Dawn's 56g memorial seahorse tank!

vlangel · Oct 31, 2016

I tweaked the rockwork more than once but this is what I settled on. It has different intensities of flow since seahorses like to choose. The food bowl is in a sheltered cove so I do not have to turn the pumps off to feed, which is good. Finally there are lots of hitches - what more could a seahorse want?

vlangel · Nov 5, 2016

The tank is going through a mini cycle which I expected. I used Prime to bind any ammonia so Eve and KB don't suffer any ill effects but I expect the biofilter will catch up quickly since yesterday the test showed 0 or very little ammonia.

I am now thinking about placing my order with Seahorse Source. Once the ponies arrive they will spend a few days in QT to recover from shipping stress. Maybe I will have a herd in the new display by Thanksgiving!

I think that will be good for Eve. She gets excited at meal times but she spends more time hitched without any other ponies to interact with.

vlangel · Nov 5, 2016

The mini cycle seems to be over so I called Seahorse Source. I will be receiving a new pair of seahorses this Tuesday morning. A male and female with 1 of them being a pinto, (multi-color).

They will go into a 10 gallon QT to recover from shipping stress for a week. If they transition well then I will move them into the display with Eve.

Lionfish Lair · Nov 5, 2016

This is seriously awesome.

vlangel · Nov 6, 2016

Lionfish Lair said:
This is seriously awesome.

It is! I got to talk to Abbie, Dan's wife and she was so nice. She took time to hear my concerns and what I was hoping for regarding building my herd. It was just like you said, they are the best!

Daniel@R2R · Nov 7, 2016

vlangel said:
I tweaked the rockwork more than once but this is what I settled on. It has different intensities of flow since seahorses like to choose. The food bowl is in a sheltered cove so I do not have to turn the pumps off to feed, which is good. Finally there are lots of hitches - what more could a seahorse want?

Wow! Looking great!!

vlangel · Nov 7, 2016

Today I set up the 10 gallon QT using water from my DT and fresh made saltwater, some LR, some artificial decor for hitches and the HOB prizm pro skimmer. I will post pics tomorrow as soon as the ponies are settled in.

vlangel · Nov 7, 2016

mdbannister said:
Wow! Looking great!!

Thank you! I like it a lot even though it is not quite as natural looking as the bowfront with the sand. I love the light backround and I think there is a good chance that it will influence the ponies to be or stay light colored. Even Eve is sporting more orange points now rather than just reddish brown.

melypr1985 · Nov 7, 2016

Dawn this looks so amazing! I love the rockwork and the mural on the back wall. Superior build! I can't wait to see the new ponies.

Oh and I'm very sorry to hear about Adam passing.

ReefQueen · Nov 8, 2016

vlangel said:
I tweaked the rockwork more than once but this is what I settled on. It has different intensities of flow since seahorses like to choose. The food bowl is in a sheltered cove so I do not have to turn the pumps off to feed, which is good. Finally there are lots of hitches - what more could a seahorse want?

This is gorgeous! I LOVE the background also! You are seriously making me want a pony tank, it's always been a dream of mine. Now I am going to go remind myself of all the reasons why I can't have one lol.

vlangel · Nov 8, 2016

melypr1985 said:
Dawn this looks so amazing! I love the rockwork and the mural on the back wall. Superior build! I can't wait to see the new ponies.

Oh and I'm very sorry to hear about Adam passing.

Thanks Meredith! Yes losing Adam was devastating. He had so much personality and I felt so bad that perhaps I caused it by adding the sand from another tank. (I was trying to deal with cyano).

This new build is the accumulative knowledge I have gained about seahorses through research and experience and should be the best tank I have had to meet their specific needs. Already I am finding it easier to maintain from a husbandry standpoint.

The dimensions of this tank are perfect for seahorses. There is room to pull the rock forward away from the back glass for keeping clean. Also the tank is tall which the ponies will appreciate when courting.

I have been wanting to do a mural for years but was afraid. I really wanted to dedicate this tank to Adam because it was due to his passing that motivated me to make a change so I decided to go for it. It actually is close to what I envisioned and I am really pleased with the outcome.
This tank is so bright and airy with a light backround and I like that too.

vlangel · Nov 8, 2016

ReefQueen said:
This is gorgeous! I LOVE the background also! You are seriously making me want a pony tank, it's always been a dream of mine. Now I am going to go remind myself of all the reasons why I can't have one lol.

Ha ha, be careful ReefQueen, looking at seahorse tanks is what got me in trouble 4 years ago!

Seriously, they are such exquisite charming pets but are definitely high maintenance. Long term success with them requires meeting certain needs but if you ever want to set up a tank I will be glad to help with advise. Quite a few folks helped me along the way.

vlangel · Nov 8, 2016

I know this is a poor pic and will try to get a better one soon. For now this is better than nothing.

melypr1985 · Nov 8, 2016

Alright! Ponies in the house yall! They look great Dawn

Pugfishluv3 · Nov 8, 2016

vlangel said:
I know this is a poor pic and will try to get a better one soon. For now this is better than nothing.

That is a beautiful sea horse hun ugh your giving me the sea horse bug again lol

vlangel · Nov 8, 2016

The little girl settled in right away and is eating well. The little boy however seems lethargic and unengaged, even though physically he looks perfect and I am kind of worried about him.

Tomorrow I plan to try to harvest amphipods from a 5 gallon culture tank I have in hopes of sparking some predator instincts in the little stallion. Lets hope tomorrow is a more promising day.

melypr1985 · Nov 8, 2016

vlangel said:
The little girl settled in right away and is eating well. The little boy however seems lethargic and unengaged, even though physically he looks perfect and I am kind of worried about him.

Tomorrow I plan to try to harvest amphipods from a 5 gallon culture tank I have in hopes of sparking some predator instincts in the little stallion. Lets hope tomorrow is a more promising day.

Keeping my fingers crossed for him.

vlangel · Nov 9, 2016

melypr1985 said:
Keeping my fingers crossed for him.

Thanks Meredith. This morning early he was swimming around a little.

Seahorse Source where I bought him said he might be pregnant. He's little but I did notice that his pouch is well developed and kind of full looking. The males are very secretive and reclusive while carrying fry.

Today I will head out to a lfs for live brine shrimp to enrich. Also plan to try and harvest amphipods from my culture. Hopefully one of these live foods will elicit a feeding response.