Baeya's Seahorse tank

[baeya]

I decided to share my Seahorse tank build.

My tank is a 65 gallon. I have two twin t5 bulb fixtures. I had the bulb stats on a sticky on my desktop but, my six year old grandson deleted them while doing his 'homework' on my computer. The bulbs are for a low light fresh water planted tank and will be fine for Seahorses.

Right now I'm cycling. Ammonia 0, Nitrites 1, Nitrates 20. There is an AquaClear 110 on the tank now but, I've ordered one of these. It's a Aquafuge2 PS DX with light. The reef store that I buy from recommended it. It's a HOB combination Refugium and Protein skimmer.

I ordered a RO/DI unit from BRS, with the help of chichimom79 (thank you!) and it arrived today. My son installed it in about a half hour. I forgot to buy the float for it so I'll order that tonight. This is the unit I bought...

The tank has 40 pounds of CaribSea Agra Alive Hawaiian Black sand and 32 pounds of dry rock. I'm using fish food to cycle.

The Seahorses will come from OceanRider.com. Before you can buy their tank bred/tank raised Seahorses you have to read (they call it classes) 430 pages of information sent to you and written by Pete Giwojna.

Here is a picture the morning after I set up the tank. 10-8-12

Here is a picture of the tank today. 10-25-12

The fake coral is from OceanAquaria.com

 

[chichimom79]

Looks great! I can't wait to see your sea ponies!!! :D

 

[baeya]

Thank you, Angie!

The ORA Mandarin I got last week has finally started to eat. She is in a 10 gallon with LR and LS.

 

[Bifferwine]

Very nice! Do you plan to get some macroalgae for them to hitch on? It should grow fine with the lights you have, and aid in nutrient export.

 

[baeya]

Very nice! Do you plan to get some macroalgae for them to hitch on? It should grow fine with the lights you have, and aid in nutrient export.

Yes I do plan on getting macroalgae. I was talking to the owner of the reef store about it a couple days ago. I'm going to stop at Lowes on my way home from work and pick up a plastic trash barrel for my RO/DI water so I can start changing out the tank water. Does the container have to be food safe???? I don't think they have food safe ones at Lowes.

 

[Bifferwine]

I have never bothered to check if any of mine were food safe. I believe ccCapt posted on here once that the Brute brand was all food safe. I don't think they *have* to be.

 

[baeya]

I have never bothered to check if any of mine were food safe. I believe ccCapt posted on here once that the Brute brand was all food safe. I don't think they *have* to be.

I called BRS and spoke with them. They said that most people use the Brute receptacles and that people still debate the food safe issue. So, I can safely assume that if everyone else is doing it, so can I!

 

[baeya]

Tank finally cycled a few days ago. I installed the CPR Aquafuge HOB refugium/protein skimmer unit. Put some mud, live rock (pebbles) from the reef shop and some Caulpera in it. Added some trochus snails and a couple red reef dwarf hermit crabs.

The Mandarin is doing great now. She is in a 10g tank with two Nassarius snails. I still have to change out 40 to 80% of the water at least once a day.
Here are a few pictures of her....she knows right where to go when I put the food in there!!

 

[chichimom79]

What a cutie!!

 

[Kelz88]

Nice he is looking good and FAT :) just the way i like mandarins

 

[baeya]

Seahorses have arrived. Waiting for the bags to get to room temperature before opening as per instructions from the breeder.

 

[Farside Tropicals]

Those seahorses are precious! Do you plan on adding any live sot corals in your tank? Since I read you were planning on adding macroalgae
Hope you're enjoying your tank!
-Liza
Farside Tropicals

 

[chichimom79]

Room temperature? I figure they should be adjusting to the tank's temperature, not the room. They are adorable! More pics when you get them in there! :)

 

[baeya]

Room temperature? I figure they should be adjusting to the tank's temperature, not the room. They are adorable! More pics when you get them in there! :)

The water was real cold and the instructions said not to open bag and let it warm slowly, not in the tank, for up to 2 hours. Then to float to water temperature. Then open the bag and do the one cup in one cup out for every 10 minutes up to 40 minutes total. Then scoop them out in with your hand and put them in the tank. The instructions said not to drip acclimate. They did great! They are so friendly! I gave them each a mysis shrimp and they took it right from my fingers.
Thursdays are family day at my house and I have 3 grandchildren, 6,3 and 1. They were at the tank front and center watching them and the ponies were right up front watching them right back. So sweet!

I do plan on getting some Mushroom corals and a couple others that are okay with seahorses but, not for awhile...

 

[little_fish]

Very cute! I wish you good luck with them!

 

[chichimom79]

They are so freakin adorable. :D Didn't know they shipped them in colder water. I wonder why.

 

[little_fish]

More oxygen will dissolve in cold water and it slows down their metabolism so that they produce less waste

 

[baeya]

My two pairs of H. Erectus are doing great. They eat well and are starting to show signs of mating.
This is a video of one of the males showing off his inflated pouch to a very fat with eggs female. The other male is also showing off his pouch, too. He is on the top of the intake waiting to take his turn.


This video is of the same couple in the feed bowl. She goes to swim away and he tries holding on to her.


This is a video of a little bit of everything.

 

[chichimom79]

They are so adorable!!

 

[Treezer8]

Those are awesome!