{"product_id":"lm-blue-hippo-tang-large","title":"Lightly Medicated | Blue Hippo Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)","description":"\u003ch3\u003eWhat “Lightly Medicated” means\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis is the same animal as our non-quarantined listing, held briefly in our systems and given one short prophylactic course — a light treatment for ich and for internal and external worms — then observed eating in front of us before it goes home.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA light course knocks the parasite load down. It does not guarantee full removal, and we will not pretend otherwise.\u003c\/strong\u003e Ich is only killed in its free-swimming stage, and a short treatment window can miss cysts entirely; worm burdens can survive a single dose. Clearing an animal takes the full quarantine window — 40 to 90 days depending on the species — which is exactly what the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/quarantine-program\"\u003eQuarantined listing\u003c\/a\u003e is for. This tier buys you a lower parasite load and a fish we have watched eat, not a cleared animal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWe condition the fish on our end.\u003c\/strong\u003e Every animal we medicate is brought back onto prepared food on our own systems and is eating before it leaves — in practice it is rare for a lightly medicated fish to ship out and arrive sick. Do the same at your end: get it eating in your aquarium before you count it settled.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhen it ships\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlan on \u003cstrong\u003e5–7 days\u003c\/strong\u003e on our systems for the treatment course, and it does not leave until it is eating. \u003cstrong\u003eIf the animal is not already in our systems we source it first — allow up to two weeks for it to reach us before that clock starts.\u003c\/strong\u003e From the day you order, plan on roughly three weeks in total.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe guarantees\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eShipped orders:\u003c\/strong\u003e 24-hour live guarantee from confirmed delivery.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIn-store pickup:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7-day live guarantee — bring a water sample from your aquarium so we can test it before your livestock goes home with you.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWant the full program — treated, observed, confirmed eating, and covered for 28 days on pickup? That is the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/quarantine-program\"\u003eQuarantined listing\u003c\/a\u003e. Run your own quarantine and just want the fish this week? The \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/non-quarantined-livestock\"\u003enon-quarantined listing\u003c\/a\u003e is cheaper still. The whole ladder is explained in \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/quarantined-vs-non-quarantined\"\u003eQuarantined vs Non-Quarantined\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eParacanthurus hepatus\u003c\/em\u003e is the fish that launched a thousand reef aquariums after Finding Nemo, but the real animal is considerably more interesting than the cartoon version. That electric-blue body with black “palette” markings and yellow tail hides a retractable scalpel blade at the caudal peduncle — a keratin-sheathed spine that surgeonfish deploy during territorial disputes — and startled individuals will jump from open-top tanks without warning. They do it fast enough that it looks like the fish teleported out of the water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJuveniles wear the same electric blue with cleaner, sharper black markings; as the fish matures, the markings soften and the black pattern expands slightly. In the wild, juveniles aggregate in branching coral colonies (\u003cem\u003ePocillopora\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAcropora\u003c\/em\u003e) for shelter, retreating into the coral structure when threatened — behavior that’s completely impractical to replicate in captivity but explains why they’re naturally skittish in open environments without adequate rockwork refuge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThey’re herbivores that need nori and algae-based foods as the foundation of their diet, not just fish food they happen to accept. A Blue Hippo Tang fed primarily on meaty foods develops HLLE (head and lateral line erosion) over time — the pitted, discolored skin that marks a fish maintained on an inadequate diet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eScientific name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paracanthurus hepatus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Indo-Pacific — branching coral zones and reef crests from East Africa to the Pacific, especially common in the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Coral Triangle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWater parameters:\u003c\/strong\u003e Temp 74–82°F · Salinity 1.023–1.026 · pH 8.1–8.4\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTank requirements:\u003c\/strong\u003e 125 gal minimum; 180+ gal preferred; needs extensive swimming room and rockwork refuge\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiet:\u003c\/strong\u003e Herbivore — nori seaweed and algae-based foods must form the majority of the diet; supplement with meaty foods\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompatibility:\u003c\/strong\u003e Semi-aggressive with other tangs; reef safe; provide adequate space to prevent territorial conflict\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHusbandry note:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cover open-top tanks. Blue Hippo Tangs jump at high speeds with essentially no warning and will find any gap in screening. This is not a theoretical risk — it’s the most common sudden death cause for this species in home aquariums.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"YoCamron's Aquatics","offers":[{"title":"Small\/Medium (1.5-2\", Bali) \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276008173,"sku":"STANH2013","price":311.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Medium (2\"+, Bali) \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276040941,"sku":"STANH2014","price":311.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Medium\/Large (3\", Bali) \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276073709,"sku":"STANH2015","price":311.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Large (4\", Bali) \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276106477,"sku":"STANH2016","price":311.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Large \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276139245,"sku":"STANH2006","price":311.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Medium\/Large (2.5-3\") \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276172013,"sku":"STANH2005","price":311.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"(4.5-5\") \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276204781,"sku":"STANH2007","price":311.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Giant (6\"+) \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276237549,"sku":"STANH2008","price":454.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Small (1\", Bali) \/ Wild-Caught","offer_id":50610276270317,"sku":"STANH2011","price":224.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/1032\/8813\/files\/lg_73746_Blue_Tang_764d23ea-d7f3-4723-a3d5-088d7e5b9c6b.jpg?v=1784692371","url":"https:\/\/www.yocamronsaquatics.com\/products\/lm-blue-hippo-tang-large","provider":"YoCamron’s Aquatics","version":"1.0","type":"link"}