Novahobbies' 37g Seahorse Tank Journal

novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
I'm SO glad to get rid of that corner Eshopps frag rack. All the small coral frags have been reattached to the rock frame, and everyone seems to be playing nice. I actually FOUND a couple small Ricordea heads during the breakdown that had budded off and were floating around the back of the tank, so they got added to the growing Ricordea garden as well. One of my chalice pieces looks like it's showing a lot of tissue recession (I think it was too close to the pagoda cup coral for too long) but it might come back now that it has some room on its own.
Meanwhile, the sand bed misses its goby. I may get another. The bed isn't ugly, but it's definitely not pristine white anymore. I guess I just need to decide how much I'm willing to risk it -- the goby got "donated" because he was nipping the seahorse's tail during feeding times. Big no-no in my book! But he was also pretty large by then, so I may just go looking for a small one again. Otherwise I may try to find a handful of fighting conchs instead.
The horse is doing well, and colored back up. I just wish she would hang out more near the front of the tank -- during the day, she's usually up underneath the protein skimmer on the cord. I think she needs a friend or two to draw her out. I was going to wait until the stand facade was finished and in place in the bedroom, but now....well, I'm thinking sooner rather than later for the possible new tankmates.
I'll shoot some new video tonight or tomorrow to throw up here so you guys can see.
 
bender77

bender77

Member
I vote get her friends. Of course, I got 3 friends for my lone horse and now they are all hanging out at the back of the tank on the cords and filter intake. UGH, don't they know we want them out front on all their expensive colorful hitches so we can see them?
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/366648/novahobbies-37g-seahorse-tank-journal/320#post_3418294
Does this mean you are going to get some of Teresa's babies???
Sorry I didn't answer this earlier - I wanted to wait until we were more certain.
....But Yes! It indeed looks like I'm getting a couple of Teresa's horses! Hopefully as soon as next weekend, if we can hash out the driving situation. We live close, but not that close. Gonna be a couple hours drive at least.
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
A Good Day.......
....Is a Sunday morning filled with errands and cleaning chores, followed by a rainy Sunday afternoon with some iced tea in one hand, a book in the other, and my rear end planted in the chair right next to the seahorse tank. I'm not sure which got more attention, the book or the tank (well, it was a good book....) but either way it made for a perfect afternoon.
I bought a yellow finger gorgonian today while I was getting 5 gallons of new saltwater from the LFS. Probably against my better judgement. I needed something to mount to the bottom of the shell to act as hitching posts around the feeding station, and this one was shaped as though it was custom grown for that purpose. We'll see....I was originally going to get something fake to serve that function, but if I can help it I'd prefer to keep everything in here as natural as possible. We all know the survival rates of yellow finger gorgs, though.

I also cut back on the flow a little. Two alternating K-2's was just fine for the corals and the mandarins, but I think the flow might have been just a little too much for the horse, especially after the move. I couldn't get the powerheads right back in their exact position, and the girl was spending way too much time hitched up to a cord at the back of the tank. I have an old original K1 and a 425gph nano Koralia evolution in there now, and the flow is more diffused. As an added bonus, the horse was a little more acive today than she has been in a while, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
I know I owe the thread some new pics, or preferably a vid. I'll see what I can do this week. I'm sure when the new kids get in the pool there will be pictures galore!
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///t/366648/novahobbies-37g-seahorse-tank-journal/320#post_3420379
Sounds great Rick.....I can't wait till she has company

Ditto that! Looks like Saturday morning is the big day! Shame it's only Tuesday right now, and barely Tuesday afternoon at that.
Oh, and I was so happy to see my girl actually out and swimming around for no reason whatsoever yesterday! I think the reduced flow is doing the trick. Trouble is, now I'm absolutely sure I'll start seeing some cyano in there again. Rassinfrassin.....can't win......
 
bender77

bender77

Member
I'm so excited for you. My seahorse's personality has changed so much since he has gotten friends. He was even dancing with one on Saturday. You and she will be so happy.
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Finally, a new video!
First time I've seen her use her feeding dish in quite a while. By the time I got the phone out she'd eaten her fill, so really this is just a video of me staring at the horse while she stares back.
Riveting stuff, I tell you.
Do yourself a favor. If you're still watching after the 2 minute mark, then (1) congratulations, you are officially a seahorse nut, and (2) turn it off. Gets stupid after 2 mins, mainly because I wasn't planning on shooting a video, so I was all over the place.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
I love that feeding dish...I guess I'm a sea horse nut.
I also had forgotten how beautiful mandarines are, and how cool to watch those fins. I am seeding my little fuge, and maybe in a year I will get me one one of those.
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
If you have a 56g with a fuge plumbed in, you will have NO problems. Throw some Chaeto in there and and plenty of rock rubble (you don't have to use live rock rubble if you're worried about bristle worms) and you'll be good to go in 6 months easily. A full year to let the tank mature would be fantastic for the fish.
If you do that, though......PLEASE order the ORA raised mandarins! I only wish they had been available when I got these guys. Once these two are back in the re-established 110g, I hope to have enough space to add an ORA spotted mandarin with the horses.
I initially worried that I might have issues putting both of these animals in the tank. They came from my 110g before the breakdown and move, remember, and I couldn't bear to part with either of them. I originally decided that, as the male was eating mysis and formula pellets, it would be a safe bet that the pod population would stand up to the females intake. Turns out that now BOTH mandarins eat frozen....and I have pods crawling all over the place.
And, for added fun.....the mandarins eat the mysis out of the feeding dish!
Last night the horse was nudging the female out of the dish so she could get more shrimp.
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
And now for some new pics of the tank. These will probably be the last shots before the new family members come home.
A close up on the sponge. Look hard at the right side of the sponge, and you'll see a hitchhiker who has been in that sponge since forever. This is the most I ever see of him, but it's kind of fun to see his arms hanging out from time to time.

The large polyp rock that has finally moved from its precarious balanced position on TOP of one of the powerheads.

The Rusty Gorgonian. I moved him around to the front of the tank during the last move.

Some of the corals on the left side of the feeding dish. The Pagoda has been much happier now that he's not tucked in the corner of the frag rack...

The green Acan is always a little more inflated than the red one...

But the red one is still fat and happy!
 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
And the last 6.
Here is the remnant of that huge Xenia. For whatever reason, it grew large and then....exploded....into a half a dozen frags that floated all around the tank for a while. This is the only one that actually attached, and it's been about this size ever since. It's attached to the rock column, but it weathered the move without incident:





 
novahobbies

novahobbies

Well-Known Member
Gonna do a WC and a filter cleanup tonight. Getting ready for a few more girls!
.....LOL I'm going to have a seahorse harem. Lovely.
 
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