Might buy a seahorse...
- Thread starter ci11337
- Start date
nybutterfly03
Member
Whatever choice is made I just hope the best interest is in that of the Seahorse
We all have the "I want it now syndome" and we all have see Willy Wonka right??? We all know what happens there
My concern is for the horse so I have shared my experiance. I hope they read and take what I have as advise not a criticism.
We all have the "I want it now syndome" and we all have see Willy Wonka right??? We all know what happens there
My concern is for the horse so I have shared my experiance. I hope they read and take what I have as advise not a criticism.
koi lady
Member
Originally Posted by zeke92
http:///forum/post/2460424
people on here are very 'picky' about mature tanks and such. no offense to everyone, but pods and such are not 100% nessecary. it won't kill a horse to have a tank without 100s of pods. i've talked to a few LFS people at my lfs and they all said the same exact thing the only reason people say let it cycle for a SH for so freaking long is for pods. you could always buy a bottle of live pods for liek 10-20 bucks and add to tank. but if you use water and rock and sand form a cycled tank and let it sit for a bit without any problems it should be fine.
Zeke,
I am finding out the hard way that you do need pods, LOTS OF PODS. I got 2 Reidi from SWF and all they have eaten are the pods in my tank. They are refusing any kind of mysis. And the bottled live pods are very small and would only make a one time snack. The Reidi are getting skinny and are losing color because they are eating all the pods and I can't keep up with them. I am just about to the point of tube feeding them. A mature tank with 100's of pods could be the essential seahorse saving item. I had thought my tank was mature with pods galore, but these guys are proving me wrong.
http:///forum/post/2460424
people on here are very 'picky' about mature tanks and such. no offense to everyone, but pods and such are not 100% nessecary. it won't kill a horse to have a tank without 100s of pods. i've talked to a few LFS people at my lfs and they all said the same exact thing the only reason people say let it cycle for a SH for so freaking long is for pods. you could always buy a bottle of live pods for liek 10-20 bucks and add to tank. but if you use water and rock and sand form a cycled tank and let it sit for a bit without any problems it should be fine.
Zeke,
I am finding out the hard way that you do need pods, LOTS OF PODS. I got 2 Reidi from SWF and all they have eaten are the pods in my tank. They are refusing any kind of mysis. And the bottled live pods are very small and would only make a one time snack. The Reidi are getting skinny and are losing color because they are eating all the pods and I can't keep up with them. I am just about to the point of tube feeding them. A mature tank with 100's of pods could be the essential seahorse saving item. I had thought my tank was mature with pods galore, but these guys are proving me wrong.
nybutterfly03
Member
THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!! I really appreciate your input & backing up my concern.
Im sorry to hear the horses arent feeding well.....have u tried gut loaded live bryne or tried to get live mysis at all?? I find that even the picky eaters cant resist the live food as they love the "hunt"
HTH's
Im sorry to hear the horses arent feeding well.....have u tried gut loaded live bryne or tried to get live mysis at all?? I find that even the picky eaters cant resist the live food as they love the "hunt"
poniegirl
Active Member
MO on the skipping the cycle in a fresh tank...you can't skip it. The beneficial bacteria form on surface and are not free floating in the water. The bacteria need to form on the tank itself, any decorations, your filter and its media. I have seen shortened cycle by using old media, LR and substrate. But it's not foolproof and can't prevent a cycle.
On pods, I agree 100X with Koi Lady.
I do disagree that seahorses are extremely sensitive. I think they are actually tougher than some other fish families if they get a fair start. A fair start in my book is a mature, healthy tank (six months is not too long!). And six months is also not too long to search the net and learn about the animal. They are a bit different.
On pods, I agree 100X with Koi Lady.
I do disagree that seahorses are extremely sensitive. I think they are actually tougher than some other fish families if they get a fair start. A fair start in my book is a mature, healthy tank (six months is not too long!). And six months is also not too long to search the net and learn about the animal. They are a bit different.
zeke92
Active Member
i guess i was just agreeing with ci because using that method works for OTHER fish...but not horses most likely. i stand 100% corrected.
ci11337 i know you really want to get these but i took ONE YEAR to study horses before i got mine and still, if you have read my thread, i still lost both mine after the first month or two (not good with time)
i would get a bit more rock in there for a while and more plants. do a LOT of research. add pods and let them grow and breed. wait months. it's not something you can jump into, just forget what i said before, it cannot be taken into use for seahorses.
ci11337 i know you really want to get these but i took ONE YEAR to study horses before i got mine and still, if you have read my thread, i still lost both mine after the first month or two (not good with time)
i would get a bit more rock in there for a while and more plants. do a LOT of research. add pods and let them grow and breed. wait months. it's not something you can jump into, just forget what i said before, it cannot be taken into use for seahorses.
ci11337
Active Member
NyButterfly03- You say you tried to do what i want to do and failed, but how do you know they died because there weren't enough pods? There are 100 other possible reasons.(As i understand it several of you "older wiser SH keepers" have had horses die recently and you suspect that the plants that feed the pods are causing O2 drops at night) Also my horse does eat frozen(i've seen it personally) so it doesn't necessarily need pods. My horse has already survived the stress of shipping. Also, Koi Lady said that the horses in her tank wiped out all the pods in her tank, so even if the tank is literally covered in pods after i wait 6 months the horse will just eat em all in a few weeks right? PonieGirl i have by no means skipped the cycle, simply shortened it to about a week by using materials from my established reef. And i have been researching seahorses for more than a year. Originally, 2 years ago, i had a 29 gallon FW tank which i planned to covert to a SW SH tank.(and thus researched them) However, my parents got me the 55 for my 13th B-day so i set up a reef. Besides the pods, ( which is what Mona Lisa said is the soul reason for the extra long cycle) what is the difference between a "mature" tank and mine? Bacteria? I have introduced bacteria from my reef through CC, LR,(which i will try to add some more of) and filter media and given it some time to grow. The way i see it the only reason you need so many pods is if you ordered SH's online and do not know if they will take frozen food and even then the pods won't last. ( Like Koi lady said) Yet i've been told The reason for the longer cycle of a sh tank is to allow the pod population to develop in the tank. You accuse me of being impatient, i let my reef run empty for 10 week to ensure i would have no ich problems. (parasites can only live about 9 weeks without a host) However i felt this was needed to ensure the health of my fish. Waiting for pods to breed so they can be wiped out by a animal that accepts frozen food seems unnecessary. One benefit of havening pods that you pointed out is allowing the horse to hunt naturally, (keep in mind they are tank bred) i do agree with this though and thats why i plan to introduce store bought pods periodically. You all make it sound like i want the horse to die, you call me selfish, and even tell me "I have to say Im sure you will be in for A LOT of hearbreak and I feel sorry for the lil horse you are about to do this to" as though you know the horse will die.
Don't mean to sound stubborn but what you all are saying doesn't make much sense to me.
Don't mean to sound stubborn but what you all are saying doesn't make much sense to me.
ci11337
Active Member
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
http:///forum/post/2462880
Apologies, some of your first questions led me to believe keeping SH was a pretty new idea for you.
What are your water parameters? The levels are the only clue we have when you ask if the cycle will be skipped by adding cured LR.
The reason for my earlier barrage of questions was to get some 3rd opinions.
Current Parameters...
Temp: 75
SG: 1.024
Calc: 400
Alk: Normal (my kit dosen't have #'s for Alk)
PH: 8.6
I know you asked for parameters related to the cycle but i don't have these kits anymore, but I'm bringing in water to be tested and i assure you i won't add a thing if the cycle isn't completely over.
http:///forum/post/2462880
Apologies, some of your first questions led me to believe keeping SH was a pretty new idea for you.
What are your water parameters? The levels are the only clue we have when you ask if the cycle will be skipped by adding cured LR.
The reason for my earlier barrage of questions was to get some 3rd opinions.
Current Parameters...
Temp: 75
SG: 1.024
Calc: 400
Alk: Normal (my kit dosen't have #'s for Alk)
PH: 8.6
I know you asked for parameters related to the cycle but i don't have these kits anymore, but I'm bringing in water to be tested and i assure you i won't add a thing if the cycle isn't completely over.
zeke92
Active Member
ci11337, you kinda said what i think. alot of the time they do kinda say stuff i do not agree with.
ok here is my pointof view, im not starting a war but i'm just saying this to get it off my chest.
sometimes you guys always say crap like "i feel sorry for the horse your gonna do this to" and "well good luck with your horse i hope he goes quickly" and crap and try to make us feel terrible about doing it. you SCARE people out of the hobby. you make them feel like idiots. you scare them out of the hobby by making them feel stupid and saying there doing everything wrong and not trusting them. you always act like there is only one way to do stuff as well.
stop scaring people out of the hobby. stop saying horses are gonna die as soon as you think there doing something different then YOU would. stop acting like someone is gonna kill a horse.
i was SICK of that when i first joined this hobby. i was flamed by many people on other forums like that. i don't wanna see it here now too.
ok here is my pointof view, im not starting a war but i'm just saying this to get it off my chest.
sometimes you guys always say crap like "i feel sorry for the horse your gonna do this to" and "well good luck with your horse i hope he goes quickly" and crap and try to make us feel terrible about doing it. you SCARE people out of the hobby. you make them feel like idiots. you scare them out of the hobby by making them feel stupid and saying there doing everything wrong and not trusting them. you always act like there is only one way to do stuff as well.
stop scaring people out of the hobby. stop saying horses are gonna die as soon as you think there doing something different then YOU would. stop acting like someone is gonna kill a horse.
i was SICK of that when i first joined this hobby. i was flamed by many people on other forums like that. i don't wanna see it here now too.
nybutterfly03
Member
Well then I will not respond to any more of your posts or share any personal experiances to try to SAVE a FELLOW SH KEEPER from going thru the SAME heartache I went thru.
Good Luck
Good Luck
ci11337
Active Member
Originally Posted by NyButterfly03
http:///forum/post/2462972
Well then I will not respond to any more of your posts or share any personal experiances to try to SAVE a FELLOW SH KEEPER from going thru the SAME heartache I went thru.
Good Luck
O, real mature because someone dosen't agree with you 100% give them the cold shoulder. BTW, i never said i didn't want your help was just making my case.
At least you said good luck.
Anyway, just called the LFS to check on him and they said hes very healthy, eating frozen foods like a pig, and is still bright yellow.
Still can't find the other plastic plants, (might be at my cousins) But I'll get some and there is one more small piece of LR i think i can add.
http:///forum/post/2462972
Well then I will not respond to any more of your posts or share any personal experiances to try to SAVE a FELLOW SH KEEPER from going thru the SAME heartache I went thru.
Good Luck
O, real mature because someone dosen't agree with you 100% give them the cold shoulder. BTW, i never said i didn't want your help was just making my case.
At least you said good luck.
Anyway, just called the LFS to check on him and they said hes very healthy, eating frozen foods like a pig, and is still bright yellow.
zeke92
Active Member
Originally Posted by NyButterfly03
http:///forum/post/2462972
Well then I will not respond to any more of your posts or share any personal experiances to try to SAVE a FELLOW SH KEEPER from going thru the SAME heartache I went thru.
Good Luck
now what the heck, come on. thats not very mature.
http:///forum/post/2462972
Well then I will not respond to any more of your posts or share any personal experiances to try to SAVE a FELLOW SH KEEPER from going thru the SAME heartache I went thru.
Good Luck
now what the heck, come on. thats not very mature.
nybutterfly03
Member
Say what you want........I will not have my words mocked as I was trying to knock you down or "SCARE" you out of seahorse keeping as Zeke suggests.
U werent very curtious, just shunned my suggestion so fine do as u wish....I will not share my experiances and such just to to have youngins acting as if I dont know what I am talking about. U sound just like my KIDS
So good luck, I wish you and the horse the best!
U werent very curtious, just shunned my suggestion so fine do as u wish....I will not share my experiances and such just to to have youngins acting as if I dont know what I am talking about. U sound just like my KIDS
So good luck, I wish you and the horse the best!
poniegirl
Active Member
Originally Posted by ci11337
http:///forum/post/2462893
The reason for my earlier barrage of questions was to get some 3rd opinions.
Current Parameters...
Temp: 75
SG: 1.024
Calc: 400
Alk: Normal (my kit dosen't have #'s for Alk)
PH: 8.6
I know you asked for parameters related to the cycle but i don't have these kits anymore, but I'm bringing in water to be tested and i assure you i won't add a thing if the cycle isn't completely over.
The numbers above look great, and I hope the rest follow suit. It seems like we always find the fish, SH, coral, whatever that we want and our tank won't co-operate!
I have listened to many different opinions here and other boards on keeping these animals and have been flamed myself for some of my choices. A bit unorthodox at times. You won't find me flaming anyone.
I think SH are pretty hardy as a rule. Understanding how SH are designed and where they live in the wild are helpful in keeping these two things in perspective.
I believe we all just share what we know in the hope of helping.
Be sure to post when your SH gets home...we can't resist!
http:///forum/post/2462893
The reason for my earlier barrage of questions was to get some 3rd opinions.
Current Parameters...
Temp: 75
SG: 1.024
Calc: 400
Alk: Normal (my kit dosen't have #'s for Alk)
PH: 8.6
I know you asked for parameters related to the cycle but i don't have these kits anymore, but I'm bringing in water to be tested and i assure you i won't add a thing if the cycle isn't completely over.
The numbers above look great, and I hope the rest follow suit. It seems like we always find the fish, SH, coral, whatever that we want and our tank won't co-operate!
I have listened to many different opinions here and other boards on keeping these animals and have been flamed myself for some of my choices. A bit unorthodox at times. You won't find me flaming anyone.
I think SH are pretty hardy as a rule. Understanding how SH are designed and where they live in the wild are helpful in keeping these two things in perspective.
I believe we all just share what we know in the hope of helping.
Be sure to post when your SH gets home...we can't resist!
koi lady
Member
Originally Posted by ci11337
http:///forum/post/2462856
NyButterfly03- You say you tried to do what i want to do and failed, but how do you know they died because there weren't enough pods? There are 100 other possible reasons.(As i understand it several of you "older wiser SH keepers" have had horses die recently and you suspect that the plants that feed the pods are causing O2 drops at night) Also my horse does eat frozen(i've seen it personally) so it doesn't necessarily need pods. My horse has already survived the stress of shipping. Also, Koi Lady said that the horses in her tank wiped out all the pods in her tank, so even if the tank is literally covered in pods after i wait 6 months the horse will just eat em all in a few weeks right? PonieGirl i have by no means skipped the cycle, simply shortened it to about a week by using materials from my established reef. And i have been researching seahorses for more than a year. Originally, 2 years ago, i had a 29 gallon FW tank which i planned to covert to a SW SH tank.(and thus researched them) However, my parents got me the 55 for my 13th B-day so i set up a reef. Besides the pods, ( which is what Mona Lisa said is the soul reason for the extra long cycle) what is the difference between a "mature" tank and mine? Bacteria? I have introduced bacteria from my reef through CC, LR,(which i will try to add some more of) and filter media and given it some time to grow. The way i see it the only reason you need so many pods is if you ordered SH's online and do not know if they will take frozen food and even then the pods won't last. ( Like Koi lady said) Yet i've been told The reason for the longer cycle of a sh tank is to allow the pod population to develop in the tank. You accuse me of being impatient, i let my reef run empty for 10 week to ensure i would have no ich problems. (parasites can only live about 9 weeks without a host) However i felt this was needed to ensure the health of my fish. Waiting for pods to breed so they can be wiped out by a animal that accepts frozen food seems unnecessary. One benefit of havening pods that you pointed out is allowing the horse to hunt naturally, (keep in mind they are tank bred) i do agree with this though and thats why i plan to introduce store bought pods periodically. You all make it sound like i want the horse to die, you call me selfish, and even tell me "I have to say Im sure you will be in for A LOT of hearbreak and I feel sorry for the lil horse you are about to do this to" as though you know the horse will die.
Don't mean to sound stubborn but what you all are saying doesn't make much sense to me.
What I was saying was that I "thought" my tank was mature. I waited only about 3 months before putting in live items. I used new sand plus old sand, but old rocks from my other tank. The cycle was done, but apparently the natural foodstuff wasn't up to what it needed to be and I dumped plenty of bottled pods in. Now 4 months after I put livestock in, the pods were not in the numbers needed. I have been extremely lucky that my horses have all been eating mysis until these last two. The pod supply had not been compromised by grazing so the Reidi have lived for almost two weeks. The male is still hunting, but the female just lays on the plants. She is being tube fed for now, but I don't have much hope. I look at the both of them and want to cry because of my haste in the beginning.
We are not trying to put anyone down. We are stating our own experiences with impatience in getting that fish, seahorse, coral, or whatever that is yelling at us to buy it. And then finding it dead because the tank was not ready for it. And the compulsion to buy is still there everytime we go into a fish store.
Please let the years of experience that is here be of use to you. I am probably one of the oldest in age here, but my saltwater age is still a baby. I am very grateful that there are forums here where I can come and ask questions or just read what others have gone through and the advice given.
We all hope for the best for you in you seahorse tank no matter how it may sound otherwise to you. Please keep coming back and imputting.
http:///forum/post/2462856
NyButterfly03- You say you tried to do what i want to do and failed, but how do you know they died because there weren't enough pods? There are 100 other possible reasons.(As i understand it several of you "older wiser SH keepers" have had horses die recently and you suspect that the plants that feed the pods are causing O2 drops at night) Also my horse does eat frozen(i've seen it personally) so it doesn't necessarily need pods. My horse has already survived the stress of shipping. Also, Koi Lady said that the horses in her tank wiped out all the pods in her tank, so even if the tank is literally covered in pods after i wait 6 months the horse will just eat em all in a few weeks right? PonieGirl i have by no means skipped the cycle, simply shortened it to about a week by using materials from my established reef. And i have been researching seahorses for more than a year. Originally, 2 years ago, i had a 29 gallon FW tank which i planned to covert to a SW SH tank.(and thus researched them) However, my parents got me the 55 for my 13th B-day so i set up a reef. Besides the pods, ( which is what Mona Lisa said is the soul reason for the extra long cycle) what is the difference between a "mature" tank and mine? Bacteria? I have introduced bacteria from my reef through CC, LR,(which i will try to add some more of) and filter media and given it some time to grow. The way i see it the only reason you need so many pods is if you ordered SH's online and do not know if they will take frozen food and even then the pods won't last. ( Like Koi lady said) Yet i've been told The reason for the longer cycle of a sh tank is to allow the pod population to develop in the tank. You accuse me of being impatient, i let my reef run empty for 10 week to ensure i would have no ich problems. (parasites can only live about 9 weeks without a host) However i felt this was needed to ensure the health of my fish. Waiting for pods to breed so they can be wiped out by a animal that accepts frozen food seems unnecessary. One benefit of havening pods that you pointed out is allowing the horse to hunt naturally, (keep in mind they are tank bred) i do agree with this though and thats why i plan to introduce store bought pods periodically. You all make it sound like i want the horse to die, you call me selfish, and even tell me "I have to say Im sure you will be in for A LOT of hearbreak and I feel sorry for the lil horse you are about to do this to" as though you know the horse will die.
Don't mean to sound stubborn but what you all are saying doesn't make much sense to me.
What I was saying was that I "thought" my tank was mature. I waited only about 3 months before putting in live items. I used new sand plus old sand, but old rocks from my other tank. The cycle was done, but apparently the natural foodstuff wasn't up to what it needed to be and I dumped plenty of bottled pods in. Now 4 months after I put livestock in, the pods were not in the numbers needed. I have been extremely lucky that my horses have all been eating mysis until these last two. The pod supply had not been compromised by grazing so the Reidi have lived for almost two weeks. The male is still hunting, but the female just lays on the plants. She is being tube fed for now, but I don't have much hope. I look at the both of them and want to cry because of my haste in the beginning.
We are not trying to put anyone down. We are stating our own experiences with impatience in getting that fish, seahorse, coral, or whatever that is yelling at us to buy it. And then finding it dead because the tank was not ready for it. And the compulsion to buy is still there everytime we go into a fish store.
Please let the years of experience that is here be of use to you. I am probably one of the oldest in age here, but my saltwater age is still a baby. I am very grateful that there are forums here where I can come and ask questions or just read what others have gone through and the advice given.
We all hope for the best for you in you seahorse tank no matter how it may sound otherwise to you. Please keep coming back and imputting.
ci11337
Active Member
KOILADY- So the horses you had that ate mysis did fine even without loads of pods right? If i didn't think the horse would be alright without pods i would wait. But i know he is eating mysis so i am not worried about pods. Really hope your horse pulls through, don't give up hope. This is why i won't order any fish online, you have no idea if it will eat or anything. (Although i'm sure some people have no choice, i'm very lucky to have 3 nice SW lfs near me.)
NYBUTTERFLY- I did not shun your suggestion, your suggestion was to let the tank cycle longer to build a pod population. I considered your suggestion but determined it was advice for someone ordering a horse that wouldn't know if it is eating frozen or not.(as a safegaurd so the SH wouldn't starve) In that regard it is excellent advice. If i know the horse is eating frozen foods, and therefore dosen't need pods, what is the benefit of the longer cycle? I hope you will answer my questions and not stay mad at me. I will try to be more curtious as well.
PONIEGIRL- I will post a pic once i get him this weekend. (if the cycle is done)
NYBUTTERFLY- I did not shun your suggestion, your suggestion was to let the tank cycle longer to build a pod population. I considered your suggestion but determined it was advice for someone ordering a horse that wouldn't know if it is eating frozen or not.(as a safegaurd so the SH wouldn't starve) In that regard it is excellent advice. If i know the horse is eating frozen foods, and therefore dosen't need pods, what is the benefit of the longer cycle? I hope you will answer my questions and not stay mad at me. I will try to be more curtious as well.
PONIEGIRL- I will post a pic once i get him this weekend. (if the cycle is done)
poniegirl
Active Member
Originally Posted by Koi Lady
http:///forum/post/2463832
And the compulsion to buy is still there everytime we go into a fish store.
We all hope for the best for you in you seahorse tank no matter how it may sound otherwise to you. Please keep coming back and imputting.
amen to both
http:///forum/post/2463832
And the compulsion to buy is still there everytime we go into a fish store.
We all hope for the best for you in you seahorse tank no matter how it may sound otherwise to you. Please keep coming back and imputting.