New Seahorse tank Diary
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flower
Well-Known Member
UPDATE:
I got my macro algae in and wanted to show you guys why I like red bubble algae: I also broke down and got a nano power head (box says oceanic biocube), no matter what I tried I couldn't get good flow to the center of the tank. I covered the PH to prevent the horses from hitching on it and getting hurt on the propeller...it creates a very gentle flow.
This is what the tank looks like today..the Horses are hiding because I invaded their space. So it will be a few hours before they come out for me to try and get a few pictures of them.
A little closer view of the right side, next to the leather is Gracilaria macro
A little closer look at the left side:
A better look at the Botryocladia AKA Red Bubble Algae, I put two bushes around the feeding station, the horses are always tangling themselves with each other trying to eat and I hope the macro as extra hitches will help.
I got my macro algae in and wanted to show you guys why I like red bubble algae: I also broke down and got a nano power head (box says oceanic biocube), no matter what I tried I couldn't get good flow to the center of the tank. I covered the PH to prevent the horses from hitching on it and getting hurt on the propeller...it creates a very gentle flow.
This is what the tank looks like today..the Horses are hiding because I invaded their space. So it will be a few hours before they come out for me to try and get a few pictures of them.
A little closer view of the right side, next to the leather is Gracilaria macro
A little closer look at the left side:
A better look at the Botryocladia AKA Red Bubble Algae, I put two bushes around the feeding station, the horses are always tangling themselves with each other trying to eat and I hope the macro as extra hitches will help.
flower
Well-Known Member
UPDATE: Pictures
Well a photographer I am not. I will keep trying but they hide so well, and when they do come out, it's to fight or show off and they won't stop moving long enough for me to take a picture that isn't blurred. I have no idea how to take or upload a video. The tank has come a long way and I'm very proud of it. I did the sump myself, and 2Quills helped with my return, and the nitrates are 0 on this tank... I made the return PVC pipes longer and removed the power head.
Stock list:
Day 1
This is it this morning..it is white with off white nubs and comes out at night then stays out about 2 hours after lights on...it's actually beautiful now
...it's already starting to retract in this picture. It is about 8 inches fully out, I really like it, the white color really pops out.
They have really grown but getting them to hold still is not for today..here is what I got this morning at freeding time.
Getting ready to fight
Showing off
This is the one with the red on him but I don't take good pictures
showing off so bad it can't hardly eat...
One is fighting...the other is looking for some more food
LOL...here is the beginning picture
What the tank looks like today...showing the longer PVC pipes (spray bars) for the return flow. I lowered it more on one side and turned the flow toward the back on that pipe, this created a perfect flow all around and I needed no power heads. I also have two bubble lines. I run a canister with carbon and floss only..a Tunz nano skimmer, and sump/refugium....this little skimmer is awesome. It pulls out dark skim and lifts out so easy to dump or clean. It also has a magnet to hold it in place at the right height in the sump. I also have a titanium heater set at 75...It runs constantly (lights on) the tank stays at 71 with no chiller.
Well a photographer I am not. I will keep trying but they hide so well, and when they do come out, it's to fight or show off and they won't stop moving long enough for me to take a picture that isn't blurred. I have no idea how to take or upload a video. The tank has come a long way and I'm very proud of it. I did the sump myself, and 2Quills helped with my return, and the nitrates are 0 on this tank... I made the return PVC pipes longer and removed the power head.
Stock list:
4 Erectus SHs (3 males..1 Female) = never ending antics
2 yellow clown gobies
1 Hectors goby
5 peppermint shrimp
65 (different types) snails
2 Fan (Feather Duster) worms
Corals and Macro Algae:
Snake tree
Botryocladia (red macro)
Gracilaria (red macro)
Crusty flakes of coraline looks like small Padia but it's red, someone said it was a type of coraline..It's about 3 inches out from the rock now and has started in 4 other places.
Turtle grass (macro...small but still alive and growing)
True Blue mushrooms on a rock and one on the wall
Green stripe metallic mushrooms on 3 different rocks
Blue spot mushrooms on a rock
Regular Kenya tree (3)
Green Kenya tree (LOL..looks purple to me)
Neon Green Palua Kenya tree (frag attached on the wall and growing)
Stubby finger leather
2 Purple finger leather (I fragged one small arm and attached it on the wall...it's growing)
Yellow star polyps
Green star polyps
neon green button polyps
Day 1
This is it this morning..it is white with off white nubs and comes out at night then stays out about 2 hours after lights on...it's actually beautiful now
...it's already starting to retract in this picture. It is about 8 inches fully out, I really like it, the white color really pops out.
They have really grown but getting them to hold still is not for today..here is what I got this morning at freeding time.
Getting ready to fight
Showing off
This is the one with the red on him but I don't take good pictures
showing off so bad it can't hardly eat...
One is fighting...the other is looking for some more food
LOL...here is the beginning picture
What the tank looks like today...showing the longer PVC pipes (spray bars) for the return flow. I lowered it more on one side and turned the flow toward the back on that pipe, this created a perfect flow all around and I needed no power heads. I also have two bubble lines. I run a canister with carbon and floss only..a Tunz nano skimmer, and sump/refugium....this little skimmer is awesome. It pulls out dark skim and lifts out so easy to dump or clean. It also has a magnet to hold it in place at the right height in the sump. I also have a titanium heater set at 75...It runs constantly (lights on) the tank stays at 71 with no chiller.
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/460#post_3389408
Looks great Flower.....I didn't realize your horses were so light colored....The one I have that is light is VERY hard to get pictures of cause it blends in so well
BLEND IN??? LOL...with all that coral they are invisible, you have to really look for them, I know their hiding spots. That's why I take pictures at feeding time.....All the males turn cream color with a black face when they do the huffy puffy at each other.
One is dark red with green patches, one is charcoal like yours (the big one) only my girl who lives in the Kenya tree forest is cream colored, she used to be orange. Then I have a light grey one with dark patches. Did you notice how smooth they are?..hardly any cool bumps. The female has the most, maybe they puff up and make themselves smooth...I only see them when they are chasing the female, or stiffening up at each other. They can sure make that pouch ugly..eeewww. They have had 2 patches of babies already, but I miss the birth everytime. I just seen a ton of babies in the sump a week ago....fed them to the eaters of the 90g..sniff, sniff wipe a tear.
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/460#post_3389408
Looks great Flower.....I didn't realize your horses were so light colored....The one I have that is light is VERY hard to get pictures of cause it blends in so well
BLEND IN??? LOL...with all that coral they are invisible, you have to really look for them, I know their hiding spots. That's why I take pictures at feeding time.....All the males turn cream color with a black face when they do the huffy puffy at each other.
One is dark red with green patches, one is charcoal like yours (the big one) only my girl who lives in the Kenya tree forest is cream colored, she used to be orange. Then I have a light grey one with dark patches. Did you notice how smooth they are?..hardly any cool bumps. The female has the most, maybe they puff up and make themselves smooth...I only see them when they are chasing the female, or stiffening up at each other. They can sure make that pouch ugly..eeewww. They have had 2 patches of babies already, but I miss the birth everytime. I just seen a ton of babies in the sump a week ago....fed them to the eaters of the 90g..sniff, sniff wipe a tear.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
What a great update! I love the before and after pics....
flower
Well-Known Member
Thanks Gemmy and Nova.....hey, I finally figured out what that is that I have been using as a feeding station...it's a holder for a beta fish bowl. LOL...the place for the little fish bowl is perfect and it's so colorful with fake corals all over it. It's almost as cool as a giant sea shell attached to the rock work.
No comments on my ugly coral? Everytime I look at that first picture I still laugh at it.
flower
Well-Known Member
Some more pictures (a little clearer) They were all over the tank today so I snapped a bunch of pictures and cut and cropped
The female surrounded by her suiters...She does not look happy
The rusty red one is one the bottom shadowed. LOL...Mr. Sexy is the darkest but not at this moment.
The only female is in the lead
Finally a halfway decent picture of the redish one on the bottom
The grey one
I love the shape of the females head. They are not open this morning yet, so I could still see her in the Kenya forest.
The female surrounded by her suiters...She does not look happy
The rusty red one is one the bottom shadowed. LOL...Mr. Sexy is the darkest but not at this moment.
The only female is in the lead
Finally a halfway decent picture of the redish one on the bottom
The grey one
I love the shape of the females head. They are not open this morning yet, so I could still see her in the Kenya forest.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
HMMMMM. Is it my imagination, or does that one male look a little pregegrs?
Teresa, I think we need an opinion!
Teresa, I think we need an opinion!
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/460#post_3389698
Beautiful tank Flower! You should be proud of your accomplishment!
Thank you...you have no idea how proud of my silly self I am.
I really didn't think I could do it...I had to really build my confidence before even trying... not only a small tank, but seahorses to boot, and all the while it wasn't all that difficult at all. I can't believe I was in my 50s before I even tried SHs.
I had ordered those little seahorses they sell in comic books and they died in one day. I was afraid to have them ever since...I was 10 years old. So you can imagine how delighted I am with this little tank and my SHs. I feel like a little kid again learning so many new things, the world isn't all known to me anymore...I love saltwater critters.
Originally Posted by Slice http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/460#post_3389698
Beautiful tank Flower! You should be proud of your accomplishment!
Thank you...you have no idea how proud of my silly self I am.
I really didn't think I could do it...I had to really build my confidence before even trying... not only a small tank, but seahorses to boot, and all the while it wasn't all that difficult at all. I can't believe I was in my 50s before I even tried SHs.
I had ordered those little seahorses they sell in comic books and they died in one day. I was afraid to have them ever since...I was 10 years old. So you can imagine how delighted I am with this little tank and my SHs. I feel like a little kid again learning so many new things, the world isn't all known to me anymore...I love saltwater critters.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
How are the kiddies? Haven't had any picture updates in a while!
flower
Well-Known Member
We had power out here after a storm for 4 days. All the horses made it, I was doing small water changes every few hours to keep everything alive, and at the moment I'm trying to revive the coral and macroalgae. The horses were so stressed and I only saw two eat..I really thought I would lose them.
In the 90g I lost my Hippo tang, Kole Tang and Lemonpeel angel. I'm still nursing my sore arms and legs, we have a well, and without power we had no water. So I was lugging 5g jugs from the wal-Mart in the next town because in my town all the stores were closed. Driving was super slow because all the lighs were out and had to be obeyed as stop signs, and no matter where we went, it took hours. I was using the water I removed from the tanks for changes to flush the toilets.. LOL...The generator we ordered online because no stores had anymore to even purchase, had just arrived and just as we opened the box and removed the book to read..... the power came back on.
In the 90g I lost my Hippo tang, Kole Tang and Lemonpeel angel. I'm still nursing my sore arms and legs, we have a well, and without power we had no water. So I was lugging 5g jugs from the wal-Mart in the next town because in my town all the stores were closed. Driving was super slow because all the lighs were out and had to be obeyed as stop signs, and no matter where we went, it took hours. I was using the water I removed from the tanks for changes to flush the toilets.. LOL...The generator we ordered online because no stores had anymore to even purchase, had just arrived and just as we opened the box and removed the book to read..... the power came back on.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Holy cow what a stressful time!! I'm so sorry to hear about the Hippo, Kole, and Lemonpeel.
I know you did everything you could for them. I'm sure you're glad the horses pulled through...you must be a dedicated momma!
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/460#post_3398371
Holy cow what a stressful time!! I'm so sorry to hear about the Hippo, Kole, and Lemonpeel.
I know you did everything you could for them. I'm sure you're glad the horses pulled through...you must be a dedicated momma!
LOL...more like desperate. Thanks for the shoulder to cry on, I had that Hippo for many years, but my favorite was the Lemonpeel, yellow is my favorite color. man oh man my 90g tank is empty without those fish.
The fist day I was swishing the water around by dipping a cup and letting the water fall back into the tank, and doing small water changes, it stressed the SHs so bad they hid and wouldn't come out to eat for two days...I couldn't even find them.
(I finally got an idea) I opened the shades to the windows to have sunshine on the tank, by then the horses had missed an evening meal, and a morning meal...it was mid day and near time for the evening meal. I could see one male, and it looked emancipated, I took my sea squirt and filled it with mysis shrimp to release right in front of him and he wouldn't eat. I couldn't release food to just sit and rot because the ammonia spike would kill everything. I really thought I would lose them for sure. Oh and letting in the sun made the tank temp go to 78..so we put ice in baggies and put them in the tank with a battery powered fan aimed to blow over the top., because it was such a small tank that worked great.
Next morning around 10:00 I noticed the female was out and was looking for food...I ran and got the sea squirt and.... SHE ATE...I was so happy and then two males came out to be with her...one male ate but the other didn't, so I thought maybe those two could make it. I only fed them if I saw them out to be sure to not pollute the tank. I am still amazed they all made it. One is still very thin but he is active and I'm sure he will pull through. All the males are back to making goo goo eyes at the female, and puffing at each other.
If we ever have a power out again I can run my pumps and keep the tanks going like nothing is wrong. I even have cheapo fish lights to run so they won't be totally in the dark. I hope my generator sits in the garage and need never be used. I did not enjoy that black out...with no TV, no news to know what is going on, no way to repower my laptop, and no way to recharge the cell phones. Just sitting in the heat with a battery powered fan and watching my fish die.
Originally Posted by novahobbies http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/460#post_3398371
Holy cow what a stressful time!! I'm so sorry to hear about the Hippo, Kole, and Lemonpeel.
LOL...more like desperate. Thanks for the shoulder to cry on, I had that Hippo for many years, but my favorite was the Lemonpeel, yellow is my favorite color. man oh man my 90g tank is empty without those fish.
The fist day I was swishing the water around by dipping a cup and letting the water fall back into the tank, and doing small water changes, it stressed the SHs so bad they hid and wouldn't come out to eat for two days...I couldn't even find them.
(I finally got an idea) I opened the shades to the windows to have sunshine on the tank, by then the horses had missed an evening meal, and a morning meal...it was mid day and near time for the evening meal. I could see one male, and it looked emancipated, I took my sea squirt and filled it with mysis shrimp to release right in front of him and he wouldn't eat. I couldn't release food to just sit and rot because the ammonia spike would kill everything. I really thought I would lose them for sure. Oh and letting in the sun made the tank temp go to 78..so we put ice in baggies and put them in the tank with a battery powered fan aimed to blow over the top., because it was such a small tank that worked great.
Next morning around 10:00 I noticed the female was out and was looking for food...I ran and got the sea squirt and.... SHE ATE...I was so happy and then two males came out to be with her...one male ate but the other didn't, so I thought maybe those two could make it. I only fed them if I saw them out to be sure to not pollute the tank. I am still amazed they all made it. One is still very thin but he is active and I'm sure he will pull through. All the males are back to making goo goo eyes at the female, and puffing at each other.
If we ever have a power out again I can run my pumps and keep the tanks going like nothing is wrong. I even have cheapo fish lights to run so they won't be totally in the dark. I hope my generator sits in the garage and need never be used. I did not enjoy that black out...with no TV, no news to know what is going on, no way to repower my laptop, and no way to recharge the cell phones. Just sitting in the heat with a battery powered fan and watching my fish die.
novahobbies
Well-Known Member
Gads, I can hardly think how upset I would be. I tell you I love looking at pics of your tank, too. Definitely one of the Good Ones. I'm going online to shop for generators right now.
...seriously.
...seriously.
meowzer
Moderator
Flower....the generator is great BUT I have to ask.....don't you have car chargers for your cell phone????
I must be neurotic....LOL....I have inverters that you use your car cigarette lighter, one that you use a car battery, and a generator....propane lanterns, battery powered radios (with extras)
You would be surprised how handy these inverters come.....especially the car one.....within 1 minute you could have something running
Just make sure you have the long orange extension cords to run from the generator....I have one hidden from the husband....LOL...JIC
Power bars too so you have lots of plug ins
I must be neurotic....LOL....I have inverters that you use your car cigarette lighter, one that you use a car battery, and a generator....propane lanterns, battery powered radios (with extras)
You would be surprised how handy these inverters come.....especially the car one.....within 1 minute you could have something running
Just make sure you have the long orange extension cords to run from the generator....I have one hidden from the husband....LOL...JIC