Hippo tang not eating

[ctcoral]

I have a 220 gallon reef tank and I just bought a hippo tang a week ago he seemed like he was doing real good the first few days and now he doesn’t seem to be eating he stays back in the rock or if he does come out he swims with the other fish but doesn’t eat is there anything I should feed him that he cant resist? I thought it could be something up with my tank since it is pretty new so I tested the water and everything looks perfect so I have been over feeding everything trying to get him to eat but the other fish just eat it up... What should I do or should I just wait and hope for the best? :Timeout:

[Mr Cob]

Put some Lugol's Garlic on seaweed and put on a clip. The garlic should tempt him quickly.

Make sure you do small frequent water changes to compensate for the over feeding too.

[ctcoral]

I have been using garlic and also dropping vitamin c in the water

[Mr Cob]

Any others bullying him?

[ctcoral]

i dont think so the only one is a one spot fox face but i dont think thats the reason but i could be wrong

[Mr Cob]

Well, Hippos are notorious for easily getting depressed and getting sick... was he eating before? I know you said you just got him... maybe he's not adjusting well from leaving the ocean.

Definitely start with a water change.

[ctcoral]

see i put some garlic on some seaweed and stuck it down by her and the other fish i gave them lots of food at the same time and she still didnt eat

[ctcoral]

since she wasnt eating i thought it was something wrong with the water also so i tested everything and it all looks great should i do i water change anyways?

[ctcoral]

i saw her eat a little bit the 2nd and the 3rd day i saw her picking at the rocks so i was all happy thinking she was going to be just fine and since then she hasnt eaten(well that ive seen but i do watch my tank a whole lot.... whats weird when i feed the other fish she comes out and swims with them while they eat but she doesnt eat herself

[Mr Cob]

That's the first thing I would do. You tested the water but do you have a kit for everything? It wouldn't hurt is my point.

[Mr Cob]

She probably is wild caught and isn't interested in the food you are feeding. She will come around or you could try some variety packs.

[ctcoral]

yeah i really did test everything!! ill start with that! thank you for your help and your 144 looks great! GOOD JOB!!!!

[ctcoral]

i like the rock lay out!!!

[ctcoral]

sound good ill have my wife pic up some random food to try different things

[Bill S]

They can be very picky when new. Best thing to do with them is have them in their own tank for a while, so there's less stress. Are schizo fish.

[Kristy]

Keep offering the seaweed periodically, as blue hippos love the stuff once they have learned to eat it. Also, if you are trying random foods to entice it to eat, you might look at Emerald Entree. Seems like my tangs like that one a lot, along with good old mysis.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks and good luck!

[ctcoral]

thanks everyone for your help i hope it works!!!

[Europhyllia]

I wish I had some red gracillaria left )aka tang heaven but it's all gone :(

[los.tejanos83]

My hippo loves to eat a Silverside that i attach to a veggie clip...you could try it. Good luck. :)

[justahobby]

It can take a little while for a WC tang to eat algae clips. Strategically placing pieces through out the rocks may help. Also, as Euromom mentioned, macro algae may be more visually appealing.

Have you noticed any signs of ich? They are pretty notorious for catching it and loss of appetite is a symptom. Just something to be aware of.

[msmith619]

see i put some garlic on some seaweed and stuck it down by her and the other fish i gave them lots of food at the same time and she still didnt eat

Hippo tangs are different from most tangs. Most tangs are herbivores. Blue hippos eat primarily small crustaceans in the wild. Many will never eat a seaweed clip. If you look them up, they are zooplankton feeders and eat almost exclusively meaty foods. They are more shy than most tangs and will hide a lot in the rock work for a few weeks until they are comfortable. Once they feel safe, they are usually pigs! They are my favorite tang. By not needing as much plant food, they seem to be less prone to lateral line disease (I think it is caused by a dietary deficiency). If yours does not eat, I suspect 2 things: he/she does not feel safe yet or has not recognized what you put in is food, in which case it will eventually catch on and eat; or, if your tang came from the Phillipines, many of those fish are still caught using cyanide. The fish look great, have fantastic color, swim around but almost never eat and die within a few weeks from cyanide poisoning. For this reason, when ever I buy a fish from the Pacific ocean, I ask to see it eat before I buy it.

[Mr Cob]

^^great info. Thanks for posting.

[Europhyllia]

Hippo tangs are different from most tangs. Most tangs are herbivores. Blue hippos eat primarily small crustaceans in the wild. Many will never eat a seaweed clip. If you look them up, they are zooplankton feeders and eat almost exclusively meaty foods.

WOW. I had no idea there were non-herbivore tangs! No wonder she doesn't like seaweed! Maybe some frozen cyclops or mysis would be more to her liking. Hope she gets an appetite soon

[Bill S]

I also like to keep PE Mysis around for the picky eaters. It's REALLY fatty - and they seem to like it best. I know Gabe carries it.

[ctcoral]

Thank you everyone for all the help... for the first time i think i might have seen ick this morning but not 100% sure it's not un her fins it's oh her body im thinking about putting her in my 30 gallon tank where i have just 2 very small fish but i worrie that the move might but her over the top what would you all do keep her in the big tank and treat it for ick or put her in the smaller tank thats if i can catch her

[ctcoral]

now it looks like she isnt going to make it i know now she doesnt have ich or at least she doesnt have any sigs of ich but she is breathing heavy and just resting at the bottom but she doesnt look good at all she starting to get splotchy white.. is there any last thing i should try? i have tryed feeding her everything and she wont eat.. again thanks for all the help

[jesserettele]

I had a yello tang and he was very aggressive towards my hippo. I thought it was because I started with the yellow and he claimed all 125 gallons first. He would actually spin around backwards and attack him with the two barbs on either side of his rear fin.

[Mr Cob]

now it looks like she isnt going to make it i know now she doesnt have ich or at least she doesnt have any sigs of ich but she is breathing heavy and just resting at the bottom but she doesnt look good at all she starting to get splotchy white.. is there any last thing i should try? i have tryed feeding her everything and she wont eat.. again thanks for all the help

Only thing you could do to possibly help is increase the air in the tank...add an air pump and air stone.

[jesserettele]

How's your hippo doing?

[cowboy572]

I agree on what's been said so far. Use garlic to entice to eat. Also maybe try keeping the lights off for day or two so he gets familar with his surroundings. I had to do the same things with a powder blue tang I purchased from another club member. I dosed all foods, nori and mysis, in garlic extreme and kept my main lights off for a day or so.