Who Gives A Fish Forums

I recently got a hippo tang from my aunt - she saw it in a shop, knew I had a saltwater setup, and just went for it. Thing is, she didn't realize how massive these guys can grow. Luckily, I'm planning to convert my 6-foot freshwater to a reef tank in a couple of months, so it should work out. The tang's only about an inch long right now, and it's feeding like a champ - seems to be getting along with the other fish, except for my yellow-tailed damsel, which freaked out when it saw the tang (gonna return that one).

I know hippo tangs are super prone to ich, so I'm wondering how to spot it and prevent it. I've heard there's some trick with garlic - anyone know what I'm talking about?

I've had issues with ich on my tangs before, but I found a solution that works. You can get Garlic Guard from your local fish store and mix it with some frozen brine shrimp. I did this with my regal tang and it was looking rough, like it was camouflaged with the sand, but the ich was gone in just 4 days.

I'm not convinced about the garlic method, to be honest. While I know some people swear by it, I've never seen any concrete evidence that it actually works. In my opinion, the key to keeping your tang healthy is maintaining top-notch water conditions and ensuring it's well-fed. Invest in a good skimmer to keep your water clean, and consider adding a UV unit to help eliminate any parasites that might be lurking in the water column. And for future additions, make sure you quarantine them properly - it's the best way to prevent introducing ich into your tank.

I've heard garlic can be harsh on fish livers if used excessively, it's not exactly their natural environment either. Still, they do seem to have a taste for it, so a little might be okay, just be careful not to overdo it.

If you get a UV sterilizer, it can really help keep white spot at bay, just make sure you maintain good water quality and quarantine new fish to be on the safe side.

I've had to do a few freshwater dips on my hippo tang, and this time it's looking worse than before. Since I have inverts in the tank, using copper isn't an option due to its toxicity. I was thinking, would it be possible to take some tank water, put it in a separate bucket, and do a copper treatment on that, then move the tang in afterwards, without transferring any of the treated water back into the main tank?

You can do a quarantine treatment elsewhere, that's definitely an option. Just be gentle, don't want to stress the little guy. Acclimate it to the new water, don't rush the process.