Dawn's 30g XH coral Pony corral!

vlangel · Mar 29, 2016

I was playing around with photo editor and i thought this was a cool effect?

vlangel · Apr 13, 2016

I simplified my tank by removing some rock, coral and macro algae. I did this so that the back wall was more accessible to clean and also so the powerheads would more effectively move water to keep particles in suspension. I have treated a couple of bacteria infections lately and decided that I needed to step up husbandry so these changes were to facilitate that.
Hopefully I have not detracted from the aesthetics of the tank too much as a result of the new scape.

vlangel · Apr 14, 2016

Its taken me a couple days to get used to the changes I made in the seahorse tank. The aquascape was ptetty symmetrical before with 2 tall pillar structures and now it is asymmetrical with a tall structure in front of the overflow (to help disguise it) and a smaller island structure. The gorgonians still give some illusion of height but without the bulk and weight. Adam and Eve settled in right away and now have more open water for courtship dancing. They hitch tails and promenade around the tank every morning so I think they approve.

revhtree · Apr 14, 2016

Looks very good!

vlangel · Apr 14, 2016

Ok, so here is a video of the new simplified scape. Also today I made a reverse durso drain to try and quiet the syphon noise. Now the tank just has a pleasant trickle which is ok by me.

helldiver · Apr 15, 2016

getting ready to start a pony tank.Was looking for experienced suggestions.

vlangel · Apr 15, 2016

helldiver said:
getting ready to start a pony tank.Was looking for experienced suggestions.

Hi, ponies can be a challenged but they are the sweetest fish.
I am assuming that you are planning for the standard seahorses and not dwarf, so I will make suggestions with that in mind.
First off you need to know that seahorses are very susceptible to bacterial infections and you can not test for that in the water with aquarium test kits. That means you just have to prepare and be vigilant about certain things.

For a pair of seahorses you should have a minimum of 30 gallons and a higher tank is better (19" or more). The tank should be completely cycled, well oxygenated with excellant filtration and an oversized protein skimmer if you can afford one. The reason for this is seahorses have very inefficient digestion so they need to eat a lot of high protein, fatty food and most of it comes back out and puts a heavy bioload on the tank. Also it can fuel the dangerous bacteria that endangers the health of the ponies.

Another way the bacteria is controlled is by temperature. Most long term successful seahorse keepers maintain a temperature of 74° or less because the dangerous bacteria reproduces exponentially in anything higher than that. This may require the expense of a chiller if temperatures are going higher than 74°.

My final advise would be buy captive bred seahorses and keep them in a specie specific aquarium. They cost more but having been raised in aquarium conditions they are more suited to it (if they are not exposed to wild caught fish and the pathogens they carry). They will be trained to eat frozen mysis (2-3Xs a day) which is much easier to deal with than live food.

I hope this helps without overwhelming you. I figure a prospective keeper should be aware ahead of time what sort of commitment is necessary for keeping seahorses to make an informed choice.

helldiver · Apr 15, 2016

ty for advice I am unsure what ponies to get at this point
here is a link to what I have planned so far.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/seahorse-setup-suggestions.244579/

vlangel said:
Hi, ponies can be a challenged but they are the sweetest fish.
I am assuming that you are planning for the standard seahorses and not dwarf, so I will make suggestions with that in mind.
First off you need to know that seahorses are very susceptible to bacterial infections and you can not test for that in the water with aquarium test kits. That means you just have to prepare and be vigilant about certain things.

For a pair of seahorses you should have a minimum of 30 gallons and a higher tank is better (19" or more). The tank should be completely cycled, well oxygenated with excellant filtration and an oversized protein skimmer if you can afford one. The reason for this is seahorses have very inefficient digestion so they need to eat a lot of high protein, fatty food and most of it comes back out and puts a heavy bioload on the tank. Also it can fuel the dangerous bacteria that endangers the health of the ponies.

Another way the bacteria is controlled is by temperature. Most long term successful seahorse keepers maintain a temperature of 74° or less because the dangerous bacteria reproduces exponentially in anything higher than that. This may require the expense of a chiller if temperatures are going higher than 74°.

My final advise would be buy captive bred seahorses and keep them in a specie specific aquarium. They cost more but having been raised in aquarium conditions they are more suited to it (if they are not exposed to wild caught fish and the pathogens they carry). They will be trained to eat frozen mysis (2-3Xs a day) which is much easier to deal with than live food.

I hope this helps without overwhelming you. I figure a prospective keeper should be aware ahead of time what sort of commitment is necessary for keeping seahorses to make an informed choice.

vlangel · Apr 15, 2016

helldiver said:
ty for advice I am unsure what ponies to get at this point
here is a link to what I have planned so far.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/seahorse-setup-suggestions.244579/

That looks like a good plan. Just for your information, filter socks should be changed every 3 days so nasties don't grow in them. I don't use them but lots of seahorse keepers do.

Paul87 · Apr 16, 2016

vlangel said:
I simplified my tank by removing some rock, coral and macro algae. I did this so that the back wall was more accessible to clean and also so the powerheads would more effectively move water to keep particles in suspension. I have treated a couple of bacteria infections lately and decided that I needed to step up husbandry so these changes were to facilitate that.
Hopefully I have not detracted from the aesthetics of the tank too much as a result of the new scape.

Looks great! I like what you did with it.

vlangel · Apr 16, 2016

Paul87 said:
Looks great! I like what you did with it.

Thank you Paul. What I have sacrificed in lush fullness I think I have made up for in health for the occupants! I guess that is always a good trade off.

vlangel · Apr 23, 2016

The seahorses seemed to have rebounded nicely and are robust and healthy. They have excellant appetites and loud, strong snicks. It feels good to have the tank running as I think it ought and everything going as I think it should.

vlangel · Apr 27, 2016

Eve and Abraham the pipe are trying to tell me that its dinner time!

vlangel · May 1, 2016

I had lowered the temperature of the chiller to 68-70° when the ponies had marks on their skin to inhibit the growth of nasty bacteria. Now that they are back to health I am slowly raising it, (which would simulate the onset of spring anyway). It is now 70-72° and in another month I will raise it to 72-74°. I am hoping this will encourage them to produce fry which they have not since November.

vlangel · May 2, 2016

I went to war against bubble algae today while I was doing my Monday WC. It seems I must get serious about every 2 months and actually even dismantle some of the rock to get at a lot of the green pests. Its ability to be opportunistic amazes me when I so aggressively go after it and yet never manage to eradicate it from the display. I guess I need to be content with keeping it under control, (more or less)and look at it as a nutrient export.

Chrisfish · May 2, 2016

vlangel said:
Eve and Abraham the pipe are trying to tell me that its dinner time!

This video is awesome, I'm not sure which I like best your seahorses or your pipe fish

vlangel · May 3, 2016

Chrisfish said:
This video is awesome, I'm not sure which I like best your seahorses or your pipe fish

I had to laugh but the pipefish goes to look in the food bowl not once but twice to see if there is food in it, ha ha! I not sure which I like best either...I love them both!

Chrisfish · May 3, 2016

vlangel said:
I had to laugh but the pipefish goes to look in the food bowl not once but twice to see if there is food in it, ha ha! I not sure which I like best either...I love them both!

That's understandable