New Seahorse tank Diary

flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeresaQ http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/280#post_3355823
with the babies, I am shaving mysis and mixing it with 24 to 48 hour old bbs.
for training to a feeding dish. Pic out a dish you want to use, could be the fake coral you have to a small glass dish.place it is a very low flow area, or you can choose to turn off you pump.
I use a clear plastic tube like they use on undergravel filters. I stick one end in the feeding dish, and and dump the mysis in the other. I let it fall down to the dish. Your horses will learn that you are a food source and where the food is.

Would a big turkey basting syringe (no needle) work with an air hose size tube?...I can’t imagine what else to use.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
no, mysis wont fit thru it. Petsmart sells the replacement tubes for undergravel filters. Its with the ridgid air tube.
You could always just use a turkey baster, but it means you have to stick your arm in the water.
T
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
After going through the ordeal of teaching a fully grown wild seahorse to eat frozen, I can completely empathize with you about the babies. That must be one heck of a job!!!
Question for you. I know they sell frozen BBS at most local stores. I've never done this, so I'm just thinking out loud here. Would it not be easier to wean them on to frozen BBS, and THEN transition to something like mini mysis? From my admittedly dodgy reasoning, it seems like they would be more likely to go for a frozen food that looks like the food they've been eating. Once you transition them to frozen bbs, you could soak batches of bbs with thawed mysis juice to get them used to the smell of the mysis...then make the final transition.
Having never raised a batch of babies before IN MY LIFE, I fully admit I could be completely wrong. But....it might be something to try, too!!
Flower, the tube thing works well. Take a day or two and put the tube wherever the horse is, and just let one or two mysis float down. The horse will learn to recognize the tube pretty quickly. When she sees it, she'll soon start swimming towards it. Once she does that, just choose the place you want to put your mysis, and voila! I started doing this just a couple days ago, and it works like a charm. No more wet arms when I squirt food in the food dish!!!
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/300#post_3355845
After going through the ordeal of teaching a fully grown wild seahorse to eat frozen, I can completely empathize with you about the babies. That must be one heck of a job!!!
Question for you. I know they sell frozen BBS at most local stores. I've never done this, so I'm just thinking out loud here. Would it not be easier to wean them on to frozen BBS, and THEN transition to something like mini mysis? From my admittedly dodgy reasoning, it seems like they would be more likely to go for a frozen food that looks like the food they've been eating. Once you transition them to frozen bbs, you could soak batches of bbs with thawed mysis juice to get them used to the smell of the mysis...then make the final transition.
Having never raised a batch of babies before IN MY LIFE, I fully admit I could be completely wrong. But....it might be something to try, too!!
Flower, the tube thing works well. Take a day or two and put the tube wherever the horse is, and just let one or two mysis float down. The horse will learn to recognize the tube pretty quickly. When she sees it, she'll soon start swimming towards it. Once she does that, just choose the place you want to put your mysis, and voila! I started doing this just a couple days ago, and it works like a charm. No more wet arms when I squirt food in the food dish!!!
I have frozern baby bbs, not much nutrition. I tried cyclopee, which is what a lot of people used, but it fouled the little tanks to much. I havent tried it with the new tank yet. I am still getting into a feeding routine with them.
It bothers me I cant see into the side of the tank to see them eat. lol
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

I have no updates, just waiting for my new equipment to get here. I do have a question...as a rule I add one critter at a time, except for the clowns..I added the pair.
T, you said I can keep 4 horses in my tank. Can I add two at a time or should I wait and add one every few weeks? Also how many months does a tank need to sit with copepods once the tank and the refugium are seeded before introducing a mandarin?
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
I did all mine at once. They were in QT for a couple of weeks to be sure they were eatting good. Since juvi horses are use to bare tanks, I wanted to be sure they were eatting good and use to me before adding them to the main tank.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeresaQ http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/300#post_3356478
I did all mine at once. They were in QT for a couple of weeks to be sure they were eatting good. Since juvi horses are use to bare tanks, I wanted to be sure they were eatting good and use to me before adding them to the main tank.

All four at once...how big was your tank? Oh boy...I figured since the first critter was just that I wouldn't quarantine, I have a 20g for just that however it isn’t set up, and it isn’t cycled. Is there some way to rig something up in the sump, it’s a bare tank with plenty of filtration. Since the problem is making sure they are eating since they are used to nothing in the tank. Or do you think the return pump would be too much, it looks pretty calm in there but it probably isn’t...Big sigh...what do I do?
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
calm down lol Qt tanks are usually not set up ahead. All you need to do is bare tank with plastic plants, or zip ties - hob filter with a sponge. you can throw the sponge in your sump to cycle it. Just keep an eye on them and the water. I used a 20 gal. If they seem to be doing good after a week, them move them to the main tank. dont panic
remember, if you get them from peka, they will be very young. prob no more then 3 inches long
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeresaQ http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/300#post_3356537
calm down lol Qt tanks are usually not set up ahead. All you need to do is bare tank with plastic plants, or zip ties - hob filter with a sponge. you can throw the sponge in your sump to cycle it. Just keep an eye on them and the water. I used a 20 gal. If they seem to be doing good after a week, them move them to the main tank. dont panic
remember, if you get them from peka, they will be very young. prob no more then 3 inches long
Okay I have a 20g tank, a hang on the back filter...what kind of sponge? How to make sure the temps don't go all over the place, I ws going to put a heater set at 73 in the sump. . Also I want only females...Isn't 3 inches too young to know what the sex is?
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
sometimes, They may be bigger, but prob no more than 4 inches. lol I have read about males mating at 4 to 5 mo old, they would be about 3 to 4 inches at that age.
I buy Aqua clear filter insert foam and cut them to fit my hob filters.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
for temps, just keep an eye on it. you really dont need more them a forecent light, if it seems to warm, a fan will work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/300#post_3356542
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeresaQ http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/300#post_3356537
calm down lol Qt tanks are usually not set up ahead. All you need to do is bare tank with plastic plants, or zip ties - hob filter with a sponge. you can throw the sponge in your sump to cycle it. Just keep an eye on them and the water. I used a 20 gal. If they seem to be doing good after a week, them move them to the main tank. dont panic
remember, if you get them from peka, they will be very young. prob no more then 3 inches long
Okay I have a 20g tank, a hang on the back filter...what kind of sponge? How to make sure the temps don't go all over the place, I ws going to put a heater set at 73 in the sump. . Also I want only females...Isn't 3 inches too young to know what the sex is?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

My room goes from 71 to 75...I read 2 degrees was all they could stand of any changes. So I thought 73 would allow it to go no lower, and if temps climbed to 75 it's not a problem.... it is actually the cold 71 I'm more worried about.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
na, 71 is not to bad. but you can always add a heater, just cover it with plastic canvas. or behind a tank divider.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member


Update:
Well after the storm, I knew my stuff would be late. Everything was tacked and it said it would arrive yesterday..well it didn’t…Not a big deal except one tiny problem. That Reefs2Go place where I ordered the turtle grass and amphipod/copepods to seed my tank…was mailed out Thursday overnight to reach me by Friday. That shipment didn’t make it either. No doubt it will be a frozen brick and dead.

I did get the rigid tubes in the mail, but no longer need…LOL..I took my Sea squirt which is nearly useless because the opening on it was so small I couldn’t really feed anything with it, the opening was so small even using it to kill aiptasia with Joes juice clogged it up….I removed the cap part and now have the perfect seahorse feeding tube, and will work better now for spot feeding any corals or anemones too.

Now all I need to do is find the perfect feeding dish. I’m thinking a small seashell ashtray or soap dish, I can use plastic coral or plants around it for hitches and rig something nice up, being glass it will be easy to clean and heavy enough to stay put. So I am on a mission to go online and see what I can find. I know a regular sea shell will work too…LOL..What can I say…I like to shop.
I ordered a titanium heater (also late on delivery) it be put in the sump so I won't have to worry about pony burns. By the end of March I plan to get a chiller so I won't be all worried in the summer months, ..better safe than sorry.
 
S

smartorl

Guest
Flower, I know it sounds weird but check out Walmart in their "decor" section. They have a big plastic bag of seashells that would probably have exactly what you are looking for. They had some huge ones that I used as soap dishes in the guest bath, and some smaller ones that I scattered around the plants on the patio that I think would be perfect for what you are looking for.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by smartorl http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/300#post_3357768
Flower, I know it sounds weird but check out Walmart in their "decor" section. They have a big plastic bag of seashells that would probably have exactly what you are looking for. They had some huge ones that I used as soap dishes in the guest bath, and some smaller ones that I scattered around the plants on the patio that I think would be perfect for what you are looking for.

Yep already did that. Yes they do have a nice big one in there with each bag. I almost purchased it, I was all the way to the checkout before I changed my mind on what I wanted to do. I'm a crafty kind of person....so the juices started flowing.
I wanted more than just a shell so the horses could hitch when they eat. The shell is too light for what I have in mind. I went online and found a perfect clear and yellow glass personal ashtray/saltdish. 3X3 around and 1” tall. $14.00 (I know I’m crazy when I want a certain thing) I plan to use silicone and create few hitches and the dish will snuggle in the center holding everything down.
 
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