Ponies tomorrow!

[Picasso]

Sounds like a tuff process. One which requires a lot of time and care. I would have failed already. I would have been "eat damn it or die." Hope you get them conditioned soon. Good luck.

Now that I've got them in their own little isolation tank I do have the "eat it or die" mentality. If they are stupid enough to die of starvation with food all around them they weren't smart enough to live in my house. I'm helping them out now but in a couple days they will have to step up and figure it out. I just fed my horses in my main tank by turning off the pumps and dumping their shrimp in a "feeding trough." I led them there by dangling a shrimp from my feeding thing and they are eating their breakfast now. I'll get them trained to eat out of the dish and when I move the little ones their they can teach the babies for me. Why should I do the work? :mrgreen:

Catherine

 

[wontonflip]

Tough love! LOL

You should have this thread moved to the ponies section! :D

 

[Picasso]

Tough love! LOL

You should have this thread moved to the ponies section! :D

That's a good idea, Wonton, I'll send Biff an email. Now that it has become a pony issue instead of a gee I'm getting new stuff thread.

I also like your idea of adding things into their little tank slowly. This morning, right after they ate, I added a littlest bit of caulerpa to their tank. Tonight after dinner I'll add a tiny rock to get them used to looking around for their food. According to their breeders, they were raised in a bare bottom tank. They were fed by having the mysis dropped in front of a powerhead so the shrimp would swirl around. I don't feed that way because I don't want to add that much gunk into my water. So, while they are in quarantine I'll keep adding stuff slowly and keep feeding my adults so they will be good "teachers" when I move the babies over.

C

 

[andysgirl8800]

Cute little critters Picasso! Good luck with them.

 

[ltljoker]

Grea looking ponies C. I would recommend the name Hidalgo, that s a great movie and horse name. Now you got the wife all pissy cause i want to turn an empty25 into a seahorse tank:mrgreen:

 

[Bifferwine]

Hidalgo! That's a perfect name! That movie makes me cry every time I see it. And Viggo is pretty damn hot...

Hidalgo and Viggo! Two names for ya right there!

 

[dcantucson]

#1 tell #2 it's just too much work to keep horses.

 

[Alexander]

I like hidalgo. Catherine thats a great idea to slowly add more things to try to acclimate them to the new environment.

 

[Picasso]

#1 tell #2 it's just too much work to keep horses.

DAVID!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH
David, you are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG

(Catherine is now stepping on her soapbox)

Most species of seahorse are not the delicate, time consuming, critters you think they are. Their needs are different than most marine tanks with fishes. You need to pay attention to some things that you normally wouldn't think about. If you have a tank dedicated to horses this tank will need the same amount of maintenance as a "normal" tank. Establishing a seahorse population takes a few extra steps but the personality and joy of caring for these wonderful little guys is so worth it.

Seahorses need less light, slightly cooler temps, non-stinging corals, special considerations concerning water flow and a good feeding system. There is a bit of adjustment when you get new horses that you won't have with most fishes. If you set up your tank properly, this won't be an ongoing maintenance problem.

What seahorses give back to their owners is totally worth the extra set-up steps. When I walk into the room, my ponies see me and do the "happy dance" where they swim to the front of the tank and flash their colors. Pegasus turns from black to pink in the wink of an eye and she flips her tail back and forth. Star turns a pale yellow and hides behind his favorite leather to play peek-a-boo. Phoenix usually hides in his man-cave and peeks out turning from black to bright yellow. They grab onto each other, hang upside down, and display a wide variety of clownish behavior. They are always into something. It's fun!

My maintenance schedule is the same as yours, I feed twice a day just like you and I can leave my tank to go on vacation just the same as you. Why oh why do you say they are difficult????????????? Wrong, David. Stop spreading these malicious rumors! :chair:

Catherine

 

[Picasso]

I love the name Hidalgo! I'm not officially giving names until they are in the main tank and eating well but that one is at the top of the "boy" list! Thanks!!!

Catherine

 

[ltljoker]

Go Robert its your birthday......... sweet i got the top name going:bounce::^::bounce:
I always thought Hidalgo was a great name....:bowdown: David got scolded ha ha :frustrat:
Looks Like I mite be getting a pony tank.... Still got some work to do convincing the wife, #2 is kinda mean :mrgreen: Just kidding for those of you that know how spoiled I am ,,,,, i will have it soon huh:bowdown:

 

[Picasso]

I just peeked at my ponies and their tummies are fat! Today, I'll add a couple of small rocks and the tiniest bit of large aragonite gravel in one of the corners. I'm doing daily water changes with water taken from my main tank to help them get acclimated. I hope to move them in there maybe a week from today. There was a little bit of stress at the very beginning but once I moved them to a bare tank it has been very easy. The hardest part is NOT falling head-over-heals for these babies! They are so very cute!

I hope reading this will help those of you getting your pony tanks ready! I've got ponies and it kind of took me off guard a little bit.

C

 

[dcantucson]

:sniffles: :sniffles: :sniffles: :sniffles: :sniffles: :sniffles:



(in corner being punished. shamed.)

 

[wontonflip]

I'm so glad it's working so far Cath! Talk about SLOOOOW acclimating -- with the water AND environment LOL

I, sadly, have broken down my 45tall tank and put it up on craigslist. I might be taking a financial hit this summer, so for now, I'm holding off on the ponies and just concentrating on the 125....but once I've got that tank fully stocked and stable, I will pursue my pony tank!! It just won't be happening this summer like I planned.

In the meantime, I will just gawk at Cath's ponies, so you better keep posting pics to keep us all drooling!!

 

[Picasso]

Well, I moved my little guys into the big tank! Let's see how they do.

Catherine

 

[imdaring]

how fun!! I want to get some sea horses, I have the tank waiting to move into the new house b/4 starting any new projects, were did you get them and do they eat live or frozen for you?

 

[Picasso]

how fun!! I want to get some sea horses, I have the tank waiting to move into the new house b/4 starting any new projects, were did you get them and do they eat live or frozen for you?

I get my horses from Seahorse Source, the ultimate place for captive bred seahorses. if you are looking into getting horses it is extremely important you get captive bred horses! Seahorse Source is highly recommended by ORA and they stand behind their ponies.

Pete Giwonja offers a free online seahorse class. If you are thinking of horses you should contact him. He's the consultant for Seahorse.com - Seahorse, Sea Life, Marine Life, Aquafarm Sales, Feeds and Accessories - Home

Catherine

 

[rwynn]

I've seen a couple forums talking about seahorses including Seahorses.org and they all reccommend seahorse source. Love your new additions!

 

[imdaring]

I will look into that thanks, we are planning on moving into our new house I'm hoping by the end of March and once I get the new 90 gal set up I'm going to look into starting up the seahorse tank, what does your set up look like? how big , do you have a sump, all that kinda stuff

 

[U4BOYZ]

I need more :camera:'s please!!! :)