New Seahorse tank Diary
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flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/40#post_3341465
LOL...In the picture it looks like it is right at the sand level....
scarlet hermits are different...they are one of the crabs that are supposed to eat cyano, and are more "tame" then the others.....I have a few, and they don't mess with anything like other hermits tend to
LOL..it does doesn't it..It is a good size strainer cap on the end...the book said it won't clog like other models. I figured, anything to sell it.
The end of the intake tube is up by that second rock. Those rocks are the size of my fist.
SWF does not carry red leg hermits at all, I did a search and all they have are the scarlet ones. So other hermits are not safe with seahorses?
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/40#post_3341465
LOL...In the picture it looks like it is right at the sand level....
scarlet hermits are different...they are one of the crabs that are supposed to eat cyano, and are more "tame" then the others.....I have a few, and they don't mess with anything like other hermits tend to
LOL..it does doesn't it..It is a good size strainer cap on the end...the book said it won't clog like other models. I figured, anything to sell it.
The end of the intake tube is up by that second rock. Those rocks are the size of my fist.
SWF does not carry red leg hermits at all, I did a search and all they have are the scarlet ones. So other hermits are not safe with seahorses?
flower
Well-Known Member
Well this is confusing...I googled to see what the difference was.
OVERVIEW:
It is easy to see why the Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is one of the most popular reef maintenance animals. Paguristes cadenati is very hardy and requires minimal care in a well-established system. More importantly, however, these small hermit crabs have a voracious appetite for detritus and algae. In fact, they are particularly fond of nuisance algae of the filamentous, hair, and slime varieties, as well as cyanobacteria. Finally, unlike some hermit crabs, most Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs are very peaceful towards their tankmates.
Also known as the Red Reef or Red Legged Hermit Crab, the Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is named for its bright red legs, which are contrasted by their yellow face. Native to the reef faces and coral rubble of the Caribbean and Western Atlantic, these active scavengers can consume large amounts of animal matter and algae. Despite their large appetites and constant feeding habits, the Scarlet Reef only grows to an adult size of 1-1/2" in length.
In the home aquarium, Paguristes cadenati is best kept in an established reef system with ample algae supplies. However, they will eat almost anything, including fish food and invertebrate diets. If algae levels are insufficient, supplement their diet with dried seaweed and other marine foods.
Adding to the confusion, another site says this..I notice the latin names are not the same:
Clibinarius diguetti "Red Leg Hermit Crab"
The Red Leg Hermit Crab is an excellent algae eater for any aquarium. They are one of the few hermit crabs that may eat cyanobacteria red slime algae and are considered one of the staples of marine aquarium "clean-up crews".
Most hermit crabs are scavengers. Some smaller hermit crabs will feed on algaes like nuisance hair algae while larger hermit crabs are scavengers and carnivores. Most hermit crabs are opportunistic - they will not actively hunt for a fish or active invertebrates but will prey on sick, dead, or dying individuals. Only the larger hermits like those from the genuses Aniculus, Dardanus, Peguristes, and Petrochirus are a real threat to healthy, larger tankmates or to corals. Calcinus, Clibinarius, and Paguristes are some of the most common "clean-up crew" hermit crabs for algae control and to eat leftover foods and detritus. Hermit crabs that are underfed are also a greater threat to tankmates like snails and other invertebrates.
Hermit Crabs have soft abdomens and use empty snail shells to protect their bodies. As with other crustaceans, hermit crabs must molt to grow. When they molt, they crawl out of their shell homes and shed their own hard shell to grow larger. As they grow larger, they need to find new, larger shells in which to live. Provide extra larger shells in the aquarium for the hermit crabs to move into. Hermit crabs without homes may sometimes make their own by killing the snail inside, or they may molt before they have a new shell, leaving them extremely vulnerable to predators.
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/40#post_3341470
.....The scarlets that swf have are the PAGuristes.....aka "good" crabs haha
just don't get the PEGuristes
That is some crazy stuff. Well I have many weeks before I even need a CUC. I'm glad I can get a PAGuristes from SWF. I just saw a bristle worm floating in the tank...I got a net and got it out. I wander if it was hiding in that little bit of sand I put in the tank to help cycle it or was in the canister way up in there?. It was just a little baby guy..I put it in the 90g.
Cycling is going to take a long time because I didn't add any live rock for fear of bad critters for seahorses. Then here is a bad boy just floating in the new tank looking for a home..
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/40#post_3341470
just don't get the PEGuristes
Cycling is going to take a long time because I didn't add any live rock for fear of bad critters for seahorses. Then here is a bad boy just floating in the new tank looking for a home..
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/40#post_3341474
as long as the bristle worm population does not go nuts.....you should be okay.....
From the way folks talked I thought they were like deadly stingers to seahorses. As you can tell I'm a total noob when it comes to them.
Back when I was a little girl (maybe 10 yrs old) I ordered some seahorses from the back of a funny book. They came with salt and brine shrimp and their own little tank. I loved them and they had babies after two days…after 4 days they were all dead.
I have been afraid to have them since I got in the hobby. Now I know that those critters were doomed, there was no cycle, no nothing to aerate the little tank..all those tiny babies and brine shrimp all in a 1g acrylic tank.. It should be against the law to sell them like that.
They must have been dwarf seahorses. Even the LFS after I got in the hobby would tell me horror stories of keeping baby brine on hand to be able to feed them. I had no idea there were different types or CB that would eat frozen mysis.
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/40#post_3341474
as long as the bristle worm population does not go nuts.....you should be okay.....
From the way folks talked I thought they were like deadly stingers to seahorses. As you can tell I'm a total noob when it comes to them.
Back when I was a little girl (maybe 10 yrs old) I ordered some seahorses from the back of a funny book. They came with salt and brine shrimp and their own little tank. I loved them and they had babies after two days…after 4 days they were all dead.
I have been afraid to have them since I got in the hobby. Now I know that those critters were doomed, there was no cycle, no nothing to aerate the little tank..all those tiny babies and brine shrimp all in a 1g acrylic tank.. It should be against the law to sell them like that.
They must have been dwarf seahorses. Even the LFS after I got in the hobby would tell me horror stories of keeping baby brine on hand to be able to feed them. I had no idea there were different types or CB that would eat frozen mysis.
flower
Well-Known Member
December 27 2010
Day 5
UPDATE:
PH: With lights on 1 hour reads ...7.8
Ammonia still reads: .50
Nitrites: 0
SG: 1.023
I know PH is a mess during cycling, so I’m not going to bother adjusting it for now......This is what Instant Ocean salt is like...they have the lowest PH I have ever seen, even with Alk buffers in the top off water I can only get 8.0 out of it.
I found a way to plug up the one end of the spray bar. I used the Black pond foam to fill one of the joining caps...It trims up really easy and seals great. So I will have nice surface movement all the way across the top. I still haven’t found the piece that will hold the bar at the surface..I may have to rig something up.
My ammonia is still just .50 but the piece of shrimp is pretty fuzzy. That was why I tested for Nitrites, thinking maybe I could get a reading since the rotten shrimp didn’t pollute the water any further.
I hate to sound like an idiot but how do you pronounce Fuscus? Is it a short U sound like in fussy or a long U sound like in use, in that first U of the name?
flower
Well-Known Member
December 28 2010
Day 6
UPDATE:
My spray bar is repaired and I will attach it today, so I will have surface movement all the way across. I added two more pieces of raw shrimp yesterday to try and get ammonia up to at least 1
So my Ammonia reading today is: 1.0 YAYYY! That should give it good kick start! Now that I have the reading of ammonia..should I remove the shrimp and let the good bacteria take over? I can’t believe how long it’s been since I started a new tank. My last one I had live sand and live rock and never really needed a cycle, I just waited a month and a half, then added my pair of clown fish.
I have decided to leave the canister up and running as my main filter ...I will fill it with rubble rock later, and save the bottom tank and divide it into two chambers. One for a refugium and the other for a QT and spare area for baby seahorses. I got rid of the 10g I had for a QT. I have to figure out the plumbing.
flower
Well-Known Member
Do you think it will be alright to use some of the new live sand from SWF for the seahorse tank, or should I just stay with dead sand to prevent any bad critters hitchhiking in it? I decided to stay with snails only for the horse tank and not get any hermits. LOL...I have been told this can be done.
I used my redemption points…So when I’m ready to order my CUC I will be ready. I still need to order some nassarius snails…Is there anything else to add to my CUC? I have all the free critters I could manage but I need to make an order besides, for anyone pitching in ideas..they must be seahorse safe. Tank is 30g
I will already be getting:
25 Cerith snails
20 Nerite snails
Copepods
flower
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/40#post_3342331
The sand should be fine.....I see you mention nassarius...you could get a Little Bear Conch, and maybe a few Astrea snails....
Thanks Meowzer..The little bear conch is not on the snail list from Seahorse.org. The Astrea snails are mentioned but it says to get them only if you want to upright them each night..and I don't intend to do that. I have my doubts about these snails and that claim, but I don't want to argue. If they are so unable to sit upright, let them die in somebody else’s tank.
I can't find the trochus snails mentioned..SWF does not carry them. The others mentioned..are the Collonista and Stromatella snail, which only comes on live rock. I don't have any live rock at all. I'm afraid of bad hitchhikers because seahorses are so delicate.
It looks like I have to get a heater, I thought my room stayed cool enough for horses and I hoped to not need one, but the tank goes from 75 to 71 too much of a swing in temps according to seahorse.org. Fuscus needs the temp between 77 and 72 and from what I read they are very ticky about temps or they die.
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/382639/new-seahorse-tank-diary/40#post_3342331
The sand should be fine.....I see you mention nassarius...you could get a Little Bear Conch, and maybe a few Astrea snails....
Thanks Meowzer..The little bear conch is not on the snail list from Seahorse.org. The Astrea snails are mentioned but it says to get them only if you want to upright them each night..and I don't intend to do that. I have my doubts about these snails and that claim, but I don't want to argue. If they are so unable to sit upright, let them die in somebody else’s tank.
I can't find the trochus snails mentioned..SWF does not carry them. The others mentioned..are the Collonista and Stromatella snail, which only comes on live rock. I don't have any live rock at all. I'm afraid of bad hitchhikers because seahorses are so delicate.
It looks like I have to get a heater, I thought my room stayed cool enough for horses and I hoped to not need one, but the tank goes from 75 to 71 too much of a swing in temps according to seahorse.org. Fuscus needs the temp between 77 and 72 and from what I read they are very ticky about temps or they die.
meowzer
Moderator
atthe top right there is a search....I type in compatibility list
click on the link that appears......there is a lot of good info in that page too
these are listed as compatibile
Fan worms including Feather Dusters (Phylum Annelida)
Astrea Snail (Lithopoma [Astraea] spp.)
Turbo Snail (Turbo spp.)
Nassarius Snail (Nassarius vibex)
Trochus Snail (Trochus niloticus)
Cerith Snail (Family Cerithiidae)
Nerite Snail (Nerita spp.)
Fighting Conch (Strombus alatus)
Blue-legged Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
Scarlet/Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
Rockpool Shrimp (Palaemon elegans)
Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes vulgaris)
(Shrimp are not considered safe around seahorse fry or H.zosterae (dwarf seahorse).
Notable groups that should be avoided:
Tangs, Triggerfish, Groupers, , Eels, Nudibranchs, Filter-feeding Sea Cucumbers, Sea Urchins with sharp spines, Fireworms, Spanish Dancer Flatworms, Fire Corals, Lace Corals, Anemones, Tube Anemones, all Cephalopods (Squids, Octopuses, Cuttlefish, and Nautilus-), Mantis Shrimp, Lobsters, Heliofungia spp. Corals, Cataphyllia spp. Corals, Euphyllia spp. Corals, Goniopora/Alveopora spp. Corals, Galaxea spp. Corals, and Hydnophora spp. Corals.
click on the link that appears......there is a lot of good info in that page too
these are listed as compatibile
Fan worms including Feather Dusters (Phylum Annelida)
Astrea Snail (Lithopoma [Astraea] spp.)
Turbo Snail (Turbo spp.)
Nassarius Snail (Nassarius vibex)
Trochus Snail (Trochus niloticus)
Cerith Snail (Family Cerithiidae)
Nerite Snail (Nerita spp.)
Fighting Conch (Strombus alatus)
Blue-legged Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
Scarlet/Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
Rockpool Shrimp (Palaemon elegans)
Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes vulgaris)
(Shrimp are not considered safe around seahorse fry or H.zosterae (dwarf seahorse).
Notable groups that should be avoided:
Tangs, Triggerfish, Groupers, , Eels, Nudibranchs, Filter-feeding Sea Cucumbers, Sea Urchins with sharp spines, Fireworms, Spanish Dancer Flatworms, Fire Corals, Lace Corals, Anemones, Tube Anemones, all Cephalopods (Squids, Octopuses, Cuttlefish, and Nautilus-), Mantis Shrimp, Lobsters, Heliofungia spp. Corals, Cataphyllia spp. Corals, Euphyllia spp. Corals, Goniopora/Alveopora spp. Corals, Galaxea spp. Corals, and Hydnophora spp. Corals.
flower
Well-Known Member
I have been shopping around. What about a Barbour's seahorse? They get 1 inch larger than Fuscus, so instead of 5 it gets 6 inches. My 30g is 16 inches 15 with sand. They have the exact same needs. Barbour's is easier to come by... says min tank size is 25 to 30g same as the Fuscus
S
smartorl
Guest
Unless I am confused (stupid Nyquil), the Barbours are benthic or hitch at birth. This makes raising their fry, should you choose to do so, much, much easier.