I have had a hippo tang for one week today in my QT. She is small, not quite 2 inches. I have read a good bit on them and read they are shy and just chill mostly. Well, she does. Just hangs in one corner of the tank then hides behind the filter. I feed her brine shrimp. I try to feed her seaweed every other day but she doesn't go around it. She needs this, right? Will she like it more the older she gets? What does everyone else's blue hippos eat?
My new hippo tang and seaweed
- Thread starter jamielai
- Start date
lcstorc
Well-Known Member
Hippos, although shy, are typically active and fast swimming. Macroalgae is a big part of their diet, but they are omnivores and will eat a variety of foods. Your Hippo may not feel comfortable approaching the Nori just yet, but keep putting it in the same spot everyday and leave it there for a couple of hours. Once he/she feels comfortable in its new surroundings, it will start exlploring for food.
mettjl03
Member
I have a hippo tang too. Try hanging the food in a clip where she likes to hang out and leave the room. It may or may not nibble on it. As long as its eating, I wouldn't worry to much. If the color starts to fade try using an additive that contains multi-vitamins. I really like Fish Solutions. Good luck...
Thanks for the advice. She has started to nibble just alittle on the seaweed. But she really is a lazy fish. I worry something is wrong. She is eating fine but just sits on the bottom of my tank in the corner or sits behind the fiter on a rest and props on the side of the tank. It has been 8 days now in the QT. Sometimes the bottom of her belly is really faded other times her color is really bright and beautiful.
I wouldn't say she is sad and lonely, those are human terms. She is following her instincts that tell her there's safety in numbers. Instincts that have developed over thousands of years in a not so friendly ocean. One of her most basic instincts is to survive. So hiding is her survival mechanism.
razorvines
Member
Yeah our Blue Hippo is all over the place. We couldn't get it to eat Nori off the clip though until we put in the Yellow tang. The moment that Nori hit the water the yellow tang was all over it. Then yep monkey see, monkey do it was!
Now it looks like the two of them are playing twister trying to get to the Nori at the same time.