Baby ... The Hippo Tang

(Paracanthurus hepatus)

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner!"

This was the one! The MAIN reason I got in to this hobby was to showcase THIS species. You may recognize this fish as the same kind of fish as Dori, from "Finding Nemo".

Well...needless to say, when I added her, Gregory wouldn't stop beatin the crap out of her (dispite Beauty's intervention), there was no real decision on who would stay, and who would go.

24 hours after I got her, I wasn't sure if she would make it long enough for me to get Gregory out. (and believe me...he wasn't going to go easy...he was a Damsel, after all).

Well, she was strong, and she held in there...while I fished around for hours trying to catch her tormentor. While I removed half the water, and ALL the rocks and corals. While I fished some more through the now muddy waters. Until at last, I caught the little F**KER!!!

Within another 24 hours of that, all her wounds seemed to be well on their way to being healed. Since then, she has been very active, very hungry, and again, VERY beautiful!

This fish can MOVE! and as a result, I have very few picture of her. But check back, and hopefully I'll have gotten some more.


Nice shot with the flash:

Hippo Tang's will eat pretty much anything, but they need to have a steady diet of greens/algae from time to time or they become more succeptable to diseases such as lateral-line errosion or hole-in-head disease. It is important to offer them foods like Nori or sea-weeds in general fairly often, for them to stay healthy.

Hippo Tangs (and Tangs in general) should not be kept in tanks smaller than 75 gallons (90 or more is recommended) as they are VERY active fish, and need lots of room to swim. Keeping them in smaller tanks will make them miserable, and the stress, over time, will assure their demise.

For more information on the Hippo Tang, click HERE
Also known as Yellow-Tailed Blue Tang, Palette Tang, Regal Tang, Hepatus Tang, Heppo (Hippo) Tang.


Added to the tank on June 12th, 2005 from Congressional Aquarium.

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Last updated 10/13/05