75 Gal Pony Tank - Info/Help

[garick]

I recently started up a 75 gallon tank, it has been running for about a week now with two double hang on back filters with only water and aragonite sand and Tuesday I plan on adding about 25lbs of dry clean base rock.
My Plans:
1. One pair of Southern H.Erectus
2. Using dry clean base rock (Never been in the ocean(About 25lbs).
3. Using several Nano Koralia power heads to create a soft current.
4. Using fake Gorgonian and branch like corals for hitches.
5. Egg Crate to hold/Grow non-stinging soft corals.
My Questions are:
1. Do I need to really let the tank run 2-4 months after the normal 4 week cycle?
2. Is a 75 gallon a bit to large for a single pair of H.Erectus?
3. What treatments/chemicals should I have on hand.
4. Any special decor that they really seem to like?
5. If I plan on using macro algae, is there any way to dip it to remove parasites/problems it might be carrying?

 

[novahobbies]

Hi Garick!
I assume from your post that you read through the stickified threads at the top....sounds like you did, anyway. Let me see if I can help you with some of your questions:
1)First, you don't have to let your tank run empty for so long. The longer your tank stays fallow, with occasional ghost feedings, the more stable your system will be. That said, I personally think an 8-week cycle is plenty long enough. You also have a larger setup than many other seahorse owners, and the increased water volume is going to aid you in keeping your chemistry levels stable...just like in any other tank situation.
2)A 75 gallon tank is pretty large for a single pair of H. erectus seahorses. They will probably love it -- but you might find it hard to find them in such a large tank. You would easily be able to handle 5 to 6 horses in a tank this size, but if you want to make sure your filtration handles the horse load, you might start with 2, add 2 more in a couple weeks, and see how your tank reacts. 4 horses would look fine in a 75g tank.
3)There are quite a few, and many of them (I think) should be covered in the stickies. Furan-2 antibiotic, Methyline Blue, Amquel for emergency ammonia issues, bio-bandage possibly......I'll be honest, I'm not the emergency horse care expert, but there are others on this forum who have had more experience in this realm than I have. I'll tell you that I had an issue with a skin disease that I treated with FUran-2 in a hospital tank, and it cleared it up within 2 weeks.
Hospital tank!! Just in case! Have one on hand that isn't used for ANYthing else. Not your QT. Use a sponge filter and keep it in the sump (or in the back of one of your hang-ons) to populate it with beneficial bacteria.
4)Horses like what they like, so there's no true special decor we can recommend. Mine hung out on pretty much anything they could grip with their tails....gorgonians, faux plants, branch coral, you name it. The reason we tell people to avoid stinging corals is precisely because of this habit of theirs -- they will touch anything and everything in the tank. They're very inquisitive little buggers. With that said, provide plenty of hitches that have small and medium-diameter branch points, and let them decide what they like the best.
5)OK, This one is interesting. I have done freshwater rinses on macroalgae before. I had a batch of caulerpa that handled it fine, and another batch the dissolved the next day. Bother were with RODI water, but perhaps there was something in the second batch that caused it to go sexual prematurely. Different pH, different temperature, could be anything. If I was to do this again I would probably match as many of the parameters as I could to the tank water where the macro was going in to.

 

[garick]

Hi Novahobbies,
Thanks for the info!
Q about filtration: I currently use two double marine land Penguine 350 HOB filters that use bio wheels, Will this suffice or should I look into adding more?
As far as the macro goes, I had simply planned to dip it in "Reef Dip" it kills off bacteria/fungus/protozoa and I want to know if it will also kill the macro.
Hospital Tank: I currently have quite a few empty 10 gallons around, however I believe it might be more prudent to provide something larger? and also think it might be wise to provide something like a 20-30 gallon as a QT tank for anything that goes in after the first animals yes? or should I QT anything that goes in the tank even if its the first animal?

 

[garick]

A pic of my new 75 with base rock. Would love opinions and suggestions on rock layout and setup.

 

[teresaq]

Hi Gerick, Welcome.
So far your tank looks good. Huge, but good.
QTing your horses is a good thing. Captive bred horses are use to bare bottom tanks and are very young when sold. You should qt in a bare bottom tank with a sponge filter. This way you can watch them eat, and they can get to know you. After a few weeks if there arent any problems then you can move them. How many horses are you planning??? if you decide to add more please get them from the same breeder. (I know a few) you can run into problems getting them from differant sources.
Hitches, are you planning live or fake. I have some nice photo gorgians that my horses love, along with some soft corals and branch rock. I am going to be breaking down my tank in the next few weeks to get rid of my algea problem though. All my stuff will be going into QT
T

 

[teresaq]

I read you question on another post about a skimmer, and I would look at Aqua Remora Pro.