Hi, I'm new and would like advice
- Thread starter rispa
- Start date
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
I'm reading through your thread and I'll respond there in a few minutes....
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
I usually draft my longer responses in Word, then cut and paste.
And I'm guilty of being a little...verbose...so bear with me. I'm 30% done, still typing away.....
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
OK, I decided to keep people on their toes by responding to most of your algae issues over in your original thread...but I'll discuss your horses over here. People who aren't "in to" seahorses tend to glaze over when you start talking about them too much....I guess it's why they made a forum for us. It's like the room they put the "special" kids in at school.
In any case, it's hard to really diagnose any particular problem with the pictures you listed. If you have a digital camera, try changing your settings to macro mode so you can get close up without blurring the focus. Another trick you can use is the faster shutter speed, often represented by a little stick figure man in a running pose on the camera's wheel. Flash is OK, but it will really dull down the colors in the final shot. If you have a way to set the camera flash to 50%, it's a good idea to try it. These are just suggestions for standard "point & shoot" digital cameras...you get into a whole new world of photo settings if you have a digital SLR camera.
From the description you posted concerning their behavior, I wouldn't be concerned juuust yet. Seahorses change color, and indeed change spots from time to time depending on environmental stressors.....for instance, the stress of making a big move. Seahorses don't typically get ich, although it can happen sometimes. They have a relatively thick skin that the C. irritans parasite has a hard time getting through. That said, the scratching behavior you said you witnessed should be a cause for concern if it continues. My initial guess is that you have stressed them out with the move (and with keeping them in a small temporary tank while you cleaned the 16 gallon tank) and the scratching and discoloration might be a symptom of their stress. Keep a close eye on it, and tell us if it continues. You also mentioned abnormal feces....well I think we're going to need to hear more about that!
Seriously.... was it long and stringy, or more compact. What color was it, and what color is the food you usually feed him? Things like this typically affect the horses’ fecal appearance.
Let's put aside the seahorses’ physical conditions for a minute and look at their tankmates. I see some potential problems on your list of haves and wants. First of all, the red hermit crabs may present a problem in the future...they do tend to get big, and they are - like all other crabs in the world - opportunistic omnivores. When they get bigger they will not say no to a passing seahorse tail and may attempt to take a nip with their claws. I have had a red hermit with my seahorses before, but I don't recommend it as a general rule. Your best bet for hermit crabs are the small blue-leg varieties...these are just too small to do any damage to the seahorses, and they're the best for your tank anyway. They will pick at old food, seahorse poop (sometimes), and cyanobacteria among the rocks.
I get the feeling you are getting attached to your lawnmower blenny. Just so you know, you may have a problem with this guy for a couple reasons. First, there won't be enough algae in the tank for him to survive without supplemental algae sheet feeding. Ironic, I know, since you're having such an algae problem right now - but the lawnmowers don't eat cyano. Also the LB will be a heavy competitor against the seahorses in the hunt for food. Seahorses are slow, methodical feeders, who will sometimes take a minute or two to watch their prey items before they snick them. Meanwhile, the blenny will butt in, suck up all the food, and leave the poor horse just as hungry as before. I'm not saying you should trade in the LB if you really like him - just be sure to watch and make sure your horses are getting enough frozen mysis. They should each be eating at least 6-8 mysis shrimp at each feeding, and you should feed them a minimum of twice a day. The skunk shrimp is also a real active scavenger, and will have no trouble out-competing the seahorses for food. I would definitely recommend removing the skunk shrimp at the very least.
You also mentioned that you were sort of interested in a scooter blenny, right? OK....no problem. I don't see any reason you can't keep a small scooter blenny in a 16g tank, but......just not yet. Scooter blennies are not blennies at all, but actually members of the dragonet family, with some of the difficulties inherent with that kind of fish. Scooters mainly eat copepods and isopods, but they will take frozen foods much more readily than green or spotted mandarins. If you want one, I would recommend you let your tank age about 3 months and then add one.
In any case, it's hard to really diagnose any particular problem with the pictures you listed. If you have a digital camera, try changing your settings to macro mode so you can get close up without blurring the focus. Another trick you can use is the faster shutter speed, often represented by a little stick figure man in a running pose on the camera's wheel. Flash is OK, but it will really dull down the colors in the final shot. If you have a way to set the camera flash to 50%, it's a good idea to try it. These are just suggestions for standard "point & shoot" digital cameras...you get into a whole new world of photo settings if you have a digital SLR camera.
From the description you posted concerning their behavior, I wouldn't be concerned juuust yet. Seahorses change color, and indeed change spots from time to time depending on environmental stressors.....for instance, the stress of making a big move. Seahorses don't typically get ich, although it can happen sometimes. They have a relatively thick skin that the C. irritans parasite has a hard time getting through. That said, the scratching behavior you said you witnessed should be a cause for concern if it continues. My initial guess is that you have stressed them out with the move (and with keeping them in a small temporary tank while you cleaned the 16 gallon tank) and the scratching and discoloration might be a symptom of their stress. Keep a close eye on it, and tell us if it continues. You also mentioned abnormal feces....well I think we're going to need to hear more about that!
Let's put aside the seahorses’ physical conditions for a minute and look at their tankmates. I see some potential problems on your list of haves and wants. First of all, the red hermit crabs may present a problem in the future...they do tend to get big, and they are - like all other crabs in the world - opportunistic omnivores. When they get bigger they will not say no to a passing seahorse tail and may attempt to take a nip with their claws. I have had a red hermit with my seahorses before, but I don't recommend it as a general rule. Your best bet for hermit crabs are the small blue-leg varieties...these are just too small to do any damage to the seahorses, and they're the best for your tank anyway. They will pick at old food, seahorse poop (sometimes), and cyanobacteria among the rocks.
I get the feeling you are getting attached to your lawnmower blenny. Just so you know, you may have a problem with this guy for a couple reasons. First, there won't be enough algae in the tank for him to survive without supplemental algae sheet feeding. Ironic, I know, since you're having such an algae problem right now - but the lawnmowers don't eat cyano. Also the LB will be a heavy competitor against the seahorses in the hunt for food. Seahorses are slow, methodical feeders, who will sometimes take a minute or two to watch their prey items before they snick them. Meanwhile, the blenny will butt in, suck up all the food, and leave the poor horse just as hungry as before. I'm not saying you should trade in the LB if you really like him - just be sure to watch and make sure your horses are getting enough frozen mysis. They should each be eating at least 6-8 mysis shrimp at each feeding, and you should feed them a minimum of twice a day. The skunk shrimp is also a real active scavenger, and will have no trouble out-competing the seahorses for food. I would definitely recommend removing the skunk shrimp at the very least.
You also mentioned that you were sort of interested in a scooter blenny, right? OK....no problem. I don't see any reason you can't keep a small scooter blenny in a 16g tank, but......just not yet. Scooter blennies are not blennies at all, but actually members of the dragonet family, with some of the difficulties inherent with that kind of fish. Scooters mainly eat copepods and isopods, but they will take frozen foods much more readily than green or spotted mandarins. If you want one, I would recommend you let your tank age about 3 months and then add one.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
You can add 1 bottle of live copepods to your tank to get your population started, but I'm willing to bet that you already have them in your tank. Just look for little white spots on the glass in the evenings...you may barely see them....those are copepods. Slightly larger white specks will be different species of isopods, and small pillbug like animals that scuttle around the rock after the lights go out are generally different kinds of amphipods.
We can come back to more stock list options in a little bit.... I just wanted to mention the potential problems you might have with the current tank mates. In the mean time, let's discuss some of the equipment requirements that are needed with seahorses. We already talked about Koralia nano powerheads. I think you'll be fine with only one K-nano in your tank, but you can always add another if you feel you need to after they've gotten used to the flow of the first one. The addition of some fine mesh tulle around the powerhead will also ensure no tails get nicked...although to be honest I've NEVER had that problem, and I have a Koralia-1 in my 37 gallon tank. "Never Had" doesn't mean "Never Will," though...so I always mention it to new seahorse keepers. We also touched on the protein skimmer issue. What I didn't mention over in the other thread is why I am such a strong proponent of skimmers in seahorse tanks. Aside from the obvious benefits of removing dissolved organic compounds from the water before they break down, they also naturally aerate the water. This is essential for seahorses, because they have a less developed gill structure than most ray-finned bony fishes. I won't go into the anatomy here, but the short version is that they have more difficulties absorbing dissolved oxygen from the water than most fish, and therefore need as much O2 saturation in the water as possible. Warmer water naturally can carry less O2 dissolved in its matrix, and cooler water can absorb more O2...which leads me to my next point.
I don't know where you live, but I'm guessing it's summer there, too.
Consider a chiller. You have a small tank, so I'm not suggesting you buy some $250.00 or more monstrosity that's bigger than the tank. Take a look at a product called an Ice Probe...in fact, read through my Seahorse tank mock-up thread and it shows you what the ice probe is and how to install one. I know it's not cheap with a $100.00 price tag, but seahorses come from cooler waters (usually 70 to 74 degrees, some species colder!) and the chiller will keep the temps lower. A cooler tank will also benefit from slower algae growth, fewer potential bacterial infection problems, and of course - higher dissolved O2. You can keep your heater in there if you want to kick on if the temps drop below 70 degrees, but make sure your tank doesn't go above 75.....and 73 is really ideal if you can manage it.
What am I missing? We talked about adding live rock, or more preferentially dry rock that will become live over time. I know you are going to research the benefits of live rock, and I encourage you to read as much as you can about it. LR is part of the final stage of your biologic filtration: it provides a large surface area deep in the rock for anaerobic bacteria to denitrify your tank; that is, convert nitrates into free nitrogen products that can be released harmlessly. In fact, LR is effectively all stages of a biologic filter in one chunky product: the surface areas contain aerobic bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate. For seahorse tanks I suggest people use a small amount of “live” rock and complete the rest with dry rock. The bacteria will colonize the dry rock fairly quickly, and the rest of the rock will be covered with coralline and other animals as time wears on. True live rock may contain pests such as large bristle worms (small bristle worms are not pests), mantis shrimp, and possible bacterial and fungal pathogens.
We can come back to more stock list options in a little bit.... I just wanted to mention the potential problems you might have with the current tank mates. In the mean time, let's discuss some of the equipment requirements that are needed with seahorses. We already talked about Koralia nano powerheads. I think you'll be fine with only one K-nano in your tank, but you can always add another if you feel you need to after they've gotten used to the flow of the first one. The addition of some fine mesh tulle around the powerhead will also ensure no tails get nicked...although to be honest I've NEVER had that problem, and I have a Koralia-1 in my 37 gallon tank. "Never Had" doesn't mean "Never Will," though...so I always mention it to new seahorse keepers. We also touched on the protein skimmer issue. What I didn't mention over in the other thread is why I am such a strong proponent of skimmers in seahorse tanks. Aside from the obvious benefits of removing dissolved organic compounds from the water before they break down, they also naturally aerate the water. This is essential for seahorses, because they have a less developed gill structure than most ray-finned bony fishes. I won't go into the anatomy here, but the short version is that they have more difficulties absorbing dissolved oxygen from the water than most fish, and therefore need as much O2 saturation in the water as possible. Warmer water naturally can carry less O2 dissolved in its matrix, and cooler water can absorb more O2...which leads me to my next point.
I don't know where you live, but I'm guessing it's summer there, too.
What am I missing? We talked about adding live rock, or more preferentially dry rock that will become live over time. I know you are going to research the benefits of live rock, and I encourage you to read as much as you can about it. LR is part of the final stage of your biologic filtration: it provides a large surface area deep in the rock for anaerobic bacteria to denitrify your tank; that is, convert nitrates into free nitrogen products that can be released harmlessly. In fact, LR is effectively all stages of a biologic filter in one chunky product: the surface areas contain aerobic bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate. For seahorse tanks I suggest people use a small amount of “live” rock and complete the rest with dry rock. The bacteria will colonize the dry rock fairly quickly, and the rest of the rock will be covered with coralline and other animals as time wears on. True live rock may contain pests such as large bristle worms (small bristle worms are not pests), mantis shrimp, and possible bacterial and fungal pathogens.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
I think we’ve had enough of the boring classroom information for one night. Let’s recap the items you should be looking to buy and then have some fun with potential stock lists. You should plan to buy:
•Skimmer. Don’t skimp on this….cheap skimmers are cheap for a reason.
•Powerhead. One should do it. Look on ----; you can get them used for a good deal.
•Chiller. Ice Probe for pure cool water awesomeness.
•Filter products like Purigen and Phos-guard we talked about from the other thread.
•More rock – live or dry – another 10 lbs of live rock or 8 lbs of dry tufa rock.
As for tank mates, I think you have some room to play here. I strongly (and I know it stinks) recommend you thin your herd to just TWO seahorses. If you want to keep your lawnmower blenny, just keep a close eye on him. If you don’t want to keep him, you could consider a safer blenny such as a bicolor blenny or a pair of barnacle blennies (they don’t have much impact on the system, hence the 2 for 1 ratio). I would also imagine you want to keep your yellow watchman goby, which is a cool fish that is safe for the horses. You can also keep a single firefish; red or purple, doesn’t matter. These guys are very cool to watch IMO.
Finally, I would suggest going over the three sticky posts on the top of this forum. There is a lot of great information up there, from people who have also been keeping horses for a while. The post with the link about safe tankmates is probably going to be especially interesting to you.
Whew…we’ve covered a lot of ground here tonight. I’m sure there’s plenty I’ve skimmed over, or skipped altogether, but I think you’ve got enough to be getting on with for now. Remember the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask….so always ask away. Good luck, and happy horsin’!
•Skimmer. Don’t skimp on this….cheap skimmers are cheap for a reason.
•Powerhead. One should do it. Look on ----; you can get them used for a good deal.
•Chiller. Ice Probe for pure cool water awesomeness.
•Filter products like Purigen and Phos-guard we talked about from the other thread.
•More rock – live or dry – another 10 lbs of live rock or 8 lbs of dry tufa rock.
As for tank mates, I think you have some room to play here. I strongly (and I know it stinks) recommend you thin your herd to just TWO seahorses. If you want to keep your lawnmower blenny, just keep a close eye on him. If you don’t want to keep him, you could consider a safer blenny such as a bicolor blenny or a pair of barnacle blennies (they don’t have much impact on the system, hence the 2 for 1 ratio). I would also imagine you want to keep your yellow watchman goby, which is a cool fish that is safe for the horses. You can also keep a single firefish; red or purple, doesn’t matter. These guys are very cool to watch IMO.
Finally, I would suggest going over the three sticky posts on the top of this forum. There is a lot of great information up there, from people who have also been keeping horses for a while. The post with the link about safe tankmates is probably going to be especially interesting to you.
Whew…we’ve covered a lot of ground here tonight. I’m sure there’s plenty I’ve skimmed over, or skipped altogether, but I think you’ve got enough to be getting on with for now. Remember the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask….so always ask away. Good luck, and happy horsin’!
teresaq
Active Member
Hi and welcome. Nova has given some good advise. I will add, that your tank is way to small for 4 lrg breed horses. ( a good head shot of each horse would help ID them) . You really should have a 30 to 40 gal tank for 2 pairs.
Do you know if they are captive bred and of so where they came from?? If they are wild caught, pen raised, then you will need worm them. There are instructions here for this, Nova just did this with his horse.
I too suggest a chiller. Temps should be kept between around 70 and 77 in order to keep bacteria down.
Good Luck
T
Do you know if they are captive bred and of so where they came from?? If they are wild caught, pen raised, then you will need worm them. There are instructions here for this, Nova just did this with his horse.
I too suggest a chiller. Temps should be kept between around 70 and 77 in order to keep bacteria down.
Good Luck
T
rispa
Member
To be honest I think my favorite fish is the lawnmower blenny, dubbed Phil after he nodded when I suggested the name. He is so funny and has a personality that I'm already seeing come out. It's my sister's camera so I'll have to play with it. Sadly my camera is having some problem with focusing, so I can't use it. Algae on the side of the tank was also giving me a bit of trouble in a few of the pics. I'll also see if my sister knows how to set her camera better than I do.
I've been feeding them frozen mysis, but their previous owner fed them frozen brine shrimp. It actually looked stringy and kinds of like clear phlegm with extra particles mixed in.
I'll give my LFS a call tomorrow and ask them if they have the blue legged hermit crabs and if they'll take back the two red legged ones I got and the one I got with the tank. I read that somewhere else, but didn't understand why one would be troublesome, but the other not, so thanks for the information.
Phil seems pretty chill and he picks up food on the ground, which the seahorses don't really seem to like. I've seen them eat off the rocks and filters, but not the ground, though they do eye the ground around feeding time. I'll look into algae sheets for him, because you are 100% correct as I said above lol. He's going to be my fish
The skunk shrimp I've seen jumping up and grabbing food and hunting for food on the rocks, although he hasn't really bothered the seahorses luckily. I've read that shrimp like him can clean out pouches, so I was considering getting rid of him anyhow. Should I replace him with another cleaner?
Cool I'm looking forward to getting one now although I'm going to try to take care of the over population issue first. I think I may get in touch with another nearby fish store and see their take on everything. Actually will the stores pay or trade out fish that you don't want?
I haven't seen them yet, but I'll keep looking. I did see one small worm go down the tank glass into the sand. It was orange and about the size of a hair. Any idea what that was?
I mentioned it to my mom and relayed your information until she said she had an info overload and had me stop talking lol. We'll be pursuing and researching more tomorrow and possibly purchasing as well. Haha we don't need a chiller, my mom had it in the 60's in her room which is the first floor and it gets up to around 75 F before she feels too hot. I started reading that thread, but haven't finished yet, I'll get back to it once I'm done here and with my homework lol. I'll get a thermometer tomorrow and try to adjust the heater better. Most places I've looked at said seahorses like warmer water, so this is new to me. It makes sense though. We were given live rock with the aquarium, so the dry rock should be fine. You are absolutely right, I will be doing some research on live rock. That is one aspect that has really caught my interest.
The watchman is extremely shy lol, I normally only see his tail with the exception of him darting out to grab a mysis, then darting back into his hiding spot. I actually already had the safe tankmates link up along with another one that varies slightly. I've gone through the stickies and they have definitely been helpful. If we decide not to get rid of any horses and to set up another tank and cycle it, do you think everyone would be okay for the time it takes to cycle the tank? I'm hoping everyone agrees to work on a second aquarium, so we can make this one a little more personal. Perhaps we could try to mix our current fish with the Scooter and another Dragonnet so everyone is happy. Haha I think I'm still getting way too far ahead of myself. One thing you didn't mention is the starfish. I attempted some pics, but none came out well, so I'm not going to bother posting. He came out of his cave and is in a corner. He has striped long legs and a dark brown body. I'm not sure what type he is, but will he cause a problem? I haven't been able to research him very well so far since I'm not sure what type he is.
Thanks so much for all this information! I really enjoyed reading through it. I'm going to finish off my homework then get back to researching, but at this point I think I can narrow my searches. If you think of anything else I would love to hear what you have to say. I'll also be reading your thread all the way through and taking notes
I've been feeding them frozen mysis, but their previous owner fed them frozen brine shrimp. It actually looked stringy and kinds of like clear phlegm with extra particles mixed in.
I'll give my LFS a call tomorrow and ask them if they have the blue legged hermit crabs and if they'll take back the two red legged ones I got and the one I got with the tank. I read that somewhere else, but didn't understand why one would be troublesome, but the other not, so thanks for the information.
Phil seems pretty chill and he picks up food on the ground, which the seahorses don't really seem to like. I've seen them eat off the rocks and filters, but not the ground, though they do eye the ground around feeding time. I'll look into algae sheets for him, because you are 100% correct as I said above lol. He's going to be my fish
The skunk shrimp I've seen jumping up and grabbing food and hunting for food on the rocks, although he hasn't really bothered the seahorses luckily. I've read that shrimp like him can clean out pouches, so I was considering getting rid of him anyhow. Should I replace him with another cleaner?Cool I'm looking forward to getting one now
although I'm going to try to take care of the over population issue first. I think I may get in touch with another nearby fish store and see their take on everything. Actually will the stores pay or trade out fish that you don't want?I haven't seen them yet, but I'll keep looking. I did see one small worm go down the tank glass into the sand. It was orange and about the size of a hair. Any idea what that was?
I mentioned it to my mom and relayed your information until she said she had an info overload and had me stop talking lol. We'll be pursuing and researching more tomorrow and possibly purchasing as well. Haha we don't need a chiller, my mom had it in the 60's in her room which is the first floor and it gets up to around 75 F before she feels too hot. I started reading that thread, but haven't finished yet, I'll get back to it once I'm done here and with my homework lol. I'll get a thermometer tomorrow and try to adjust the heater better. Most places I've looked at said seahorses like warmer water, so this is new to me. It makes sense though. We were given live rock with the aquarium, so the dry rock should be fine. You are absolutely right, I will be doing some research on live rock. That is one aspect that has really caught my interest.
The watchman is extremely shy lol, I normally only see his tail with the exception of him darting out to grab a mysis, then darting back into his hiding spot. I actually already had the safe tankmates link up along with another one that varies slightly. I've gone through the stickies and they have definitely been helpful. If we decide not to get rid of any horses and to set up another tank and cycle it, do you think everyone would be okay for the time it takes to cycle the tank? I'm hoping everyone agrees to work on a second aquarium, so we can make this one a little more personal. Perhaps we could try to mix our current fish with the Scooter and another Dragonnet so everyone is happy. Haha I think I'm still getting way too far ahead of myself. One thing you didn't mention is the starfish. I attempted some pics, but none came out well, so I'm not going to bother posting. He came out of his cave and is in a corner. He has striped long legs and a dark brown body. I'm not sure what type he is, but will he cause a problem? I haven't been able to research him very well so far since I'm not sure what type he is.
Thanks so much for all this information! I really enjoyed reading through it. I'm going to finish off my homework then get back to researching, but at this point I think I can narrow my searches. If you think of anything else I would love to hear what you have to say. I'll also be reading your thread all the way through and taking notes
rispa
Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3294196
Hi and welcome. Nova has given some good advise. I will add, that your tank is way to small for 4 lrg breed horses. ( a good head shot of each horse would help ID them) . You really should have a 30 to 40 gal tank for 2 pairs.
Do you know if they are captive bred and of so where they came from?? If they are wild caught, pen raised, then you will need worm them. There are instructions here for this, Nova just did this with his horse.
I too suggest a chiller. Temps should be kept between around 70 and 77 in order to keep bacteria down.
Good Luck
T
I have pics in the other forum I started this in, the link is in my first post. I'm going to try to get some better pics in a bit, perhaps while feeding. I was told they are captive bred and are from Florida. They have been eating frozen mysis, so this seems to be true. I'll be pursuing all of this over the next few days or so and I will be making improvments and discussing with my family whether we will be purchasing another tank or finding a new home for two of the seahorses. If you have any more advice I'd love to hear it. Also if you can verify the species of horse or need better pictures please let me know
http:///forum/post/3294196
Hi and welcome. Nova has given some good advise. I will add, that your tank is way to small for 4 lrg breed horses. ( a good head shot of each horse would help ID them) . You really should have a 30 to 40 gal tank for 2 pairs.
Do you know if they are captive bred and of so where they came from?? If they are wild caught, pen raised, then you will need worm them. There are instructions here for this, Nova just did this with his horse.
I too suggest a chiller. Temps should be kept between around 70 and 77 in order to keep bacteria down.
Good Luck
T
I have pics in the other forum I started this in, the link is in my first post. I'm going to try to get some better pics in a bit, perhaps while feeding. I was told they are captive bred and are from Florida. They have been eating frozen mysis, so this seems to be true. I'll be pursuing all of this over the next few days or so and I will be making improvments and discussing with my family whether we will be purchasing another tank or finding a new home for two of the seahorses. If you have any more advice I'd love to hear it. Also if you can verify the species of horse or need better pictures please let me know
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3294196
Hi and welcome. Nova has given some good advise. I will add, that your tank is way to small for 4 lrg breed horses. ( a good head shot of each horse would help ID them) . You really should have a 30 to 40 gal tank for 2 pairs.
Do you know if they are captive bred and of so where they came from?? If they are wild caught, pen raised, then you will need worm them. There are instructions here for this, Nova just did this with his horse.
I too suggest a chiller. Temps should be kept between around 70 and 77 in order to keep bacteria down.
Good Luck
T
Teresa!!! Long time no see!!
**internet huggs!**
yeah, I think we pounded the fact of the too-small tank into their head in the other thread too.
If you are serious about keeping all four horses, (and you still want a bowfront), start combing craigslist for a 36 gallon bowfront...or better yet, a 46 gallon bowfront. I have heard great things about that size tank. If by any chance you live in Florida, PM me. I may have a deal for you.
http:///forum/post/3294196
Hi and welcome. Nova has given some good advise. I will add, that your tank is way to small for 4 lrg breed horses. ( a good head shot of each horse would help ID them) . You really should have a 30 to 40 gal tank for 2 pairs.
Do you know if they are captive bred and of so where they came from?? If they are wild caught, pen raised, then you will need worm them. There are instructions here for this, Nova just did this with his horse.
I too suggest a chiller. Temps should be kept between around 70 and 77 in order to keep bacteria down.
Good Luck
T
Teresa!!! Long time no see!!
**internet huggs!**
yeah, I think we pounded the fact of the too-small tank into their head in the other thread too.
If you are serious about keeping all four horses, (and you still want a bowfront), start combing craigslist for a 36 gallon bowfront...or better yet, a 46 gallon bowfront. I have heard great things about that size tank. If by any chance you live in Florida, PM me. I may have a deal for you.
rispa
Member
Haha I'm from Tampa and a lot of family lives there, but I don't anymore. Wish I did, I remember catching a puffer fish, all kinds of starfish, live sand dollars, lots of hermit crabs, lots of normal crabs and a few fish while snorkeling in the shallows of some of the beaches. I live in Houston. I'm noticing that everyone is leaning towards thinning my herd or getting a bigger tank, is there something wrong with getting a second tank for the other pair of seahorses? I mean I suppose I could get a bigger tank, then remake the 18 gallon into something else or sell it. It is a nice tank and is looking better each time I work on getting salt off of it lol.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
There is no problem with the idea of doing two tanks with two horses each. In fact, that's part of the addiction to the saltwater hobby....don't even get me started about how many tanks I have in my garage. I think many of us were leaning on you to get a larger tank for two reasons:
1: (and don't take this the wrong way, I mean it kindly...) You're a Newb. You're going to make mistakes. We all have, and of course we all still do. Small tanks tend to take a lot more finesse, and when something goes wrong in a small tank it usually happens FAST. You have a little more "wiggle room" with larger tanks in this regard.
2: Purely asthetic - you will love the way 4 horses dance and interact with each other in a larger tank. Trust us - you just will.
I'm not suggesting you sell or get rid of the small tank! Just use it for a nano tank in your bedroom or something with one or two fish.
1: (and don't take this the wrong way, I mean it kindly...) You're a Newb. You're going to make mistakes. We all have, and of course we all still do. Small tanks tend to take a lot more finesse, and when something goes wrong in a small tank it usually happens FAST. You have a little more "wiggle room" with larger tanks in this regard.
2: Purely asthetic - you will love the way 4 horses dance and interact with each other in a larger tank. Trust us - you just will.
I'm not suggesting you sell or get rid of the small tank! Just use it for a nano tank in your bedroom or something with one or two fish.
S
shrimpy brains
Guest
So, I will just say welcome to the boards and to the addiction....um...I mean hobby!
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
looks like a 45 gallon tank to me...and for $25.00, too.....
http://houston.craigslist.org/for/1871897394.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/for/1871897394.html
teresaq
Active Member
Originally Posted by novahobbies
http:///forum/post/3294330
looks like a 45 gallon tank to me...and for $25.00, too.....
http://houston.craigslist.org/for/1871897394.html
That stand its on is a little scary. LOL Nice size tank though
T
http:///forum/post/3294330
looks like a 45 gallon tank to me...and for $25.00, too.....
http://houston.craigslist.org/for/1871897394.html
That stand its on is a little scary. LOL Nice size tank though
T
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
No kidding! I wouldn't trust it. I'd buy the setup for $25.00, and stop by a dumpster on the way home to "take care" of that stand.