View Full Version : Seahorse 24 gal tank
I'm Elliot.
I have a 40 gal reef, so have a little experience
have been keeping marines 2 years now, and love them . My old 24 gal QT will not be in use soon, so I am strongly considering seahorses. A pair. Perhaps, H reidi or H erectus.
I know to get them from here, as that way they will be trained to eat 'our' food.
But obviously its not as easy as that - what are the main things I need to know to get this project underway? It is an orca 24 gal nano, with atm just mechanical sponge filtration. Will I need a skimmer? Live rock - I have used copper in the past - what can I do??? how do I stop the strong flow? And how difficut are these little things, - as a teen I will be parting with A LOT of pocket money to keep these craetures lol
What esle is there? Calcium ?? they need calcium, unlike most fish?? And how long they live for - Ive heard 1 and a half years, but would it be possible to have a next generation on the go in order to always have a mature pair in the display??? And breeding - I would deffo like to have a stab at breeding them - how??? Can it be done in a hang on refugium off my reef display?? Or will I need a seperate tank?? And how long does the seahorse display have to be mature for - its been running on just sponges and bioballs for about a year now, would it be possible to add live rock and the skimmer say in a few months???
Also what tankmates can I have? I am considering a tmc nature foam background, 8 kilos LR and fake SPS and some algae for them to cling onto. Can I have a CUC, shrimps, crabs etc?? Seeing as I already have a reef in this tank I only want a few corals - enia and something else that grows quickly and cheaply. Ad what types of algae?:thanks:
as u can see I am full of questions - please help guys!!
chrz
Hi Elliot
I'll let someone else help you with the tank setup details but I'll try to give you a few pointers. I've been keeping seahorses since May and don't have a skimmer. I do water changes every week though without fail. Although people say that the seahorses don't like much flow mine don't seem to mind it. I have macro algae in my tank. I have razor, green and red caleurpa. I used to have feather caleurpa but it crashed and I had a real fright so I wouldn't recommend having that in your tank. But each to their own I suppose. As for tank mates you can check out Seahorse.org. They give a kind of risk assessment for different fishes. http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml. I wouldn't recommend keeping crabs with them as I have had horrible experiences with them and seahorses but hermits are okay. You definately need a CUC as seahorses eat often and the food is messy. Cleaner shrimps are also good. I keep various soft corals with mine. Mushrooms and different polyps can be quite nice to keep and safe. I also have live rock in the tank which attracts different opinions. The rock can come with various nasty critters so be careful.
TBH I wouldn't even think about breeding them at the moment. I would wait until you know what you are doing with the seahorses and then do your research as the breeding is easy but rearing the babies is very difficult and requires a lot of time and effort.
You mention you have used copper in the past but I didn't understand why (I have had a little alcohol though). You can't use copper with invertebrates as it will kill them.
I wonder if someone else can help with the other questions?????????
HTH a little.
Joanna
thanks, It used to be a quarantine tank, so copper was used about a year ago. The thing thats getting me down s the price- if they only live a year or so, then 150 quid is simply TOO much money to pay. Thats why I ask if its possible to raise another generation (to save money ;))
:cheers:
chrz
oh and also how long do they live in the wild - a year seems jus too short for me so are we greatly depleting the lifespan of the animals by keeping them in aquaria? thnx :D
thanks, It used to be a quarantine tank, so copper was used about a year ago. The thing thats getting me down s the price- if they only live a year or so, then 150 quid is simply TOO much money to pay. Thats why I ask if its possible to raise another generation (to save money ;))
:cheers:
chrz
Oh I see about the copper. I'm sure that after a year the copper won't be present any more. Do you mean £150 a seahorse??? Blimey! They cost about £75-£80 a pair here and I have seen them a little cheaper in one of our LFSs. I really don't know how long they live. I thought they lived for a couple of years but then I honestly don't know. Where is everyone to help you???? Come on people. :confused:
Joanna
Hya Saltyell
I think most of your questions have already been answered. As stated in the reply to your other post Reidi can live up to 7 years in captivity. The ones that last for a year are the dwarfs. The £150 price tag would be for a pair and prices vary depending on which spp you go for. In your instance I would probably be inclined to go for Reidi.
I have no idea about the copper I'm afraid, I don't know how long it would be a problem for.
hth:)
Hya Saltyell
I think most of your questions have already been answered. As stated in the reply to your other post Reidi can live up to 7 years in captivity. The ones that last for a year are the dwarfs. The £150 price tag would be for a pair and prices vary depending on which spp you go for. In your instance I would probably be inclined to go for Reidi.
I have no idea about the copper I'm afraid, I don't know how long it would be a problem for.
hth:)
Oh yes, I definately agree with going for Reidi. I have 10 of them and they seem to be pretty hardy.
Joanna
denise.gardner
29-11-08, 01:01
hi it depends whre about in the country you are for the price of seahorses down this way hertfordshire. they are 50pound each enfield or for giant reidis two for 99 at colchester swallow aquatics..elsewise its simply seahorses or bluezoo for mail order but if you go to a shop ask them to feed the horses while your there so you know they are eating i have been caught out more then once with someone saying they eat frozen when they wont.also dont buy tiny little ones there are alot of immature seahorses about and they do not survive.i converted my predaor tank to seahorses with a water change and adding algea and seaweed and it worked out .good luck with them they are well worth the effort because they have so much more personality then normal fish .denise
Thanks for the replies! Simpl Seahorses quoted me that price.
But I went to lfs today, 45 each for a reidi, so will be going ahead with this now :D
Can't wait. So setup questions - what will I be needing? Cheers oh I would also like pipefsh too, what are their requirments? :D
denise.gardner
30-11-08, 00:58
pipefish are nearly the same a seahorses they just need finer food cyclops babybrine shrimp etc again ask to see them feeding first.you need algea weed liverock although you get beasties stuff for them to hitch on .a good clean up crew they are messy devils,a good external.i have a small skimmer [alot of people dont]on my reidi tank and i run a uv to get rid of bacteria but most of all you need patience let you tank mature and make sure you water is spot on.then just add your fish gradually.there are alot of people on this forum who will help you if you get stuck.if you o to the simply seahorse website they have a forum that is very helpful to good luck hope it all works out for you denise
Cheers :)
Its an Orca TL550 so it's an internal 3 stage filter at the back - is thsis OK? I am trying to see if I can fit a hang on skimmer on the back, or I may get a TMC nano skimmer. I'll see what happens:)
stefnibabe
09-12-08, 22:08
Hi saltyell I had my seahorses from simply seahorses and they are doin great. :DThey are also captive bred so they will take frozen food and you have the benefit of knowing you havent added to the problem of the seahorses decline in numbers in the wild. They are also less suseptible to disease so that is also a bonus. So dont totally rule them out:)
They are amazing animals and are fab to watch hope everything works out nice for ya :thumbsup:
Thank you for the advice. :)
UPDATE:
The nano quarantine tank has been with water for a whole year, running on just sponges and ceramics, with no life. Its now time to do it up.
I spoke to lfs and they say that get a 3-4 kilos of live rock ( I am low on cash ) and have some fake SPS in there too. They say that I just need to run the tank on sponges and purigen / carbon on a scheduled basis. That's all I need, they reckon that I don't even need a skimmer. :)
So on Thursday they are doing Christmas Offers, so on that day I will ad my few bits of live rock and a small clean up crew. They reckon I can get the seahorses immediately after xmas. :)
Does this sound Good??
Also could you now explain the finer details of keeping these fish, ie. how to feed them and enrich their food, what to feed them etc. ?
Thank you very much. :D Also could I keep a neon goby with them? I hope to get a neon goby as a first fish, seeing as they are cheap and hardy. :)
What do you all think ?
:)
Hi saltyell
I can tell you are really excited about getting seahorses. :D They are really worth it! I don't see why you shouldn't be able to get your seahorses after Christmas but you should test your water parameters before you put in the seahorses as it is quite soon. Keep an eye on them on the run up to getting your horsies too. If in any doubt, wait!
I don't have a skimmer on my tank either. I have a bag of Purigen in my cannister filter like the LFS recommended. I religiously do good water changes EVERY week, especially because of the amount of messy food that the seahorses eat. I have got quite a few hermits in my tank to assist with the cleaning up of any uneaten food. You MUST do the water changes each week.
Keep your tank temperature at around 24 for the seahorses, you might need to invest in a fan or something to keep it down in the summer as seahorses don't like much higher temperatures. Mine even goes down to 23 in this cold weather and they seem quite happy.
I feed my seahorses three times a day. Because the lights aren't on in the morning when I go to work I pop a lamp on in the room which doesn't shine directly into the tank (so it's not too bright) to wake them up and feed them about half an hour later. I feed them mainly on mysis (I now have some PE mysis which is better) which I put in a little container the night before, put a few drops of Lipovit or some Liposome spray, then put it in the fridge overnight to slowly defrost. In the morning I rinse the food with RO water in a little plastic tea strainer and then add a little to the container so that I can syringe the food into the tank. Don't over feed them (or the nitrates will go right up) but make sure that they get enough. I think less but more often is better. I also give my seahorses frozen brine shrimp and sometimes live brine shrimp although you will need to buy enriched ones or feed them up first as they don't really have any nutritional value. Stick mainly with mysis, PE if poss. I also put cyclopeeze and newly hatched artemia into the tank but that is for my gobies and pipefish.
As for your Neon Goby, that should be fine as here is a link to Seahorse.org tankmates guide and it is only Threat Level 1 which is pretty safe although there may be a little competition for food. Open this link and click on 'Gobies'. It's a really useful guide. http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml
I hope that this makes sense and if you have any more questions just ask. I'm sure that the others will be on here soon to help or give their advice.
Joanna
Thank yo SO much for the advice. And yes, you are right I am very excited! :D
I dont think it would be possible for me o feed them three times a day, would 2 big feeds be OK?
And also this may sound a daft question but the tank is in my bedroom, and over the past 2 years Ive found that my reef display would look much nicer with moonlight LEDs on during the later hours. Can I do the same on my seahorse tank?
Also what other livestock - I have LOTS of xenia at hand so can this go in the seahorse tank? Also what algaes? I am considering ditching the fake coral idea, if I can get ehough algaes. :)
Hey guys
Just a quick heads up - you shouldn't really be mentioning the names of non-sponsers on this Forum, its unfair to the sponsers.
Thank you for the mentionHi saltyell I had my seahorses from simply seahorses and they are doin great. :DThey are also captive bred so they will take frozen food and you have the benefit of knowing you havent added to the problem of the seahorses decline in numbers in the wild. They are also less suseptible to disease so that is also a bonus. So dont totally rule them out:)
They are amazing animals and are fab to watch hope everything works out nice for ya :thumbsup:
Hi Saltyell
If you can't feed them 3 times a day twice should be okay but no less. I wouldn't overfeed though. Could you not feed them in the morning then feed them when you get in and then give them a bit more a while before bedtime. It depends what time you get home and go to bed I suppose.
Moonlight LEDs sound good to me. My seahorse tank main light goes off at 9 but the blue actinic light is on till 10 and in the morning the blue one comes on an hour before the main light again. It's less of a shock for them.
I have xenia in my tank and yes it's fine. You could get various macro algaes but steer clear of feather caleurpa. I bought a really cracking piece the day before yesterday and when I got in from work last night it had crashed and made the tank go cloudy. I whipped it out and all is fine but this is the second time it's happened to me so I'm not risking it again. It was a total waste of £20. :annoyed: Halimeda, Grape Algae and Razor Caleurpa are okay.
As for livestock you could have various pipefish (ideal), clown gobies, jawfish, anything really that isn't a voracious feeder. Check out that website I posted (Seahorse.org) for their advice on suitable tank mates. I've also got hermit crabs, cleaner shrimps, snails and a flame scallop (which I hardly ever see). Today I bought a couple of Peppermint Shrimps but so far my Alligator Pipefish and 2 of the Seahorses have tried to eat them. Obviously they can't as they are too big! :D
HTH a little.
Joanna
thanks for the replies :)
It's 100l, but lfs say I only need 4kg live rick, sponges, and purigen and carbon to filter the tank. Is this adequate? I know that really I need 10kg lr but lfs say to suit my budget less than half if that is ok. How do u guys filter your seahorse tanks, and is my plan suitable? If really necessary I might be able to get hold of a bit more live rock but as said it will be "might."
Thanks ;)
thanks for the replies :)
It's 100l, but lfs say I only need 4kg live rick, sponges, and purigen and carbon to filter the tank. Is this adequate? I know that really I need 10kg lr but lfs say to suit my budget less than half if that is ok. How do u guys filter your seahorse tanks, and is my plan suitable? If really necessary I might be able to get hold of a bit more live rock but as said it will be "might."
Thanks ;)
Hi Saltyell
4kg LR will be absolutely fine in a 100l tank, provided that you maintain your filtration well. Make sure you get good instructions on how to manage your filters from your LFS. What I mean by that is make sure you don't replace or clean all stages of filtration at the same time etc but you probably know that already. I only mention it because it's very important to keep well on top of your maintenance and water changes but you probably know that already too. :cool:
My advice would be to go for the 4kg LR setup for the time being - you can always add more LR if and when circumstances allow. Guess what, that's what we did! :thumbsup:
BTW, don't run carbon full-time. Only in spells of 2-3 weeks every couple of months.
Joanna
or buy it from a local reefer like i am for £5 a rock
Thanks guys for the info!!!
I amm SO excited I can't wait, I have decided to try and keep the inhabitants eco-friendly with tank bred 'ponies:D, neon goby, and an aquacultured shrimp, and propagated and fragged mushies and xenia, all from my reef display.
What other advice, I really really dont want to muck this up! :)
Cheers
Elliot:)
Hi Elliot (sorry I keep calling you Saltyell) :)
What do need to know? Have you bought any seahorse books to help you? One little bit of advice before I forget to tell you, if you see any crabs in your LR, if you can, get them out no matter how little they are. I don't want to scare you but we had an evil little crab that killed one of our seahorses and maimed another. :( It is now in crab hell!
Joanna
Whoa!!! :eek:
Hi Joanna, ( is that your username or real name :p)
I have no books and all researc is coming from the interent. I amupgrading my pathetic CUC for xmas on my reef display, and will be getting many hermits, snails and some shrimps. :) But I would like a CUC for the horsie tank too.
Red leg hermits / electriv blue strip hermits - are these suitable for a seahorse tank? What about snails? How many would I need (for most of the animals must go in the reef due to algae :mad:)
My concern is also LFS say a few kilos (about 4) of nice LR, combined with my fake rock, is all I need. They then say for filtration (the nano has a three stage one at the back ) All i need is a full compartment of sponges, some rowaphos, carbon, and purigen (changed on a regular basis). They say just to clean out ALL the sponges in tap water once a week, as I should do with my reef.
Also what about flow? I have the output nozzle is like a cone thing on the nano, but I would imagine it is to strong for the seahorses. Do I just aim it at the water surface to help limit the strencth of the flow?
Or can I make my own spray bar out of pipe, with little holes in order to disperse the flow?
Also after waitin a couple of weeks after a water change, addin the Live rock and adding the cuc, I would like the first fish to be a neon goby. Would you say it is betetr to get the tank going with a cheap litttle goby rather than with the seahorses. The reasoon for the water change is the water has been filtered by just sponges for so long now. I think about 40 % WC will do it.
Also will I get cyno? and how do I create that essential flow aroud the LR? And for the time being fake SPS coral will be OK?
Thanks SO much for help, I really don't want to muck this up. :)
Also just realised LFS say their seahorses are TMC tank raised Golden seahorses. I asked iif they were H.Reidi. they said yes, but I am not so sure.
What is the differnece between H. Reidi and H. Kuda? H. Kuda look more golden to me.
Does it matter which I keep? And also how can I tell if they are a mated pair?
At first I wanted H.Reidi, but H.Kuda look like the golden ones, or is that just due to their colour changes?
:cheers:
size, pattern, shape, colour, basically kuda are bigger and not very patterned and usually black and reidi are small goldish (normally) with white speckles and patches
Hey Elliot
Yes, Joanna is my real name. :p
Right, where do I start .... yes, hermit crabs are fine with seahorses. I have quite a few red-legged hermits and only have one blue one (which is now in the smaller tank) and seems to have grown quite a bit. I would probably get more red-legged ones but that's just my personal opinion. Maybe someone else knows more about them. The hermits are good for scavenging any uneaten food etc. Snails will be good for cleaning any algae that you have. I don't really know how many to get, your LFS should be able to advise you on that or maybe someone else on the forum. I have quite a lot in my tank. :confused:
As for adding your first fish. I had a little Blue-Stripe Pipefish in the tank first before adding any Seahorses, mainly because I couldn't get any. It will be fine for you to put your Goby in first. You could always consider a little Pipefish at some point as they are lovely little characters. :wub:
You also asked about water changes, spray bar and sponge cleaning.
As the tank hasn't had any life in it yet I would expect an ammonia spike, followed by a nitrite spike, then slowly increasing nitrate once you put living stuff in. Do you have any coral sand and was it 'live'? The best thing to do is add your first fish (goby :D) then monitor for ammonia (NH4) and nitrite (NO2) with daily tests.
Assuming you have another tank, it would be a good idea to use a bit of used filter media from that tank to cycle your new tank at roughly the same time as the first fish is added. This would minimise the ammonia spike as the useful bacteria already in the used sponge are already working. :p
I would use a 25% water change each week for the first few weeks to keep nitrate low. Whatever you do, DON'T wash your filter sponges in tap water as this will most likely get rid of the useful bacteria. I don't know why the LFS told you to do that. All you have to do is rinse them in the water removed from the tank during water changes before you throw the old water away. That removes the solid crud and keeps the useful bacteria alive!
A home-made spray bar sounds good if you can do this. Don't make the holes too small as this will squirt the water out quite strongly. We use a spray bar and find it helps the flow but is not too strong for the seahorses. :applause:
I wouldn't expect you to need to change the Purigen more often than 6 monthly - just whenever it has turned really red.
Our seahorse tank has only got soft corals and not hard plus plenty of macro algae for them to hold onto. Fake SPS is fine and do beware that lots of hard coral types can sting, particularly seahorses as they hold onto whatever is around. Even some so called experts at LFS can't tell which ones will sting (as we found out)!!!! Clams aren't suitable either because of the way they close - seahorse tails beware! :eek:
Last thing is the difference between Kuda and Reidi. I am not an expert on this at all but can see there is a difference between them both. Kuda seem to have deeper chests and shorter snouts and shorter, thicker tails than Reidi. Tank reared Reidi are more hardy in a tank environment but their young are difficult to rear. Reidi means long snout but there are many different sub-species of Reidi. Golden ones should suit you just fine. Ours vary in size and colourings. Some are banded and some are not, some are speckled, some are not and some are even reddy brown in colour. Be warned, they can change colour when in your own tank. I called a nice dark one Ebony, she changed to a whitey colour and is now light yellow. :banghead: :laugh:
If anyone else has any advice for Elliot please say too. I hope this helps a little more and I'll be waiting for the next batch of questions.
Sorry folks for the essay. :whistling:
Joanna
PS Elliot, you have a PM.
i have heard alot about cross breeds of reidi and kuda being commonly sold under vague names like yellow or gold so you may get one of these
Thaks so much for all help.
Very excited now :), and Jo - thanks for the essay! Really thank you very much it is coming in very helpful :D
Out of interest can seahorses tolerate Nitrates? Because if I am using sponges then they are inevitable. Maybe if I wash the sponges once a month in tap H20, in order to keep them down a little.
I do love pipefish, and I think I may try one at a later stage (that sounds like I am going to eat it :lol:)
I am in a hurry at mo so will come back on later :)
Horses ideally want zero nitrates but will tolerate a maximum of 10ppm, also if you get tank breed SH it would be a bad idea to get pipe fish as most are wild caught and as they are close SH relations cross infections may occur, its happed to loads of people, even when mixing tank reared from different sources. Also don't place to much emphasis on color as chances are they wont look the same a week after you get them home as they did in the shop.
I read a paper that suggested that in a tank environment they SH reverts to its basic colors as they are not required to blend in as there are no threats.
Well as long as they are tank bred and fairly hardy then I am happy :)
To be honest because I will have perhaps quite little LR and just the three stage filter I do not think I would have got a pipefish, I would like to keep the stocking levels low.:) Just the Seahorses and the Neon Goby :)
Also one more little question could I keep a boxing / coral banded shrimp in the seahorse tank? Or are these shrimp too boisterous for theses slow and gentle creatures?
:thanks:
i have been told not to but others may think different i will find the site i used in a sec for you it shows risk levels although some are a little different from what some people say ie chromis but nothing is definate but if you are not sure dont bother or be prepard to move it or test its habits in your other tank to see if it does for anything
http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml
here you go but ignor the copperbanded bit they are fine
Thanks, was it seahorse.org by any chance? I will ave a look there too, I was just looking for a bit of personal experience, like everyone seems to have different views on things, but that is the nature of the hobby:).
To play it safe then I suppose I'll just stick with a cleaer shrimp. I think there is a pistol / (Mantis :eek:) in my reef and the last 2 cleaners didnt do very well, just dispappeared. :(
Lets hope there won't be any "unwanted guests" in the SH Stables! :lol:
Horses ideally want zero nitrates but will tolerate a maximum of 10ppm, also if you get tank breed SH it would be a bad idea to get pipe fish as most are wild caught and as they are close SH relations cross infections may occur, its happed to loads of people, even when mixing tank reared from different sources. Also don't place to much emphasis on color as chances are they wont look the same a week after you get them home as they did in the shop.
I read a paper that suggested that in a tank environment they SH reverts to its basic colors as they are not required to blend in as there are no threats.
Zero nitrates would be pretty difficult to achieve in a Seahorse tank because of their feeding regime. I try to keep my nitrates at 10 but even that is difficult sometimes because of the amount of seahorses I have. I just do an extra water change every so often to bring the levels down. I have snake, alligator and blue-stripe pipefish and they haven't infected my seahorses. I can see your point though if they are wild caught. Aren't the blue-stripe pipefish tank bred now?? They are the perfect addition to a seahorse tank as they are small and full of character.
Joanna
Thanks, was it seahorse.org by any chance? I will ave a look there too, I was just looking for a bit of personal experience, like everyone seems to have different views on things, but that is the nature of the hobby:).
To play it safe then I suppose I'll just stick with a cleaer shrimp. I think there is a pistol / (Mantis :eek:) in my reef and the last 2 cleaners didnt do very well, just dispappeared. :(
Lets hope there won't be any "unwanted guests" in the SH Stables! :lol:
Hi Elliot
That was the website that I recommended earlier in this thread when you were talking about getting the Neon Goby. Cleaner shrimps and peppermint shrimps are fine with seahorses. Not sure about boxing and coral banded shrimps. Check the website. Boxing shrimps look vicious! :eek:
Joanna
Boxing shrimps look vicious! :eek:
Joanna
That's why I like 'em!!! :D
Nah I think I will stick with a cleaner shrimp, :lol:lol.
I am SO excited now, I am just counting down the days to Christmas now so then I can get the tank going immediately after! :D
Oh by the way I'll put up some pics of the tank itself at the moment, and it'll soon be time to start thinking about aquascaping plans! :D
I was thinking maybe a sunken ship type ornament in the tank, with long lines of rope joining various bits of rock and stuff. I know that most decor in a marine tank looks naff, but a seahorse habitat in a sunken ship lagoon sounds cool :D Otherwise I;ll just do fake SPS and seaweedy things :D
Mind you a skull with a green star polyp mohican would be AMAZE! :lol:
What do you guys think? Obviously its whats best for the horses, too :D
That's why I like 'em!!! :D
Nah I think I will stick with a cleaner shrimp, :lol:lol.
I am SO excited now, I am just counting down the days to Christmas now so then I can get the tank going immediately after! :D
Ha ha, what are you like? Cleaner Shrimps are down as a Risk Level 3 in Seahorse Org I think but I don't have any problems with them at all. They occasionally 'clean' the seahorses who grin and bear it. I was in stitches this morning ... my pearly jawfish lives under a rock in a deep hole that it has dug and one of the seahorses was peering into it. The Jawfish (Scoop it's called) put it's head onto the side of the seahorse and pushed it all the way out. :laugh: It wasn't at all vicious, just removed him gently. :D
Joanna
PS I can't tell that you're excited at all. :cool:
Oh by the way I'll put up some pics of the tank itself at the moment, and it'll soon be time to start thinking about aquascaping plans! :D
I was thinking maybe a sunken ship type ornament in the tank, with long lines of rope joining various bits of rock and stuff. I know that most decor in a marine tank looks naff, but a seahorse habitat in a sunken ship lagoon sounds cool :D Otherwise I;ll just do fake SPS and seaweedy things :D
Mind you a skull with a green star polyp mohican would be AMAZE! :lol:
What do you guys think? Obviously its whats best for the horses, too :D
At the end of the day it's down to personal choice but make sure you have lots of hitching posts for the horsies. :)
Joanna
AAAwww...
Goes to how how they all get along :)
What do you think of aquascaping plans? :)
Zero nitrates would be pretty difficult to achieve in a Seahorse tank because of their feeding regime. I try to keep my nitrates at 10 but even that is difficult sometimes because of the amount of seahorses I have. I just do an extra water change every so often to bring the levels down. I have snake, alligator and blue-stripe pipefish and they haven't infected my seahorses. I can see your point though if they are wild caught. Aren't the blue-stripe pipefish tank bred now?? They are the perfect addition to a seahorse tank as they are small and full of character.
Joanna
i feed them in a dish and remove the excess, and change water often. my nitrates are really low, i am obsesive with levels its coz im a scientist i think. Cross contamination is a big problem tho. If you do mix them you should run a good UV to kill any bacteria and parasites. my seahorse used to ride a pipefish i had until it got so stressed i had to move him.
denise.gardner
19-12-08, 00:22
joanna if you want your reidis to colour up put some bright colours in the tank like nylon ropes,seahorses are like chameleons and change colour to there surroundings also sent your eggs yesterday so hope they arrive soon...seahorses do not like nitrates they can tolerate low amounts but you will get blooms i put a nitrate remover in my filters and use ro water which really helps.dont wash your sponges in h20 tap water contains nitrate and will increase them as well as killing off your bacteria.to keep them down take out any waste food and fish waste and do reg water changes.you are less likely to have a nitrate spike if your using sponges then canisters because the bio process produces them.when i started with the seahorses i lost some because nitrate lowered their defence systems.kuda tend to be smaller then reidi and as joanna says have shorter snouts and a more pronounced crown.the place that sells horses online [cant say who] have giant reidi at 55pounds and if you have a swallowaquatics near you they sell them at 99 for two they are by far one of the hardiest breeds about and you get great colours plus they are very busy not just sitting there like some.dont know if this is any help to you ....denise
Oh, yes it is of help! :D
I will be getting my seahorses directly from TMC (where they are bred) and they are "giant yelow", LFS do say they are H.reidi.
i feed them in a dish and remove the excess, and change water often. my nitrates are really low, i am obsesive with levels its coz im a scientist i think. Cross contamination is a big problem tho. If you do mix them you should run a good UV to kill any bacteria and parasites. my seahorse used to ride a pipefish i had until it got so stressed i had to move him.
^ I do not understand, do you put the pipefissh in a dish to feed them?? :eek:
Also I would like to put lines of rope going this way and that in the tank, to look like a sort of shipwrecl lagoon effect, are ropes safe and do you just tie the ends to rocks and things to kep them in???
:cnfused:
Thanks for all help. :D
i feed them in a dish and remove the excess, and change water often. my nitrates are really low, i am obsesive with levels its coz im a scientist i think. Cross contamination is a big problem tho. If you do mix them you should run a good UV to kill any bacteria and parasites. my seahorse used to ride a pipefish i had until it got so stressed i had to move him.
I do a good water change on my tank every week but I have 10 seahorses so you can imagine how much food they need. Mine prefer to chase after the food like they would in the wild and it would have to be a pretty big dish for all 10 of them to feed. I also feed my Alligator Pipefish which can't eat from a dish. My seahorses occasionally ride my Alligator, sometimes it doesn't mind but if it does it shakes them off. How many seahorses do you have?
joanna if you want your reidis to colour up put some bright colours in the tank like nylon ropes,seahorses are like chameleons and change colour to there surroundings also sent your eggs yesterday so hope they arrive soon...seahorses do not like nitrates they can tolerate low amounts but you will get blooms i put a nitrate remover in my filters and use ro water which really helps.dont wash your sponges in h20 tap water contains nitrate and will increase them as well as killing off your bacteria.to keep them down take out any waste food and fish waste and do reg water changes.you are less likely to have a nitrate spike if your using sponges then canisters because the bio process produces them.when i started with the seahorses i lost some because nitrate lowered their defence systems.kuda tend to be smaller then reidi and as joanna says have shorter snouts and a more pronounced crown.the place that sells horses online [cant say who] have giant reidi at 55pounds and if you have a swallowaquatics near you they sell them at 99 for two they are by far one of the hardiest breeds about and you get great colours plus they are very busy not just sitting there like some.dont know if this is any help to you ....denise
Hi Denise
Thanks for sending the eggs. I'll let you know when I get them. Much appreciated. :D
At what level are your nitrates normally?
Joanna
Hi again.
I ave been thinking about scape plans. :) Can rope go in an aquarium? I think it would look really good. :)
I know that generally ornaments in marine aquaria are "no - gos" but I have a plan. How about the front of a shipwreck nestled amongst rocks and tall sea weeds and plants, to create a shipwreck lagoon effect. I would also like ropes going across the tank in different directions. :) This way the seahorses will have the rope and the shipwreck thing to hitch to, as well as the algaes. If I go down this route I will probably steer away from fake coral.
Here is my plan (rubbish drawing) :
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/saltyell/seahorseplan.jpg
What do you think?
Are ropes safe to put in aquaria? I am bored of just the live rock effect (I have a reef like that) so I think a shipwreck lagoon (if scaped well) could look good. :)
What do you think?
:thanks:
Elliot :)
denise.gardner
20-12-08, 00:54
buy the nylon ropes you can get them at most diy shops or wilkos tie the on to rock or posts it does help keep there colour .i have giant yellows and they are very hardy.the only thing to make sure is there is no where for them to get trapped.som people put a small dish or plastic container in the tank and using a baster put the food in the dish the seahorses soon get used to this and will go there for food,it makes it easy to just suck out the uneaten food but im like joanna and just feed from the top but still in the same area.my nitrates in the reidi tank are 0to 5 and zero in the barbouri i have a constant meter for nitrates and i use a yearly sensor for ammonia but i still twice a week tests.but at the moment in putting fresh water in the large tank every daybecause im taking water from there for the babies.your plan looks quite good plenty of hitching places but ive the horses a clear area to feed but still hitch my reidis will go to the bottom and take food but the barbouris wont.anyway goodluck with it denise.
I do nt undertsnad what you are saying about feeding the horses in a dish? :confused:
Dont the bits of food drift away??? :confused:
Sorry its probably blatantly obvious wat you mean but I'm just thick! :lol:
Hi Elliot, your plan of action looks good but like Denise said, leave a clear space for the horses to feed. I don't know much about the rope but if you are just fed up of the LR effect like you said then go for it. I don't know how you know if the rope is safe to put in the tank though, maybe Denise will be able to help. The algae idea is excellent as this will create a nice, safe environment for the seahorses to hitch and sleep in and should also help with nitrates.
I know that some people feed the seahorses from a dish or even a shell and I'm presuming that the filter and pumps would be turned off to stop the food from drifting. I turn my filter and pump off to feed anyway, I've just got to remember to put it back on. I leave the tank lid up so that I remember.
HTH.
Joanna
Hi Elliot, your plan of action looks good but like Denise said, leave a clear space for the horses to feed. I don't know much about the rope but if you are just fed up of the LR effect like you said then go for it. I don't know how you know if the rope is safe to put in the tank though, maybe Denise will be able to help. The algae idea is excellent as this will create a nice, safe environment for the seahorses to hitch and sleep in and should also help with nitrates.
I know that some people feed the seahorses from a dish or even a shell and I'm presuming that the filter and pumps would be turned off to stop the food from drifting. I turn my filter and pump off to feed anyway, I've just got to remember to put it back on. I leave the tank lid up so that I remember.
HTH.
Joanna
Thanks. :)
Good thing seahorses don't jump then!!! (Unlike 1 unforunate Randall's Goby :cry: RIP Jazz :(
My LFS have some really nice red algae in, it is sort of like branches, looks PERFECT for the SH tank. I am going to reserve it soon . :)
Also they have some fake plants in, and also this really nice lime green hair algae, looks fantastic.!
I also came across a really nice shipwreck ornament, complete with broken masts and things, so it will look awesome with seahorses hitched on to it!!
I am SO excited, the plan is that immediately after Christmas I will get the LR, CUC and algae in there. Then the goby. Then the seahorses!!! :D:D:applause::thumbsup::rolleyes:
denise.gardner
20-12-08, 19:32
if you have the bowl or dish in a still area of the tank the food stays in the bottom .nylon rope should be safe as the colour is sealed .a lot of places do this to keep the seahorses colours bright.mysis when you feed normally sinks to the bottom of the tank some people have a tube just above the dish and put the food down there if you turn any filter or powerheads that disturbe the area turn them off until youve finished and when the horses are finished turn back on but syphon of the excess food first.i think it really is a case of trial and error some horses like to feed this way and it has to be better for your water quality and you shouldnt get too many bristle worms this way.....yours denise.ps i tried the ropes i got them from b&q just make sure they have no chemicals on them
Thanks for the advice. :)
This brings me onto the subject of flow - they do not like flow do they? It is an orca nano and there is one cone shaped outlet, thats all. Can I direct this at the water surface in order to minimalize strong flows? or do I need to make some kind of spray bar to disperse the flow out?
:thanks:
Elliot. :)
denise.gardner
20-12-08, 23:20
hi elliot,seahorse dont mind a mild flow of water sometimes they even sit in it you can direct it at the surface but it may produce bubbles,somepeople use a spray bar but make sure it dosntmake too small a bubble best to have it under the surface of the water to stop them.yours denise
Thanks for the iinfo, I think I may get some pipe and a 90ø bender so that I can aim the flow directly at the side of the tank and disperse the flow. Does this sound good? :)
denise.gardner
21-12-08, 00:32
that might be an idea but you still need a bit of flow in the tank elsewise you end up with stale patches of water it may pay to have it facing downwards.i have three seahorse tanks soon to be four.tank 1 the reidi tank has an external running the uv.an internal also a small fish for fun internal uv with filter incase i lose any of the others i also run a small skimmer £7 on ebay i also have 30 kilos of live rock in that tank plus assorted corals.tank two is 55 gallons it has an external 305 which is running at half flow it has a large skimmer [a turbo floater] i also run a uv plus a larger fish for fun filter/uv.the third tank is my nursery tankwhich has only got an airline in but i do water changes 1/2 times aday i also put in a fish for fun uv in there everyso often.the fish for fun uv filters are a good idea and you can pick them up for £20 they are a great help in keeping your water clean and stopping bacterial infections.i hope this is some help to you i think if you shop around and even look on ebay its not going to cost a fortune.....yours denise
I do a good water change on my tank every week but I have 10 seahorses so you can imagine how much food they need. Mine prefer to chase after the food like they would in the wild and it would have to be a pretty big dish for all 10 of them to feed. I also feed my Alligator Pipefish which can't eat from a dish. My seahorses occasionally ride my Alligator, sometimes it doesn't mind but if it does it shakes them off. How many seahorses do you have?
Sorry not replied got stuck with x mas stuff, i have a 300l with 12 Reidi in, a 100l with Barbouri in and about a 1000 odd fry of both types at any one time. also had a mixed pipe and SH tank as they were all from the same tank at the LFS but the got split up as the SH spent all day trying to ride the pipe, hes settled for riding the conch now.
I have them all trained to a large shell as a feeding station in each tank. it saves on the mess and killed off all my bristle worms too. The wife is getting me another pair of Barbouri for Xmas too.
back on topic watch the TMC fish as i have heard that they are not all tank bred and there seems to be a shortage too. simply's are def CB as they are from one of the Australian captive breeder programs, hence the higher price, i think the cost is worth it for better stock quality as some of the UK Reidi and kuda are hybrids making rearing a bit hard.
Sorry not replied got stuck with x mas stuff, i have a 300l with 12 Reidi in, a 100l with Barbouri in and about a 1000 odd fry of both types at any one time. also had a mixed pipe and SH tank as they were all from the same tank at the LFS but the got split up as the SH spent all day trying to ride the pipe, hes settled for riding the conch now.
I have them all trained to a large shell as a feeding station in each tank. it saves on the mess and killed off all my bristle worms too. The wife is getting me another pair of Barbouri for Xmas too.
back on topic watch the TMC fish as i have heard that they are not all tank bred and there seems to be a shortage too. simply's are def CB as they are from one of the Australian captive breeder programs, hence the higher price, i think the cost is worth it for better stock quality as some of the UK Reidi and kuda are hybrids making rearing a bit hard.
And thought I had a lot of seahorses. :D
hi.
So with regards to flow not much is needed.:)
I have now discovered that the tank is 80 litres. I plan for 4 - 8 kilos of LR, then first compartment sponges, second rowaphos, carbon , and purigen, and third ceramics.
Does this sound OK?:)
( I have more questions about feeding etc. But the bigger questions like filtration as above come first :lol:
Also it is just a three stage filter at the back of the tank. I cAn't get a skimmer / UV / external.
Please comment :thumbsup:
denise.gardner
24-12-08, 00:01
hi there is an internal uv called fish for fun it is also an internal filter so will give you backup if your filter breaks down ,just type it in on google but look around because they start at £20.they are a good idea to stop bacterial infections.you dont have to have a skimmer but if you want one you can pick anew small internal skimmer for about £10 with postage but it is up to you.i lost 4 kudas because my uv wasnt working.the uv is only small and can easierly be put at the back or side of your tank but i myself would go for one or the other.you will work out your feeding the horses will let you know when they are hungrey 2/3 times a day.everyone has a different way of feeding their fish.in a bowl spot feeding/i get a plastic cup put the frozon food in it add a little tank water and swill it around and as it melts pour it in .it is different with the barbouri they like spot feeding but the reidi will eat the food from the bottom as well as in the water.my reidi tank has a built in filter but i also use an external.best thing is to look around see what other people have then work out what you want.......denise
Thanks for the advice . :)
But will the plan I mentioned earlier be sufficient?
No skimmer, no UV, just LR and the filter at the back of the tank?
I am getting all TB stock from the same source so disease will be minimal.
Will the plan mentioned earlir be OK?
:thanks:
should be thats how i kept mine
awesome.
So I will get my tank going that way, will consider a uv later. But tbh I dont have the money and though its very helpfl on my reef I dont think it will do much on the horsie tank.
Woop! Got 5 kilos of live rock and some red branch algae today!!! I've ordered my seahorses too! :clap:
I will post pics soon right now as I write this i am half way through scaping :thumbsup:
Scape is DONE!!! :thumbsup:
Pics will come soon today, camera is charging up !
woop woop wooooop woop
And here are the pics !!! Please comment :D
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/saltyell/IMG_0319.jpg
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/saltyell/IMG_0320.jpg
http://i376.photobucket.com/albums/oo201/saltyell/IMG_0321.jpg
WWoop liev rock in, ship wreck in, my rope is in, and I have already bought some red branching algae!!
My Neon goby and seahorses are coming in to the shop on the 8th of Jan, but I'll get them to hold the SHs for a week or two after. Here's some pics of the tank Im well chuffed with the scape
denise.gardner
28-12-08, 21:42
hi its looks good i like the red bamboo its adds colour where did you get your ship from?
hi its looks good i like the red bamboo its adds colour where did you get your ship from?
Denise you have just made my day!!! Thank you!! :D
Another forum has been violently jipping my ship, when actually I quite like it!! Im glad you do too!!
:D :thumbsup::thanks::worship:
I got it from Worcs Aquatic Centre, my Local LFS. I couldnt find one as nice as this on the net, sorry. Ity has lovely masts for the horrses to hold on to, thats why I like it :)
Denise do you think that this tank is pretty much SHs safe now? Enough hitching posts? I plan to get a few more Live algaes and a false marine plant or two but what you see is the basic scaffolding for what I hope to be a lovely tank.
:D thanky thankyou thank you :D
Hi Elliot
I think it's nice too and the seahorses will look cool hanging off that mast. :D
Joanna
Hi you're here! :D
Thanks for the kind comments, so you wouldnt ditch the ship or the rope? awesome.
but my oly worry is is there too many holes in the rock whee they can get caught? But otherwise Im loving it, the neon goby will go in first and all will be well (Ihope :p)
denise.gardner
28-12-08, 22:30
hi elliot i have holes all over my tank in the rock etc on the odd occassion one of the reidi gets suck behind the skimmer but she gets out.thy like holding onto things they do need holes to go into sometimes as they sometimes need out time .are you getting a male and female or are you going for two boys or girls
Thanks:)
I am getting boy and girl, a mated pair, because I want to see their courting rituals :D
I know they will breed but I' ok just let the fry go, but I would like to at least try and raise them in the future:)
denise.gardner
28-12-08, 22:51
if your not keeping the fry you will need to take them out as they will foul the water as they will be sucked into your filter.buy a cheap bowl £1 at pound land add an airline and feed on baby brine shrimp you never know you might be lucky .they are sweet hen they court every morning mine pair up and go around the tank holding tails it is quite sweet then just before hes due she trys to take him to the oher side of the tank thats arnie and katherine,spike and tina the barbouris spend most the day apart but sleep together and go for their morning swim.as soon as arnie has his young he swims around her and will not leave her alone until she lays her eggs that can go on all day
So in the fry rearer tank do I need a small internal filer? :thanks:
denise.gardner
29-12-08, 12:53
no just an airline just buy a small airpump and some airline the ridged stuff is best the fry are so small they would be sucked up a filter you can buy one of those small sponge filters but at first i just use an airline and do water changes taking the water from the dads tank
sounsd cool, cant wait now :D
Any other avice for the keeping of seahorses and the ideal tank decor for them?
And also I have put some pulsing xenia in the tank I assume this is OK I fragged it from my reef. :)
:thanks:
sounsd cool, cant wait now :D
Any other avice for the keeping of seahorses and the ideal tank decor for them?
And also I have put some pulsing xenia in the tank I assume this is OK I fragged it from my reef. :)
:thanks:
Hi Elliot
The Xenia is fine, I have some in my tank. What about some more macro algae for the horsies. They really like it to sleep in and forage around and it also helps with nitrates. :D
Joanna
HHmm... I will try and get some macro, LFS dont stock stuff like that so often, which is why I reserved the red bamboo alage weeks before I even aset up the seahorse tank up!!
But for now are there enough hitch posts?
Im rerally excited but nervous at the same time `I cant muck this up!! My mum always feels sad when she sees Seahorses in public aquariums, she thinks theyre taken from the wild and always have sad faces on. :( :lol:
So as u can imagine I cannot muck up, these seahorses musn't suffer and must stay happy!!! :thanks:
By the way I am leaving the ceramics in the filter, LFS also say to leave the bioballs in but i may take them out...
Hi Elliot
Try not to worry too much, just keep asking questions on here and researching on the net and you should be fine. Also make sure your water is spot on at all times and don't slack on the water changes. Hopefully you should get those books soon too (I'll let you know when they are despatched). Tell your Mum that the seahorses aren't from the wild and have only seen the inside of a tank so they don't know any different. :)
Yes, you will have enough hitch posts for now. They will hitch onto your ship for sure. :p Can't wait to see some photos. I take it you know what temperature and salinity to keep the seahorses at? We've probably covered all that but I can't remember for sure. Memory loss comes with old age. :laugh:
Joanna
Once again thanks for the books :D
Yeah I know all the perams they need, just temperature - they like around 24º right? my reef runs at 25º C.
I also found some caulerpa in my reef that has gone in the SH tank. And tonight I have begun a mushroom propagator in my reeef tank to grow 2 nice green mushies, which can go in the SH tank too :thumbsup: ( I have decided not to BUY a single coral for the SH tank, and instead grow them all from the reef :))
Exciting this :D
denise.gardner
29-12-08, 22:31
hi elliot it looks like you only need your livestock now when the weather is better i will send you some mushrooms i have blue ,red and green striped .as joanna says just watch your water parms and you should be fine .the only thing i noticed is your tank is an orca so make sure you dont let the water level drop to much elsewise your filter will chuck out bubbles my next door neighbour has an orca and she always lets the water drop down too low
yeah it is annoying, however without a skimmer it doesnt drop too fast.
Cant have the ponies eating bubbles can we? :) Or else theyl get the dread GBD :(
:lol:
Thanks for the mushies, however I dont mean to ebe picky but theses are aquacultured in your own tank? Because my SH tank is going to be a tank raised species only tank :D (apart from the LR)
I have cut a green mushie in half and in 3 weeks time the 2 new ones can go in the SH tank and should grw nicely. :)
Thattle be awesome if you could perhaps send some (however they may have to be sent to my LFS but I would rather wiat till the wather is better) :)
BTW thanks for all help, especcially yourself and joanna, this tank shall work (i hope :lol:)
denise.gardner
30-12-08, 00:31
hi elliot,these are mushies i have cultered myself i dont see any reason why your tank wont work iknow you have spent alot of time and effort trying to get it right.if you have any problems there will always be people to help.it is scary starting a new species tank i had all this before so i know how you feel i even phoned the bloke who writes seahorse books.i have kept marine fish for years i have had a predator tank with puffers ,lionfish and i even had a shark which i hatched from an egg/purse.ive had the pretty fish tank but i must say that i much prefer my horses the first few days are scary you check them all the time and worry that their not feeding enough you check the water all the time butafter awhile you will just start to enjoy these magical creatures.you will get lots of different advice from people but really just go with how you feel.if you cant get hold of anyone on the forum speak to your supplier as they should know your fish.......denise
Thanks, I must say if it wasn't for people on this forum I would have given seahorses a complete miss thinking they are too difficult.
I considered a dwarf puffer tank originally, but like you have said SHs ae by far more interesting, thats why I am really excited :lol:
ut to make sure seahorses are relatively easy right? Just regullar water changes (as on my reef) and feeding 2 - 3 times a day?
How long does it take to feed them, because I will have to wake up earlier before school to give them their morining feed. The lights will probably be off at this time so how do I wake them up???
:thanks: [ sorry now Im just thinking up a question to everything :lol: ]
Also would you reccommend keping the ceramics in there (because I dont have quite enough LR (only 5kg). and the BioBals -> shall I take these out?
LFS say leave both the bioballs and the ceramics in the filter.
:thanks:
Also just been browsing and I have some macroalgae in both my reef and SH to be tank, and does it ever crash??? I am concerned about this now.... :confused:
But I aint even sure what its called. Its sort of green and is like this in the picture http://www.liveaquaria.com/images/general/la_macroalgae1.jpg
does it need pruning? Does it crash?? And does it need extended light hours?? I think it is called halimedea. I need to know because I have some in both my reef and SH tank.
:thanks:
denise.gardner
30-12-08, 12:13
if you turn lights on when you get up by the time youve got dressed and brushed your teeth you will be ready to feed them it will take 5mins.keep the ceramics and bioballs,yes caulepera can crash but if you watch it if it goes clear cut it down halimedea is like cactus so you dont have to cut it back much.
if you turn lights on when you get up by the time youve got dressed and brushed your teeth you will be ready to feed them it will take 5mins.keep the ceramics and bioballs,yes caulepera can crash but if you watch it if it goes clear cut it down halimedea is like cactus so you dont have to cut it back much.
Thankks :)
So does that eman halimeda still can crash?
And also the lights on the SH tank will be going off quite late (about 10pm / 11pm (so I can watch them in bed)) so is it OK for them to come on at 7.30 am and go off at about 1045pm?
:thanks:
PS I may get some moonlights :thumbsup:
denise.gardner
30-12-08, 22:07
my seahorses like late nights as well they tend to go to bed about 1am and up about 9 so yours should be fine.i dont think halimeda can crash like caulepera and caulepera shouldnt crash if you dont let it over grow if you give it a trim every so often .i have had it for years its never crashed just if it starts to change colour go see through trim it so you take those bits off.it is very good for your nitrates....denise
All is good then. :)
Awesome. !! :D
Just counting down the days now :( at least the neon goby is coming next week. :)
Run it by me once more - completely everything I need to know to feed them, and which method - using a bowl? Or pipette feeding to begin with?
:thanks: Elliot
Don't forget to turn off your filter while you feed the horses so the food doesn't get sucked away but then make sure you put it back on afterwards. :D Put a lamp on in the morning, start getting ready for school then feed them when they have woken up a bit. Mine expect their food as soon as they have been woken up. :D
It's a pleasure to help you. Denise knows a lot more about Seahorses than I do but I'll keep on helping you where I can.
Joanna
All is good then. :)
Awesome. !! :D
Just counting down the days now :( at least the neon goby is coming next week. :)
Run it by me once more - completely everything I need to know to feed them, and which method - using a bowl? Or pipette feeding to begin with?
:thanks: Elliot
I forgot this bit! It's up to you which way you feed them. You can either put the food in from the top of the water or feed them in a dish or upturned shell. Your choice. Like I've said before, I feed them from the top but then I have 10 of them and they like swimming round after the food plus it would be a nightmare to feed 10 seahorses from the same dish as they sometimes get tangled up now when chasing after food. I just use a big syringe to put the food in the tank. I put some frozen mysis in a little plastic container the night before, add some Lipovit or Liposome Spray to it and leave it in the fridge overnight to thaw slowly and soak in the enrichment. In the morning I rinse the food with RO water in a little plastic tea strainer then put it back in the container and add some more RO water, ready to syringe. This food lasts all day.
Joanna
denise.gardner
30-12-08, 22:31
joanna i think that you underestimate yourself i think that you are very knowledgeable more then you give yourself credit. i have learnt things from you as well.elliot try feeding with apippet first then later try with the bowl also ask your supplier how they feed them i get a plastic throwaway beaker put the frozon food in there add a little tank water swill it around and add as soon as it has melted to cut down on pathogens but some people just swish the block in the water.its a matter of trial and error.
Yeah I rinse the frozen marine mix food in tank water before I feed it to my reef. :) so will do the same with my seahorses:)
Thanks forr the advice. To begin with I will hand feed them with the pipette / turkey baster and squirt the mysis near their area.
But that brings me on to the next Q - what to feed? Just mysis with enrichments? What enrichments do I need to use?? And also can I give them a bit of live brine shrimp every now and then??
What else to feed them?
Thanks to both of you, I've found that websites aboutt captive seahorses are fairly limited compared to other marine fishh so this section of UR has been a god send to me!±! :thanks:
Regards, Ellmo :p
denise.gardner
30-12-08, 22:40
i would give them mysis enriched with someting like lipovit ask at the fish store different ones recommed different things.they can givethem live brine shrimp but not too often itslike chocolate to them they like the taste but its no very nutricious.as i said before i give mine river shrimp which you would only give them two they like to hunt them and it gives them something to do other then watch wildlife programs on tv.........denise
i would give them mysis enriched with someting like lipovit ask at the fish store different ones recommed different things.they can givethem live brine shrimp but not too often itslike chocolate to them they like the taste but its no very nutricious.as i said before i give mine river shrimp which you would only give them two they like to hunt them and it gives them something to do other then watch wildlife programs on tv.........denise
OK so I ned to enrich their food. And on occasion give them live foods to occupy them....
But allow them to watch wildlife programs on TV?? :confused: well y telly is fairly close to the tank so I suppose....
You being serious??
:thanks:
stefnibabe
30-12-08, 22:45
Elliot your tank looks cool!!! I love the ship its awesome!!!! I want to get an Orca 550 for my seahorses now; i have the 450 at the mo. Would like red sea but too expensive. :annoyed:
You'll be fine with them there alot easier to look after than you think ;) Especially the captive bred ones.
I feed my horses from above just squirt it in with a pipette and they like to hunt it! Or just wait till it floats past them if they're in lazy mode. Its funny as watching them reach out and giving up if they just cant reach.:laugh:
Steph
denise.gardner
30-12-08, 23:06
i used to let them watch eastenders but when they started fighting, stole a car and wanted to go down the pub i had to put a stop to it and hey went around with sad faces tried them on qi but they started to know more then me and you cant have that.so wildlife it is
i used to let them watch eastenders but when they started fighting, stole a car and wanted to go down the pub i had to put a stop to it and hey went around with sad faces tried them on qi but they started to know more then me and you cant have that.so wildlife it is
Thanks for all the advice, stefnibabe. :)
I am a wee bit confused now - can I really allow my seahorses to watch TV? Are there any benefits? (Or am I jyust being stoopid? :lol:)
Thanks for the kind comments on the shipwreck, I really like it too, on another forum they ridiculed it and compared it to a spongebob squarepants goldfish starter kit!! :eek: :(
I just wish I could speed up time now.... ;lol:
denise.gardner
30-12-08, 23:23
all fish take an interest in whats going on around them i dont know so much about seahorses but i know my puffer watched both us and the tv so we will never know?
That's cool.
But what do you mean you do not know much about SHs??
You know loads! :D
I have a pet parrot and have loads of plastic bird toys lying around, I saw a vid today of some bird toyss in a seahorse tank and the SHs were playing with the toys! Looked awesome:) but do you think there is already enough going on in the tank for them? I''ll get a bit more seaweed / algae (both live and false) but I think I am just about there .... :confused: :D
:thanks:
denise.gardner
30-12-08, 23:59
i dont know their tv habits very well.the thing is elliot when you get them to enjoy them and not to worry too much.you have to watch things that are not designed for salt water as they may put something in the water you dont want the people in the vid had more then likely treated them but they are curious and will investegate anything new in the tank and sometimes sulk when things are moved
ok so I think there is enough in the tank now regarding décor. By the way how would you reccommend accimatizing the SHs and how long for? Is it ok to expose them to air for a few seconds? And just hold them rather than using a net? :thanks:
denise.gardner
31-12-08, 00:34
it depends on the tempeture when you bring them home float the bag as you would with any of your fish then after about 30mins open the bag and add a little bit of our water add a little more untilyou havenearly flooded the bag do this slowly then open the top of the bag as wide as poss keeping it open tilt the bag to allow the seahorses to swim into the tank.do not allow them to have their heads out of water as it could be very bad for them.keep the light off for a little while while they get used to their new home.i would not handle them at first as they will have been through alot ofnew things and it can make them stress add a little cycle before you put them in as it should help them settle.it is a good idea to use cycle or something like that because it not only conditions the water it cuts down on stress or use something like stresszyme.
ok thanks for the info so really it's the same as any other marine fish:) but I have never used cycle before is it a must? I have heard of stresszyme
denise.gardner
31-12-08, 01:02
it just helps its not something you have to have
KK thats kool then :)
So my filter of live rock, sponges, rowaphos and cermaics and bioballs is deffo OK?
denise.gardner
01-01-09, 01:30
its pretty much what i have in my internal and externals the only difference is i use polyfilter as well for nitrates
KK thats good, will use polyfilter too then :)
Really Exciting now. Anything else at all that I ought to know? :thanks:
denise.gardner
01-01-09, 12:33
hi elliott happy new year i think you have just about got all the bases covered now,you just need to get your fish and put him in before you put in the seahorses and that should be that.youve got your food remember to only feed as much as they will eat what i do is add a little then a little more until they stop showing interest they vary each day and each meal.if you can feed them 3 times a day it is best morning after school/college then eve at least 1to 2hours before they have lights out.remember to check your water before you add them and regulary after it might pay you to get some cycle because it does boost your filter and conditions your water.are you using ro water?
Happy New Year ! :D
Thanks for the info, all systems go now :D
Yes I do use RO water, I have a RO unit so that will be helpful enabling me to do more frequent water changes. :)
Food: mysis, brine shrimp and occassionally live Baby Brine Shrimp. all enriched? Am I right there?
:thanks:
joanna i think that you underestimate yourself i think that you are very knowledgeable more then you give yourself credit. i have learnt things from you as well.elliot try feeding with apippet first then later try with the bowl also ask your supplier how they feed them i get a plastic throwaway beaker put the frozon food in there add a little tank water swill it around and add as soon as it has melted to cut down on pathogens but some people just swish the block in the water.its a matter of trial and error.
Aww, thank you Denise. :) I've learnt a lot from you too. That's what we're here for though isn't it, to share our knowledge and experiences! :D We have a few Reidi babies (only about 6 though) which we're trying to raise. They aren't even a week old yet though but I'm applying the advice that you gave me, plus using the San Francisco brine shrimp. :p
Joanna
AAwww....you're a mum!! :D
Wish all the luck for the babies. In order to raiise SHs (reidis) do you HAVE to culture your own live foods? The only thing I can culture is BBS, but they dnt eat that immediately do they? :)
Happy New Year ! :D
Thanks for the info, all systems go now :D
Yes I do use RO water, I have a RO unit so that will be helpful enabling me to do more frequent water changes. :)
Food: mysis, brine shrimp and occassionally live Baby Brine Shrimp. all enriched? Am I right there?
:thanks:
Hi Elliot
Happy New Year! :D
If you can get some PE Mysis then it's even better for the Seahorses. It is rather expensive though so you could do what I do and alternate it with normal Mysis (Gamma Irradiated). I've only just managed to get hold of the PE Mysis and they were fine on the normal stuff but I always enrich it, every time. Lipovit or Liposome is good. I would keep the seahorses mainly on the Mysis as this is much more nutritional for them but brine shrimp for a change certainly won't hurt. As Denise said about acclimatising your new Seahorses, you can do exactly as she says or even put them in a clean bucket and use the drip method. We did that with ours and then used a container to put them in to put them in the tank but like she says, do not take them out of the water! Either method is ideal but if you add water to the bag, do it very slowly.
As for Seahorses watching TV, well you and Denise have had me in stitches! :laugh:
Joanna
:lol:
Thats cool then. I dnt really need to be thinking f fry raising now, just got to keep them first`!! :lol:
So diet = mysis, enriched, occasional live foods such as brine shrimp.
??
:D
denise.gardner
01-01-09, 21:00
hi elliot thats fine on the food,its good your using ro as it will also keep nitrates down and stop the water going green
yeah I dont think its wise to keep seahorses in ponds. Is it just me or do you also thing ponds are green minging and boring?? :p
denise.gardner
01-01-09, 23:29
my ponds not ive got a uv
I love ponds and that could be our next project at some point (in the Summer). :D
Joanna
denise.gardner
02-01-09, 00:44
when we put our pond in we did it as a stream across the garden it took my husband weeks to dig out.i asked him to put a bridge across so i could takethe lawn mower across because as you know the grass is always greener and longer on the other side.he said we didnt need one.well anyway 2 days later we had a bonfire at the back of the garden he walks across the garden forgets about the pond and falls in .guesswhat weve got a bridge
when we put our pond in we did it as a stream across the garden it took my husband weeks to dig out.i asked him to put a bridge across so i could takethe lawn mower across because as you know the grass is always greener and longer on the other side.he said we didnt need one.well anyway 2 days later we had a bonfire at the back of the garden he walks across the garden forgets about the pond and falls in .guesswhat weve got a bridge
Ha ha, at least you got one in the end. :laugh: I'd love a stream but our crazy dogs would probably end up in it. Our pond would have to have raised sides, probably with sleepers. :)
Joanna
Sorry Sorry Sorry!!! I love ponds!!! :D
:p
Our dogs would trash a pond too. In fact if we were to get a pond it would be for the dogs. :lol:
PS. Caught nothing in the bristlworm traap last night, I am going to attach some prawn to a skewer and waggle it about - if a "thing" attacks it I have a mantis. If not - I dont have a mantis (probably a pistol) :thumbsup:
KK thats cool.
Anyway LFS getting some stock today. They also got the books (thanks Joanna ) . Hopefully they'll get my neon goby and reidi seahorse pair today If so then the neon goby will come in the my tank staright away - the LFS will hold te SHs for a bit to get them feeding well and to allow me to make sure my SH tank is mantis freee (sorry little neon goby )
Exciting this
__________________
KK thats cool.
Anyway LFS getting some stock today. They also got the books (thanks Joanna ) . Hopefully they'll get my neon goby and reidi seahorse pair today If so then the neon goby will come in the my tank staright away - the LFS will hold te SHs for a bit to get them feeding well and to allow me to make sure my SH tank is mantis freee (sorry little neon goby )
Exciting this
__________________
My pleasure Elliot. :laugh: And you're not excited AT ALL are you???? :p
Joanna
My pleasure Elliot. :laugh: And you're not excited AT ALL are you???? :p
Joanna
Do you reckon? :p:whistling:
denise.gardner
02-01-09, 19:27
elliot how many times have you phoned them today to find out if theyve come in
once. or maybe more :blush:
Well theyre comin next week now. :( Oh well gives me more time to rid my tank of the "thing" - I found him and his burrow - just gotta snag him now hehehe
denise.gardner
02-01-09, 20:18
i bet youll be sittingup all night dangling your bit of prawn above his lair
Yup, I think I might :lol:
denise.gardner
03-01-09, 00:24
ive just been on a worm hunt i ve caught 6 of the horrible things.theres nothing like pouring boiling hot water on things that hurt you and your horses .ive just put the worm trap in now cause i think they have cottoned onto the big black tongs comming in the tank.anyway i think spike the babouri is in labour so ill hav to play midwife later.you know be at hand with plastic cups etc i just hope he doesnt have many .no tanks left......denise
denise.gardner
03-01-09, 02:06
have you caught him yet,im up waiting for spike could be a long night.but ive caught worms,wiped out my aiptasia[ hopefully????]and trimmed my weed.
ive just been on a worm hunt i ve caught 6 of the horrible things.theres nothing like pouring boiling hot water on things that hurt you and your horses .ive just put the worm trap in now cause i think they have cottoned onto the big black tongs comming in the tank.anyway i think spike the babouri is in labour so ill hav to play midwife later.you know be at hand with plastic cups etc i just hope he doesnt have many .no tanks left......denise
Hi Denise
What are your 'big black tongs' like? I've got aquarium tweezers (which could be longer) and a big tong contraption but it fills up with water and is awkward to use. I've been looking for some long tongs for catching things like worms! :D
Good luck with Spike. :)
I now have visions of Elliot dangling prawns in his tank all night trying to catch the thing that clicks. :laugh:
Joanna
denise.gardner
03-01-09, 21:16
i think hes still sitting there either hes caught it or it might have caught him,spike didnt give birth last night hes just sitting there so hopefuly tonight.the tongs are ones i brought on ebay there about 30ins long and have a grip you pull up to grab things.i think they cost about 1.99 +postage.
i think hes still sitting there either hes caught it or it might have caught him,spike didnt give birth last night hes just sitting there so hopefuly tonight.the tongs are ones i brought on ebay there about 30ins long and have a grip you pull up to grab things.i think they cost about 1.99 +postage.
Do they look like normal tweezers?
I hope Elliot isn't actually in the tank with his critters. :laugh:
Joanna
denise.gardner
03-01-09, 22:33
they are long on a single sharft with tong piece at the bottom which is what picks things up.if you go on fleabay and type in aquaium tongs onelinks will come up on the left side of the screen it says choose more it shows them there but they are 4.78 they are only 4.99 at swallow.have you heard from elliot today or do you think the beasti has got him:eek:
Hi! I am alive!
Up for ages searching the tank with a torch. And the news- well in a burrow I saw a critter with eyes and legs I've spent hours looking in his hole and upon further inspection have found out he is most likely a crab probably a porcelain. That's made me happy and sad- if I catch the crab he'll look awesome in my reefs lps coral..... But it means I still do not know the source of the clicking. So Sunday I will dunk the crab rock in ro and he should zoom out . But my thought is if the crab has been in the tank as long as the clicky thing then maybe the clicky thing is a pistol because it hasn't eaten the crab? However the clicks sound more mantis-like.
I'm very confused, I will do more searchng later tomorrow. BTW are pistols safe with seahorses?
Hi! I am alive!
Up for ages searching the tank with a torch. And the news- well in a burrow I saw a critter with eyes and legs I've spent hours looking in his hole and upon further inspection have found out he is most likely a crab probably a porcelain. That's made me happy and sad- if I catch the crab he'll look awesome in my reefs lps coral..... But it means I still do not know the source of the clicking. So Sunday I will dunk the crab rock in ro and he should zoom out . But my thought is if the crab has been in the tank as long as the clicky thing then maybe the clicky thing is a pistol because it hasn't eaten the crab? However the clicks sound more mantis-like.
I'm very confused, I will do more searchng later tomorrow. BTW are pistols safe with seahorses?
Aha, so you haven't been eaten by your clicky creature. :laugh: Denise and I were getting worried about you. Sounds like you have had fun! :D I don't know if pistols are safe with seahorses sorry, mine is in my other tank. Denise, do you know? :) BTW, my pistol is fab. I roll up a bit of marine pellet and hold it near his burrow or drop it there and he comes running out every day and grabs it. He's fab. :dance:
Joanna
denise.gardner
03-01-09, 23:28
hi elliot,i went to swallows the other day and the bloke there said to get a pistol shrimp for the seahorse tank so i hope there safe.i think alot of people do not give seahorses the credit they deserve my ones eat shrimps that are quite big theyve eaten two cleaners and one large peppermint shrimp.it could jst be he crab clicking i have mithrex crabs in the barbouri tank and they scuttle about so do the hermits.alot of people like mantis but i suppose not in your seahorse tank.personaly i would give the trap another try tonight youll never know it may just work..i not try the ro tomorrow.
Hi. Lol I am talking about creepy criiters and just then I flicked thru the tv channels and put saw ii on by mistake, scared the living **** out of me!!!:blush:
So yeah the rock will have a freshwater dip and hopefully my cool crab will come out . Looked on the net they're like seven quid so I may even sell him! Once I've removed him I'll see if the clicks continue once I've got the crab. If they do I deffo have a different clicky thing. I don't wanna destroy my scape only to findva pistol so I may add the goby and see well if he doesn't disappear:lol: then if he goes I will fig out the mantis - if it's a pistol he'll prob stay tho the tank is in my bedroom and they keep me awake! So I have a busy day tomorrow too lol
denise.gardner
04-01-09, 00:07
i dont think watching horror films is a good thing when you are about to do battle with the beast from18ins from below the surface.if its a mantis it is most likely a juvenile so wont cause probs straight away .and you wold soon get used tothe clicks.there does sem to be alot of people finding them n there tanks.there are also a lot of people finding porcerlin crabs as well.there was another person who had exactly the same problem as you.it was a crab.
what the crab was causing the noise? I hope it is the porcelain crab -less hassle. I can't sleep now :lol:
denise.gardner
04-01-09, 00:13
hopefully tomorrow all will be revealed and that should be that.when do you get your goby
denise.gardner
04-01-09, 02:06
that should give you plenty of time to sort out your clicking problem.could send in dyno rod that will flush the little begger out.your going to have to change your signature soon to a seahorse nano with 2 seahorses,i goby and a clicking thing.what are you going to upgrade your other tank to?
stefnibabe
04-01-09, 13:53
Bless you with your clicky monster! I have something click in my tank i just let it get on with it now. I doubt it'll be a mantis. If it is thou and one of the really pretty ones you can ship it my way, cuz i want one in my small orca when i gat my bigger one!! :) My seahorses make a clicking noise too when they eat stuff but obviously that cant be whats clicking in your tank.
steph
No deffo no SHs in my tank atm :lol:
Th porcelain crab is gonna come out tonight (I hope) :lol:
And Joanna I am reading the books they are great thanks! :D:D :thanks::thanks:
No deffo no SHs in my tank atm :lol:
Th porcelain crab is gonna come out tonight (I hope) :lol:
And Joanna I am reading the books they are great thanks! :D:D :thanks::thanks:
Now don't fall in Elliot! :laugh: Good luck!
I'm glad you got the books at last. :D
Joanna
Hi. Coz of school tomorrow I dont have time to critter-hunt:mad:
And the crab isnt hairy so therefore is harmless so I think I will leave him be, just got to hope he deffo is a porcelain! I dont want to ruin my scape so I'll just keep my eyes peeled and go critterfishing every now and then, I think its probs a pistol but cant be sure, I will leave the little porc crab in but the clicking - I will keep an eye open.
Thanks once again for the books, they are great - :thanks:
do seahorses need live mysis food or is frozen ok???
do seahorses need live mysis food or is frozen ok???
Frozen (but enriched) is absolutely fine. You've been reading those books haven't you? :) I don't know where you would get live ones from.
Joanna
Hi. Coz of school tomorrow I dont have time to critter-hunt:mad:
And the crab isnt hairy so therefore is harmless so I think I will leave him be, just got to hope he deffo is a porcelain! I dont want to ruin my scape so I'll just keep my eyes peeled and go critterfishing every now and then, I think its probs a pistol but cant be sure, I will leave the little porc crab in but the clicking - I will keep an eye open.
Thanks once again for the books, they are great - :thanks:
I've got work tomorrow damn it. :( First day after 2 weeks off and I'm up at . :( Not so much forum time then. :(
BTW, my pistol shrimp was clicking loudly this evening but thank god it's not in my bedroom. :laugh:
Pleasure Elliot. :cool:
Joanna
denise.gardner
04-01-09, 23:36
you have to go wading in estuarys to catch mysis sometimes you can get them at the shop.pooryou joanna its a shock going back to work:(but im lucky i dont have to:D.i think id die of shock if i went back its been 11 years.but its a long story.anyway dont work to hard and elliot remember to study hard not just seahorses:laugh:speak tomorrow ..... den
denise.gardner
05-01-09, 00:17
elliot,you know your clicking apparently if its a single click it could be a mantis if its several then its more likely a pistol shrimp
Hi. :)
here I am:D
And yes I have been reading the books, the information is great, makes it seem quite simple, until the last page - in a big red box , capital letters - IF YOU CANNOT CATCH LIVE MYSIS EVERYDAY THEN SERIOUSLY CONSIDER WHETHER YOU CAN KEEP SEAHORSES"
I was like - what???
But thats OK now I will use enrichments.:) The books are really useful, but its got to be said I could not hel;p but laugh at the pic of the man sat in the sea with his long net :lol: waiting for shrimps. :rolleyes:
And yeah my clicking is well weird, I get one click like every 5 - 10 mins and some times I hear 5 in a row - so it could be either??? :confused:
denise.gardner
05-01-09, 17:32
hi elliot:wave:not as good as the mental picture of you trying to catch your clicky thing:D.most of the books were written before tank bred seahorses.even a few years ago most where wild caught and as you know there is not a freezer in the ocean apart from the north and south poles:laugh:.how was school not to much of a shock to the system our lot dont go back till tomorrow.anyway speak to youlater ...den.
well its.....-
HORRIBLE!!!!
I feel shocked and nasty and grumpy. But snow in skool was fun :D:D
And I havent even attempted to fish for the licky thing yet I will do tonight, I will tie prawn to a piece of thread and see what I get. But toehrwise Ive just listened at night and saw the crab, I am not gonna bother getting HIM out now because I cant be bothered :rolleyes:
:lol:
So all is well thanks. BTW the books do say only to buy TB seahorses so they cannot be THAT old :lol:
PS. Enjoy work! Bet you dont get to throw snowballs at your workplace :lol:
OMG, getting up at 6 nearly killed me. It was like getting up in the middle of the night. I sympathise with you going to school Elliot as well. Thank god you didn't get a net and go and sit by the sea! :laugh: I did warn you about some of the info didn't I? But if you want to go and catch some just let Denise and I know so that we can come and watch. :laugh:
We didn't have any snow but it was really icy and I nearly slid into work in my high heels. I don't think snowballs would be allowed on the 2nd floor anyway. :cool:
Joanna
:lol:
We have a little bit of snow - not enough though for them to cancel school for the day ! :mad:
:lol:
I am SO tired I cannot find the time to go tank fishing it will have to be at the weekend I have bags of homework already! :surprise: :mad:
:lol:
So frozen mysis is OK, just needs the enrichment - i do not think LFS sell this (which then begs the question "what the hell are they doing selling seahorses?") so can I buy this online or something?
:thanks:
Can mysis supplememnt be bought online if my LFS do not sell it? :thanks:
denise.gardner
05-01-09, 21:03
hi elliot ask your supplier for lipovit if they cant get it i will send you some
lipovit. Cheers I will have a look around for that, please you do not need to send me some I will get it off the net if needs be - you people on UltimateReef.com are just too kind! :rolleyes:
:D
denise.gardner
05-01-09, 21:23
hi elliot its not expensive so ifyou cant get it pm me and i will send it.it
That would be great, but I will see if I can get it because one bottle wont see me through the life time of my seahorses! :D
denise.gardner
05-01-09, 21:59
i suppose you were up late last night trying to do a snow dance so school was cancelled.we only had a light dusting
Can mysis supplememnt be bought online if my LFS do not sell it? :thanks:
I don't know if you can get frozen mysis online. I doubt it. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. Ask your LFS for it and if they don't have any in make them order you some and make sure you have a stock of it. :D
Joanna
PS Thank god I don't get homework!
No, they deffo sell mysis I meant the supplement :D
Turns out I can get it online or from retailer hopefully:D.
I was in panic mode just a fe seconds ago because my yellow tang was eating , but then had a spasm and went alleratic behaviour, and bashed into the glass and then sank and buried his nose into a rock!! :confused:
Well I went to fetch the camera in order to upload a pic of his state straight away but when I came back he was back to normal????
What on earth happened there then? :lol: :surprise: (<--my fave smiley, as you may be able to tell BTW)
PS. Shut up about the homework!
denise.gardner
05-01-09, 22:12
i think he meant the lipovit i hope/ i used to order my frozon food from a marine shop [up north manchester] on the phone.i cant remember the name must be getting old [dont tell les]they went bust about 4 years ago i think ive still got a loyelety card so will look up the name.but it used to arrive still frozon but that was before i could drive and go to the fish shops without my husband.he keeps saying if i had my card stolen he wouldnt report it cause theyd spend less lol
i think he meant the lipovit i hope/ i used to order my frozon food from a marine shop [up north manchester] on the phone.i cant remember the name must be getting old [dont tell les]they went bust about 4 years ago i think ive still got a loyelety card so will look up the name.but it used to arrive still frozon but that was before i could drive and go to the fish shops without my husband.he keeps saying if i had my card stolen he wouldnt report it cause theyd spend less lol
haha :lol:
Loads of kids seem to have cards and stuff, and I'm like " Hey I still just save up my pocket money in a little piggy bank!!"
lol LFS's love me paying in cash lol:D
I can get all the frozen I need from LFS, the book reckons they need 60 of the bug*ers a day so I'll keep well stocked. :) The seahorses will eat frozen straight away right, the book seems to thing not???:confused:
:thanks:
stefnibabe
05-01-09, 22:35
Hey dude you worry way too much!
My seahorses ate straight away...half hour-hour after they were put in the tank. I dint expect them too but they were straight on it.
guys what do you all feed? Will just enriched frozen mysie 3 times a day and live brine shrmp once a week be enough? The books say frozenfood should be a last resort and it is really hard to get seahorses to feed on dead food anyway.
Please reassure me :lol: I cannot muck his up!!!
denise.gardner
05-01-09, 23:47
they will be feeding on frozon when you get them.ask the shop to feed them when you are there to make sure.your seahorses will not eat a massive amount.maybe 1or 2 small blocks aday.i would not give them brine shrimp every week maybe once a month because it is like sweets to them they like the taste but its not good for them.you wont muck it up i think you just need a bit more confidence if you can keep marines you can keep seahorses.
If they are truly captive bred they will eat frozen, mine normally eat in the bag as they acclimatise! they are like pigs
Hey Elliot
You do worry far too much. Your horses will be captive bred and would have been fed on frozen food so they will be used to it (well I hope so) anyway. :D
Now get on with your homework! :laugh:
Joanna
Woop! All homework done - just did a big poster about coral reefs, my chosen aspect was the aquarium trade - I just explained why cyanide is BAD and how the aquarium trade provides so much industry for locxal people of the tropics, and how the ornamental fish are worth so much more than the food fish. Also said how they just need to train the divers better and how Importers such as TMC need to just keep up the good work. Then finished off by pointing out that climate change, poaching and mangrove reductions are much MUCH bigger issues regarding the health of the reef :whistling:
I am deffo going to go mantis fishing at the weekend but I am SO tired now lol:lol: i did hear 4 clicks just a sec ago....
And wooooop I can feed my seahorses mysis! :lol:lol. Anything else they want??? River shrimp?? :confused:
I haven't seen river shrimp round here so I don't know anything about it. Denise/anyone else????? :D
Joanna
sorry its just me being daft and guessing lol. I live no where near the sea! :lol:
I dont know what else to ask about SHs now :lol: haha.... I guess I now just have to take the plunge :rolleyes:
GULP.
:clap:
sorry its just me being daft and guessing lol. I live no where near the sea! :lol:
I dont know what else to ask about SHs now :lol: haha.... I guess I now just have to take the plunge :rolleyes:
GULP.
:clap:
You won't regret it. :D
You won't regret it. :D
Say that 1 million times and then I might believe you :p:p
::lol:
Really though, I cant wait, I am just worried about the responsibility thing lol are SHs much harder than reefs?
denise.gardner
06-01-09, 22:22
hi elliot glad youve done your homework although i hope you said about the impact of the chinese medicine trade and tourist souvenears on seahorses much more then the pet trade.anyway i give my horses rivershrimp once a month so it gets them in hunting mode you would only need 1/2 for two horses.its funny watching them hunt them down and catch them.i hope your not going to take the plunge you need to keep the water in the tank for the horses:laugh:.when do you get them have you got a date .:dance:
hi elliot glad youve done your homework although i hope you said about the impact of the chinese medicine trade and tourist souvenears on seahorses much more then the pet trade.anyway i give my horses rivershrimp once a month so it gets them in hunting mode you would only need 1/2 for two horses.its funny watching them hunt them down and catch them.i hope your not going to take the plunge you need to keep the water in the tank for the horses:laugh:.when do you get them have you got a date .:dance:
End of Jan. I hope. :lol: depends when they get them in. Goby in soon though :)
And yeah its the chinese who are to blame :mad:
denise.gardner
07-01-09, 17:14
its always the chinese to blame when it comes to herbal medicines as there the ones that use tiger and rhino as well.how was school did you learn anything today or is it like the local school here where you turn up when you want and if you misbehave they give you a pass so you can go and get hot chocolate.but seriously are you all set now?...den
Nahw we do learn things :rolleyes:
learning about puberty :lol: (scary thing) and electricity as well as latin snore....zzzzz...
Anyway I think I am ready to get the seahorses just need to buy a timer for the lights, and also need to make a DIY spray bar to restict flow. At the moment I think its quite a whirlwind lol
:)
denise.gardner
07-01-09, 17:29
we didnt do latin only french.my daughter has done french spanish and japenese.you can pick up the timers from b&q for £1 i dont know why you need a spray bar though i think with your tank you can change the water outlet
we didnt do latin only french.my daughter has done french spanish and japenese.you can pick up the timers from b&q for £1 i dont know why you need a spray bar though i think with your tank you can change the water outlet
kool I'll head over to b and q then :D
I have a flatheaded nozzle but it still creates flow, I am not sure - how much can sehaorses stand lol?
People always say that SH like low flow, but i find mine like to have the option of still areas and other more fast moving areas.
I blow water down the side of the tank from a spray bar and have another return in the top corner. This gives me two areas of high flow and a quite area for them to hitch in, many of the more nutty SH like to go in the fast water and get blown about then go and sit on a plant for 10 mins then go again, its like a roller coaster or something.
So if you can direct your water to give a quite area then faster flow will help to keep food and detritus in the water column and helps the filters to get rid of it.
I find the males are more likely to be botherd by fast water especially when pregnant and hormonal :-)
Kool. so a spray bar going down the glass would be good for them. I will do that then. :) I'll just use a hole punch and a piece of tube to make my own lol :D
I find the males are more likely to be botherd by fast water especially when pregnant and hormonal :-)[/QUOTE]
Sounds about right! :laugh:
Joanna
lol well most pregnant hormonal things get easily bothered ;-)
lmao :lol:
Ive just had a whole bio lesson on this I dont need another thanks!!!
Its useful to know, if you want active SH and dint want the hustle of growing live food for fry then just get the females. Especially as Reidi fry are tiny monsters to raise, got 400 of them at the min as well as 35 new baby barbs. I'm a biologist/molecular biologist, i could do without the biology at home too. ;-)
have you read your signature thingy might want to check the spellings
"...Also have a seahore nano on the way"
woops lol :D
Bios my fave subject, welll ecosystmes and cool stuff like that. :)
Biology is fun but the higher you get the smaller the things you look at get, you go from fun things like marine ecosystems, to looking at the single gene that turns on a single protein in a single fish when it is exposed to a specific environmental stimulus, and then you loose all perspective on the larger scale biology involved:-( i miss alevels PhDs are so dull
Its useful to know, if you want active SH and dint want the hustle of growing live food for fry then just get the females. Especially as Reidi fry are tiny monsters to raise, got 400 of them at the min as well as 35 new baby barbs. I'm a biologist/molecular biologist, i could do without the biology at home too. ;-)
have you read your signature thingy might want to check the spellings
"...Also have a seahore nano on the way"
Thought it was quite funny so I didn't tell Elliot. :laugh: Sorry Elliot! :)
its a good description my SH are a bit promiscuous, I've got more love triangles than eastenders
its a good description my SH are a bit promiscuous, I've got more love triangles than eastenders
lol! :lol:
Im just going to get the pair lol, no chance of any cheating going on. :D
I'll put a little goldfish tank up for the reidi fry to move into, may as well try and feed them but at least it emans they are out of the main SH tank.
BTW please dont shoot me lol but will my reef fish eat reidi fry? They seemed to love cleaner shrimp fry so I have considering that if I have to "cull" some they can go in my reef and provide good nutrition for my reef stock? Or wont my reef fish (below in my sig) like seahorse fry lol?
denise.gardner
07-01-09, 20:02
hi elliot yes your reef fish will eat fry just like seahorses will eat fish fry anyway if rt456 has more love triangles then eastenders hes been letting them watch the wrong tv we allready said wildlife progs only. and if the fish dont eat them the shrimp will.see you come home from school log on the computer to get a bit of piece and quite and you get nagged about your homework told off about your spelling and get a biology lesson all in one go....den
sure they will, even my peppermint shrimps catch a few of mine
denise.gardner
07-01-09, 20:06
my seahorses eat the peppermint shrimps so i suppose its the circle of life.hey wasnt there a song about that or something
denise.gardner
07-01-09, 20:17
rt456 how are you getting on with your little friends ?how are your survival rates
survuval rates!!! :eek:
That sounds scary! :p
denise.gardner
07-01-09, 21:27
thats for the babies elliot not mum and dad
only lost one barbouri so far stil got 35, lost a fair few reidi/kuda but i have a few in with the barbs and they are doing better
awesome. :)
BTW whats the min size to buy SHs???
Thanks. :)
Hi. Whats the minimum size at which to buy a seahorse? Is it something like 2 inches?
:thanks:
denise.gardner
10-01-09, 22:25
you need them at least 3" and above but above all they musnt be to skinny their chests should not be sticking inwards.you do know what inches are dont you? we dont all work in centimeters
yeah I know inches
an inch is about 3cm. :D
Thanks for that, I will make sure they are feeding too. My shop says I dont need to supplement their food :eek: and they day that while they r in the shop they don not add any supplemnts. Is it OK if they go a week without supplements? When I ge them I will of course add some se;lcon or something to their food. :)
denise.gardner
10-01-09, 22:35
they will be fine for a little while with no supps some mysis is enriched its mainly if you feed on brine .if you want i will send some lipovit ,ill send it to your lfs if you want because your only young i would not expect you to give out your address because i know i wouldnt want my son to
Hi. :) Thats a great offer, please though let me see if LFS can get it in first:) or maybe I can get it off the net. :)
By the way how old is your son is he in to fishkeepng?
denise.gardner
10-01-09, 22:41
no hes a little older then you but he has asperegers syndrome which makes things a little difficult for him hes into magic the gathering and that kind of thing
AAhh Ok. I like magic too, but Im really useless at it. :rolleyes: I managed to work out how to use my dads "fire wallet" and I mastered it but then it went all kinda wrong...
Magic the gathering is like yu gi oh isnt it? I played that with some lad on a train but I couldnt undertsnad it :lol:
:lol:
denise.gardner
10-01-09, 23:01
my husband recones i use magic on the bank account one minute the moneys theres the next its gone
my husband reconds i use magic on the bank account one minute the moneys theres the next its gone
:lol:
Im the same actually, like with these flippin' seahorses, Ive spent ages savin my £100 for them but soon kazzaam and itll be gone!
denise.gardner
10-01-09, 23:10
its not cheap i remember 4/5 years ago you could get them for £15 but since the tsunami the prices shot up.
ReallY?? Was the 15 quid for TB or wild caught ones? How do the tsunamis affect the seahorse trade?
denise.gardner
11-01-09, 00:59
most seahorses live in shallow water so when it hit alot where killed and they were tb and wild caught.you can still get wild caught but not recommended
Ni I would never woant a WC SH, the point of y tank is to have TB specimens only :D
When you moving the Sh into your tank then?
I getting them sometime a week or two
remember to stick up some pics of them :-)
I will deffo get some pics of them, I'll post some pics of my reef too when I get round to it. :)
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