In Preparation...

Dogshowgrl · 12/11/2015, 12:02 PM

BIG NEWS!!! I have my seahorses tank! It is cycling. slowly. (My husband is awesome!!!)

It is a Deep Blue 60 gallon Cube, Mars Aqua light (I know, but they have been great on my reef tank.) Eshopps RS-75 sump, I have a skimmer coming, but I cannot remember the model right now. I am using Ocean Direct sand and Tonga branch dry rock. (nice birthday right!?) I have a few shells set up for a feeding station, and large macros from my reef tank to move over. Tank temp runs at 76, decent flow without power heads but there will be lots of playing before ponies enter.

BACKGROUND: 125 Folwr tank to reef (LPS and Softies) tank slowly over the last 2 years. I work at a LFS, but one of the few good ones, we preach sustainability, we offer classes and raise erectus from DAY 1. I was in love before we started raising fry, but now a few broods in I am OBSESSED.

GOING FORWARD: After the holidays I plan on getting in my ponies. After much research I am going with H. taeniopterus and erectus later on. I know the mixing the species poses a risk and I am mixing breeding houses, but that is to open up the genetics. (if you feel otherwise for breeding please let me know)

PLEASE ADVISE: What meds you have on hand in your "First Aid Pack"? Where do you buy your macros? What was your quarantine process?

I tried reading most of the stickies but a lot of the links are old and not working or the posts are more than 10 years old. Its a good place to start but I am looking for as current info as possible. If you have a source you like to refer to, please let me know!

Dogshowgrl · 01/09/2016, 07:55 AM

Bump! The tiger tails come in next week and the kudas and erectus the week after. Everyone has their own quarantine but I need to be prepared!

Please advise.

rayjay · 01/09/2016, 08:27 AM

It appears we missed your original post. I'm sorry I missed it too.
Just remember that the biggest thing you can do for survival of your seahorses is to keep the water/tank/rocks/substrate/decor, cleaner than you would for any reef tank. You will me maxed out with 3 pairs in it. Dan Underwood might even suggest it's overloaded a bit and needs extra care.
I keep on hand clove oil just in case I need to sedate, Furan II and tri-sulpha for bacterial infections, and Diamox (prescription only) to help cure chemical imbalance problems.
I didn't quarantine as I don't mix species and each tank only contains seahorses from one source.
I use artificial hitching so for the most part no macros. Harder to find macros here in Canada.
My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping

BlueCat1949 · 01/09/2016, 10:29 AM

Mixing three species in one "new" tank sounds like trouble to me. Since they are coming in separate shipments I am assuming they are also from different sources. That is a red flag for a new seahorse keeper even if you work in a LFS.

Also it sounds like you plan on letting the seahorses interbreed and I don't like hybrids but with three species you may not even know what your hybrids are.

Two other things is that your three species are from different environments in nature. In a new tank I would have gone with 4 horses tops for your 60 gallon.

12/11/2015, 12:02 PM	#1
Dogshowgrl Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: North Central Florida Posts: 298	In Preparation... BIG NEWS!!! I have my seahorses tank! It is cycling. slowly. (My husband is awesome!!!) It is a Deep Blue 60 gallon Cube, Mars Aqua light (I know, but they have been great on my reef tank.) Eshopps RS-75 sump, I have a skimmer coming, but I cannot remember the model right now. I am using Ocean Direct sand and Tonga branch dry rock. (nice birthday right!?) I have a few shells set up for a feeding station, and large macros from my reef tank to move over. Tank temp runs at 76, decent flow without power heads but there will be lots of playing before ponies enter. BACKGROUND: 125 Folwr tank to reef (LPS and Softies) tank slowly over the last 2 years. I work at a LFS, but one of the few good ones, we preach sustainability, we offer classes and raise erectus from DAY 1. I was in love before we started raising fry, but now a few broods in I am OBSESSED. GOING FORWARD: After the holidays I plan on getting in my ponies. After much research I am going with H. taeniopterus and erectus later on. I know the mixing the species poses a risk and I am mixing breeding houses, but that is to open up the genetics. (if you feel otherwise for breeding please let me know) PLEASE ADVISE: What meds you have on hand in your "First Aid Pack"? Where do you buy your macros? What was your quarantine process? I tried reading most of the stickies but a lot of the links are old and not working or the posts are more than 10 years old. Its a good place to start but I am looking for as current info as possible. If you have a source you like to refer to, please let me know!

01/09/2016, 08:27 AM	#3
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	It appears we missed your original post. I'm sorry I missed it too. Just remember that the biggest thing you can do for survival of your seahorses is to keep the water/tank/rocks/substrate/decor, cleaner than you would for any reef tank. You will me maxed out with 3 pairs in it. Dan Underwood might even suggest it's overloaded a bit and needs extra care. I keep on hand clove oil just in case I need to sedate, Furan II and tri-sulpha for bacterial infections, and Diamox (prescription only) to help cure chemical imbalance problems. I didn't quarantine as I don't mix species and each tank only contains seahorses from one source. I use artificial hitching so for the most part no macros. Harder to find macros here in Canada. My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses

01/09/2016, 07:55 AM	#2
Dogshowgrl Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: North Central Florida Posts: 298	Bump! The tiger tails come in next week and the kudas and erectus the week after. Everyone has their own quarantine but I need to be prepared! Please advise.

01/09/2016, 10:29 AM	#4
BlueCat1949 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 197	Mixing three species in one "new" tank sounds like trouble to me. Since they are coming in separate shipments I am assuming they are also from different sources. That is a red flag for a new seahorse keeper even if you work in a LFS. Also it sounds like you plan on letting the seahorses interbreed and I don't like hybrids but with three species you may not even know what your hybrids are. Two other things is that your three species are from different environments in nature. In a new tank I would have gone with 4 horses tops for your 60 gallon.