Just starting out and very overwhelmed!!

teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Originally Posted by amandastp
http:///forum/post/3059386
Thanks for all the great info!! How do you suggest I get the CC out of the tank? I guess with no fish in it I could just scoop it out, Or should I just get ride of it, water and all and start over? I'm still not sure if live sand and live rock are ok for seahorses. I've heard yes and no so I don't know who to believe.
Use a siphon hose to suck the cc out if you want to change it. Then just rinse the sand very well (just buy dry aggregate) , put it in a zip lock bag, put it in the tank and dump it gently on the bottom.
T
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
So I am gonna throw this out there. With all I have read about the need for almost a sterile startup environment for horses, why would we not recommend that the OP take everyting out. Get new dry aragonite, some tufa dry base rock, and some nice premixed natural saltwater like Nutrisea or Caribsea and seed the biofiltration with a pc. of shrimp? Seems like she has suggested this herself a couple of times and also seems to me to be the way to get a new horse person off to the best possible start. NO??????
Inquiring minds need to know.
 
woody189

woody189

Member
Originally Posted by spanko
http:///forum/post/3059452
So I am gonna throw this out there. With all I have read about the need for almost a sterile startup environment for horses, why would we not recommend that the OP take everyting out. Get new dry aragonite, some tufa dry base rock, and some nice premixed natural saltwater like Nutrisea or Caribsea and seed the biofiltration with a pc. of shrimp? Seems like she has suggested this herself a couple of times and also seems to me to be the way to get a new horse person off to the best possible start. NO??????
Inquiring minds need to know.
Of course it wont' hurt, but is it necessary? She had crushed coral, which I don't think would introduce anything bad with it (if it were live sand, then maybe). And base rock, which also wouldn't add anything dangerous into the tank. 1 fish, which created minimal waste. and new water.
What is wrong with that? Wouldn't it already be as though it's a new tank when she gets rid of the CC and damsel, adds sand, and starts the cycle? I'm just asking.
Also, why use premixed water?? I always thought that was for ppl who are too lazy to mix it themselves, is there actually a benefit to it?? OR does it have bacteria already in it or something?
Are seahorses that sensitive?? I really don't know.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
I have already suggested the cc come out and dry agg sand go in. She has dry base rock now. I and most everyone uses regular salt like everyone else, you dont need natural seawater. Captive bred horses are raised in regular saltwater. I have also suggested she start a thread in the seahorse section for more help with her seahorse tank.
T
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3059525
I have already suggested the cc come out and dry agg sand go in. She has dry base rock now. I and most everyone uses regular salt like everyone else, you dont need natural seawater. Captive bred horses are raised in regular saltwater. I have also suggested she start a thread in the seahorse section for more help with her seahorse tank.
T
OOPS sorry, I misread her first post, saw live rock but then she said it was in a box dry.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by woody189
http:///forum/post/3059478
Of course it wont' hurt, but is it necessary? She had crushed coral, which I don't think would introduce anything bad with it (if it were live sand, then maybe). Seahorses will tend to snick food off the tank bottom, so the substrate should be as fine as she can get it And base rock, which also wouldn't add anything dangerous into the tank. 1 fish, which created minimal waste. and new water.
What is wrong with that? Wouldn't it already be as though it's a new tank when she gets rid of the CC and damsel, adds sand, and starts the cycle? I'm just asking.
Also, why use premixed water?? I always thought that was for ppl who are too lazy to mix it themselves, (That's what I thought also!)is there actually a benefit to it?? OR does it have bacteria already in it or something?
Are seahorses that sensitive?? IME, no they are not that sensitive. However a new keeper will want to take the best care and know she did everything as properly as possibleI really don't know.
I agree with Teresa, also on posting on the seahorse board...not that everyone wouldn't be welcome everywhere here, but some folks worked awfully hard to get that place for seahorse keepers...
 
amandastp

amandastp

Member
Hi all and thank you so much for all your help. I am still getting used to this sight and I did finally start a new thread in the seahorse board. I am not all that computer literate sad to say. All the tips and info are great and I am starting to feel a little less overwhelmed. I have been doing a tun of reading and taking in all that you are telling me. I really think I can be successful at this. Thank you all again and I'll be talking to you soon, with more questions I'm sure.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Hi Amanda, Welcome to the boards!!! I moved your thread here so that you can get help from all of the wonderful people that know the most about seahorses
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Ok Amanda, lets get started.
Please read the three threads at the top of this forum.
Let start with your tank. A 29 gal is good for one pair of horses.
I would choose either Erectus or Reidi. Please only by captive bred horses. Please dont let you lfs tell you they are captive bred when in fact they are probably tank raised, which are wild horses raised in nets. More on the accual horses later.
Temprature of tank - this should be kept at between 72 and 74 degrees.
A clip on fan will help you with this
Filteration. - so you have a regular hang on back filter. This should be fine if it is a lrg one, though a canister filter rated at least double your tank size would be better.
I like the rena canisters, they are easy to clean. I also like canister filters because you can add a spray bar to them for a nice even flow. Look in my theads at the top-there are pictures of spraybars.
Substrate-suck out that CC and add regular dry sand. Be sure to rince it well.
Rock-base rock is fine as long as its for saltwater. Can you post pictures of what you have.
You can add a couple of pieces of live rock to seed what you have.
Cycle-This you have already been researching.
Cleanup crew. snails - if you need or want hermits only get the scarlet. Look at the compatability chart at the top of this forum.
Tank mates. I do suggest at least adding a small goby to your tank. Clown gobies or neons are wonderful additions. They help cleanup left over food and they are fun to watch.
Lights, pc lights or t5s are fine for your tank. With them you can keep mushrooms, xenia, leathers, along with macro algeas if you want.
Equipment, a must is a refractometer. You need to be persise in your Sg.
Testing kits are also a must.
Also pictures of your tank are a must here

Have fun, relax, they are hard, but not that hard.
Dont be hard on yourself. We all loose horses. When I lost mine a very nice person who raises them told me even he has had things happen and had them die. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and keep going. I learn something new everyday.
T
 
amandastp

amandastp

Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3059858
Ok Amanda, lets get started.
Please read the three threads at the top of this forum.
Let start with your tank. A 29 gal is good for one pair of horses.
I would choose either Erectus or Reidi. Please only by captive bred horses. Please dont let you lfs tell you they are captive bred when in fact they are probably tank raised, which are wild horses raised in nets. More on the accual horses later.
Temprature of tank - this should be kept at between 72 and 74 degrees.
A clip on fan will help you with this
Filteration. - so you have a regular hang on back filter. This should be fine if it is a lrg one, though a canister filter rated at least double your tank size would be better.
I like the rena canisters, they are easy to clean. I also like canister filters because you can add a spray bar to them for a nice even flow. Look in my theads at the top-there are pictures of spraybars.
Substrate-suck out that CC and add regular dry sand. Be sure to rince it well.
Rock-base rock is fine as long as its for saltwater. Can you post pictures of what you have.
You can add a couple of pieces of live rock to seed what you have.
Cycle-This you have already been researching.
Cleanup crew. snails - if you need or want hermits only get the scarlet. Look at the compatability chart at the top of this forum.
Tank mates. I do suggest at least adding a small goby to your tank. Clown gobies or neons are wonderful additions. They help cleanup left over food and they are fun to watch.
Lights, pc lights or t5s are fine for your tank. With them you can keep mushrooms, xenia, leathers, along with macro algeas if you want.
Equipment, a must is a refractometer. You need to be persise in your Sg.
Testing kits are also a must.
Also pictures of your tank are a must here

Have fun, relax, they are hard, but not that hard.
Dont be hard on yourself. We all loose horses. When I lost mine a very nice person who raises them told me even he has had things happen and had them die. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and keep going. I learn something new everyday.
T
Thank you so much. This is very helpful!!. I am off to buy my sand and refractometer now. I took some pics last night and if I can figure out how to post them later I will. Thanks again!! Talk to you soon.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Hi amanda, can you e-mail me closer pictures of that rock. From what you posted, they look like fresh water rocks not salt water.
m0m24 @embarqmail .com take out the spaces.
TeresaQ
 
jayson417

jayson417

Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3060202
Hi amanda, can you e-mail me closer pictures of that rock. From what you posted, they look like fresh water rocks not salt water.
m0m24 @embarqmail .com take out the spaces.
TeresaQ
Looks like lava rock.
 
amandastp

amandastp

Member
Originally Posted by Jayson417
http:///forum/post/3060348
Looks like lava rock.
It is all a little different. Some is lighter and more porous, and some is darker and more smooth. What is up with that fish store??? I looked a little on line to try to find base rock for saltwater and I only found a place that sold 40 lbs of it at a time and it costs a fortune. I'm wondering if I need rock at all especially if I shouldn't have live rock in with the seahorses. Or may be the rock I have is OK? What do you all think?
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Yes you do need rock. You dont have to start out with live rock, base rock is fine, but you need the rock as part of your bio filteration.
I have gotten base for 2 to 3 bucks a lb, not a bad price.
T
 
woody189

woody189

Member
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
http:///forum/post/3059598
Seahorses will tend to snick food off the tank bottom, so the substrate should be as fine as she can get it
(That's what I thought also!)
IME, no they are not that sensitive. However a new keeper will want to take the best care and know she did everything as properly as possible
tHANKS for the info.
About the CC though, I was just saying that the CC couldn't have bought too many unwanted critters, not that she should have it instead of sand.
I may actually start reading up on horses myself. I've always thought they were so cool, but the ones I see always seem so depressed. and their colors are pretty funky lookin aat all LFS's around me.
Amanda, Live rock is real expensive. Base rock is a cheaper alternative, but it's still not cheap. And yes, you do need it. Like Teresa said, it is key in biological filtration. If you don't like the look of it for some reason, you can throw it in a sump if you intend on building one. I started w/ a canister filter, but I stopped using it and built a sump. They are much more effective, adn since getting one, my nitrates have dropped to 0. You really should look into them.
 
amandastp

amandastp

Member
Originally Posted by woody189
http:///forum/post/3060416
tHANKS for the info.
About the CC though, I was just saying that the CC couldn't have bought too many unwanted critters, not that she should have it instead of sand.
I may actually start reading up on horses myself. I've always thought they were so cool, but the ones I see always seem so depressed. and their colors are pretty funky lookin aat all LFS's around me.
Amanda, Live rock is real expensive. Base rock is a cheaper alternative, but it's still not cheap. And yes, you do need it. Like Teresa said, it is key in biological filtration. If you don't like the look of it for some reason, you can throw it in a sump if you intend on building one. I started w/ a canister filter, but I stopped using it and built a sump. They are much more effective, and since getting one, my nitrates have dropped to 0. You really should look into them.
Thanks! I will do that. I am wondering how I know how much rock I need for it to be effective. I know horses need a lot of room to swim so I'm just trying to keep it minimal. I know I will have to put things they can hitch to and I,m just picturing it getting crowded. I wish I could hire an ******** designer. I have also heard that I can buy base rock and seed it but I am not sure how to do that.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
See above-email me please.
You use your base rock, and then buy a few small pieces from your local fish store. Examine them well for any hitchhickers. Just add them to your tank.
Amanda breath it will be ok. Your doing fine.
Look at my new tank I just set up. I have about 50 lbs of live rock and still have plenty of room. For your tank I would do about 30 lbs of base rock. You use to be able to get branch rock, but I havent seen any lately. I have a few small pieces.
Are you using artifical plants and corals or are you adding macro algeas and real coral to your tank.
 
amandastp

amandastp

Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3060555
See above-email me please.
You use your base rock, and then buy a few small pieces from your local fish store. Examine them well for any hitchhickers. Just add them to your tank.
Amanda breath it will be ok. Your doing fine.
Look at my new tank I just set up. I have about 50 lbs of live rock and still have plenty of room. For your tank I would do about 30 lbs of base rock. You use to be able to get branch rock, but I havent seen any lately. I have a few small pieces.
Are you using artifical plants and corals or are you adding macro algeas and real coral to your tank.
I'm not sure. What do you suggest? I kind of don't want anything else that requires a lot of attention so I can concentrate on the horses, but I don't want it to look cheep. I know that live plants can be beneficial to the tank but I'm not sure how much is involved in caring for them. I did see some fake coral/branchy looking things that I thought would be good for hitching. Don't real corals require strong flow? What do you have in your tank, and do you think the fake coral would be OK? I will try to find some base rock, but what do I need to do to seed it? Thanks again for all your help!!!!!
 
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