pics of my girls...

[darthtang aw]

Never looked closely till now, but has the gorgornian always looked like that? It looks to me like it is starting to die due to the skin falling off in areas. This is a bad sign for the gorgonian if it didn't have that when purchased.

 

[rykna]

Skin falling off???? I think what you are seeing is the small tentacles that are still open at night.

 

[darthtang aw]

Originally Posted by Rykna
Skin falling off???? I think what you are seeing is the small tentacles that are still open at night.

Nope, the yellow stem of the gorgonian is essentially it's skin, the under part is like a red branch and signifies death of that area. Look where it goes from yellow to a real thin branch that is red...bad sign.

 

[crossan]

Very nice tank!!! What more do you have to do?

 

[gypsana]

Originally Posted by Rykna
WOW!!! I love your tank set up Lisa. Those little plastic cups with macro algae are awesome, and make great hitching posts too!!! Kinda like one of those old outdoor A&W park and eat resturants. "I'll have 2 orders of pods and a side of mysis please".

Now that would be a funny cartoon!!
And those are some beautiful horsies!!

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
Nope, the yellow stem of the gorgonian is essentially it's skin, the under part is like a red branch and signifies death of that area. Look where it goes from yellow to a real thin branch that is red...bad sign.
Aahhhhhhhhh....I see what you mean now.

The only gorgonian I've kept successfully is the corky finger. Any body want a frag??? It grows like a weed

 

[crossan]

Originally Posted by Rykna
Aahhhhhhhhh....I see what you mean now.

The only gorgonian I've kept successfully is the corky finger. Any body want a frag??? It grows like a weed

how would you ship? How much? Would it be a good hitching post for the sh?

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
Nope, the yellow stem of the gorgonian is essentially it's skin, the under part is like a red branch and signifies death of that area. Look where it goes from yellow to a real thin branch that is red...bad sign.
Actually, that's why I took it out of my reef...I just couldn't find a spot where it was happy. It's actually doing much better in the seahorse tank. In the reef, the polyps weren't extending at all for weeks, now they're out much more. I'm holding out hope that it'll bounce back and become healthy again.
Lisa

 

[darthtang aw]

That explains much. As long as the polyps stay extended you should be ok...Watch the polyps and watch the slightest bit of algae growth on it. The horses may irritate it as well if this remains their main hitching post....

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
That explains much. As long as the polyps stay extended you should be ok...Watch the polyps and watch the slightest bit of algae growth on it. The horses may irritate it as well if this remains their main hitching post....
Yeah, I'm watching it. If you look at the last 2 pics of post #68 on this page, you'll see that the polyps are extended quite nicely. As I stated previously, they hadn't done that for quite a while in my reef...I'm convinced that the hermits in there were irritating the joy out of it.
Should I remove those red portions?
Lisa

 

[darthtang aw]

No, I would leave them...they may fall off on their own, but that species of gorgonian is touchy so I would just leave it...they may grow back.if it is happier now, just leave it.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by Darthtang AW
No, I would leave them...they may fall off on their own, but that species of gorgonian is touchy so I would just leave it...they may grow back.if it is happier now, just leave it.
Will do, thanks Darth.
Lisa

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by crossan
Very nice tank!!! What more do you have to do?

I'm in the process of adding some safe softies to the tank to add more color and more softer hitches (always looking for those).
Lisa

 

[poniegirl]

Very nice to see, Lisa! I like the choices you have made in many different arenas!
Nice size tank, too.
Could you describe the set-up and tell us again how long you had it up before your seahorses got to come home? (sorry, I just love to hear it! )

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by gypsana
Now that would be a funny cartoon!!
And those are some beautiful horsies!!

Thank you gypsana. They've been doing so well and eating so well, I swear they've each grown about a 1/2 inch already!!
My horses are the only fishes in my tank. I had considered tankmates when I was first researching what would be compatible. IDK, I kept running into road blocks that I just didn't feel comfortable with. As a result, this is strictly a seahorse tank. I DO have a very nice clean up crew of 9 nassarius snails, 6 astrea snails, and 2 very tiny emeral crabs. I decided against putting hermits in because of the problems I've had with them in my reef...they can be pretty naughty, and I didn't want them being naughty with my ponies.
Lisa

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by PonieGirl
Very nice to see, Lisa! I like the choices you have made in many different arenas!
Nice size tank, too.
Could you describe the set-up and tell us again how long you had it up before your seahorses got to come home? (sorry, I just love to hear it! )

Not a problem, it's probably good to post here anyway. As I've said many times, these threads are very important for those wanting to learn...hopefully the I can shed some light.
I switched my 37gal reef out in the beginning of February to a 46gal bowfront reef...my 37 reef had been going for a little over 2 years. In the beginning of March, I set the 37gal back up (after tons of research and collecting some ideas) and threw the cocktail shrimp in. NOTE: this tank was set up initially with very established LR and very established water...well, half of the water was established. I consistently took water parameters in the 37, and because of the LR and established water, the ammonia never really reached higher than .5, then back down again. By the beginning of April, I noticed the diatoms had diminished, parameters were all in check consistently, and there were pods in the tank like crazy (picture from April 9 attached below). I figured, OK, by the middle of June I would be ready to get some horses home...I ended up finding my girls a week ealier than I had figured.
It is really my thinking that the size of the tank, the way it's set up and a number of other things dictates how long the cycle is going to last. If there had been even one little red flag for me when I bought my horses, they wouldn't be here right now. As it is, the first few days that I had them, I felt like I was standing on wet ice. As they and I get into a routine, and I see that they're eating, growing, recognizing me, and enjoying...I feel a bit more competent, more confident, but still always vigilant. They're so enjoyable, personable and loveable, and I just want to take care of them and afford them a long and happy life.
Thank you Poniegirl, I take that as quite a compliment coming from you

Just noticed, I really didn't describe the set up...what would you like to know?
That's it for now.
Lisa

 

[poniegirl]

Actually, you hit on a couple of my main questions; the presence of established LR, tank history..
I'd be interested to hear filtration, filtration media, water movement, gallons per hour. What lighting?
Was your substrate established, also?
What differences are significant in your reef vs your SH tank; upkeep and equipment-wise.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by PonieGirl
Actually, you hit on a couple of my main questions; the presence of established LR, tank history...

Originally Posted by PonieGirl
I would be interested to hear filtration, filtration media, water movement, gallons per hour. What lighting
The filtration I have running in my sh tank is very simple. I have two Whisper 40 hob filters rated at 210 gph each (420 gph total). I also have a cheapo powerhead from WalMart (for now) that if I remember correctly is rated at about 170 gph (+/-). The powerhead will soon be upgraded to a Maxijet...not sure which size just yet, I need to look into it. As you can see on the siphons for the filters and the powerhead, I have sponges placed to keep my horses from being injured or worse from the suction. The filter media is just what is made for the Whispers, and I run carbon 24/7.
The lighting on my tank is also very simple, but adequate for the soft corals that are going in there. It is a Coral life pc unit, 2 x 65 watt. White actinics, blue actinics, and lunars. The whites are run for about 6 hours/day, the blues about 8 hours/day.
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
Was your substrate established, also?
When I switched this tank over from a reef, I did NOT keep the live sand. That is one area where I started completely from scratch in both tanks. I didn't want a cycle in my reef, and I didn't have the room and resources to keep the sand warm and aerated during the transition period for the sh tank.
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
What differences are significant in your reef vs your SH tank; upkeep and equipment-wise.
The biggest differences that I see are the obvious ones that people researching find out about. The whole environment, from lighting (dimmer) to temperature (cooler than a reef) to landscaping (always looking for good ideas in each of my tanks where this is concerned).
In my reef, I TRY to do a 5 gallon change every week (46 gallon), that can and has turned into every week and a half to two weeks. In my seahorse tank I DO a 5 gallon change every week. My horses love cleaning day. After doing the water change this evening, I've decided that I don't need to change the filter media out every single week, but I will cut that back to every other week.
Also, the fact that the horses need to be fed twice a day is quite different from what I'm used to. I'm tweaking that process as I speak due to a slight cyano break out. In my over zealousness to make sure they were eating, I was over feeding the tank. Now I'm cutting back on what I put in the tank each time, yet still make sure that both girls eat at their meals...quite a balancing act, but I think that with time we'll get it.
Hope this helps.
I should also mention that I've got a clip on fan running across the surface of the tank water to keep the temp cooler. This has helped to keep my water between 74 - 78 degrees, depending on what time of day I check.
Lisa

 

[poniegirl]

What a lucky pair of girls!
It is hard to adjust to twice daily without overfeeding.
I think, also, that they snack on pods? I know I was surprised at how impotant that is.
If you watch the seahorses hunt and see them snick often at the LR when it is not feeding time, you will know they are hunting successfully.
Do they ignore the mysis shrimp that you feed them after a point? Or chase it, only to NOT eat it? These are great signs that will help tell how much they really need at one feeding.
If you know you have a good pod population and can observe the seahorses hunting with results (you will never actually see the pod they catch!!) you should be able to slowly reduce the amount fed.
Remember, also, that with no stomach, digestive time is quick. They simply cannot process a lot of food at a time. If they are overfed, the excess will pass without being absorbed into their system and will literally be wasted.

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by PonieGirl
What a lucky pair of girls!
Thank you, I hope so.
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
It is hard to adjust to twice daily without overfeeding. I think, also, that they snack on pods? I know I was surprised at how impotant that is. If you watch the seahorses hunt and see them snick often at the LR when it is not feeding time, you will know they are hunting successfully.
I do see them quite often hunting and snicking at the LR, the sponges on the intakes, and in the algae pockets quite successfully. I've been thinking that that's a good sign.
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
Do they ignore the mysis shrimp that you feed them after a point? Or chase it, only to NOT eat it? These are great signs that will help tell how much they really need at one feeding.
Correct, I noticed that at different intervals with each of my girls. At this point, I wait for one of them to get to that point, add just a little bit more, and stop. So far, this has been working, but as I've said, always tweaking.
Originally Posted by PonieGirl
Remember, also, that with no stomach, digestive time is quick. They simply cannot process a lot of food at a time. If they are overfed, the excess will pass without being absorbed into their system and will literally be wasted.
This has been in the back of my mind since I got them home. That's why I decided that I really needed to readjust how much food I was giving them.
I'm still in the learning curve with these girls, and it is my sincere hope that we can get things on an even keel...so far so good. They're eating and growing and seem to be happy in their home. I can only work to make sure things stay that way.
Lisa