again.

If you're worried about tank size in the meantime, the tang police can be overzealous idiots, as you may have noticed by the death threats over a fish. As long as they're healthy and eating you're fine for the time being.

Another possible suggestion, if you can find a local reefer who may be willing to 'foster' Luna for you while you get your tank situation sorted out. A Longshot perhaps, but you never know.
 

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