Pony Tank?

[wontonflip]

+1 wonton, LOVE my HOB overflow!

c

Yeah I had one in my 45g :) I kept getting a bubble, though, mainly cuz my return pump sucked (it's the one I'm using on the fuge now LOL).

I considered using my 10g as my fuge, and using the overflow to get the water back to the tank....but again, my pump sucks and I'd just be fighting bubbles again.

 

[Picasso]

Little Fish, WARNING, when you start fiddling around with moving water from one tank to the next, you are flirting with danger! Just yesterday I dumped half the water OUT of my tank and on to the floor! Like I said, I'm plumbing impaired so BEFORE you set up your system, be sure to post specific drawings and details about pump sizes and tube sizes so someone with knowledge can check your system! Thankfully, I have my sump in a room with a drain in the middle of the floor so I didn't have a bad flood!

Catherine

 

[little_fish]

Oh no! Thanks for the warning! If im not 100% sure how the whole thing is going to work, i wont do it. I suspect that i will end just netting things out of the fuge, and having a hang on the back skimmer. Mostly because i don't know if i have enough room for all this, but im looking into it because it is good information and it might be possible in a few years.

And when i get home ill get some drawings up, i just have been soo busy with school recently. Plus i want to talk to my dad, he a very handy guy and might have some excellent ideas

 

[Picasso]

I had my tank for over a year before I set up my sump system so you've got time. Everyone has had a flood, some of us more than most, so you might want to start stocking up on ShamWow's :)

C

 

[little_fish]

hahaha, i will then
: )

 

[Picasso]

I'm redoing mine today but here's a couple shots.

 

[little_fish]

Well, im finally done with finals and im home! For a few days at least. So ive finally had a few minutes sit down and look up stuff about gorgs! So here is what ive found.

Gorgs are like corals in that they require many trace minerals for growth, and many of them are slow growing with long life spans. They range from photosynthetic to non-photosynthetic. The non-photosynthetic ones are harder to keep in a reef tank, they can require between one to three feedings a week of small meaty foods. The photosynthetic ones are easier to keep but the have very high light requirements. The in-between ones can live with lower lighting, but they will need feedings to kept in health.

For the best results with these i think you need to find out what type you have to figure out how to balance the lighting with the feedings

Please let me know how they work out for you, because they would be a great addition to a sea horse tank!


Also, i have decided to get my little tank drilled. I still might end up using the overflow box, or not even have it hooked up to anything, but i figured it would be much easier to do it now while i don't have anything in so i have the option of doing it in the future!

 

[little_fish]

Gorgonian Care Tips & Gallery at Blane Perun's TheSea.Org

This seemed to be a pretty good site on the gorgs, perhaps other things, i didn't look around too much

 

[little_fish]

So i have run into a problem. Technically im only suppose to have a tank no larger than 15 gals, which im obviously not going to obey. I have a 55 gal tank that i got off cragslist that I was going to sell, but now im think i may keep that one and just do one 55 gal tank in my room away from where people are going to be in and out. But i like the ponies more than any other fish, so i still want to do a pony tank but im afraid that they would be lost in there. You have a 55, do you find that they are often lost?

 

[Picasso]

I can tell you my experiences. I have a 55 gallon REEF tank and yes, they get lost. They will also get lost in a 15 or 30 gallon tank too because that'st what they try to do. Look at this pic of my Hidalgo:

If you want a tank where your critters are out and swimming back and forth, seahorses are not for you. Look at my FTS. You have to look for them. They come out at feeding times or occasionally swim from one spot to the next but for the most part horses are not big swimmers. Look at them, they are not set up for it! They like to crawl around in the weeds or on the rocks and look for pods. That's their favorite thing in the world to do. They will interact with you if you're about to feed them (they're pigs) but for the most part, looking for pods is what makes them happy.

I started with a 26 gallon bow front. In that tank, with very good maintenance you can keep 4 erectus in that tank. It looks similar to a 15 gallon, sort of.... :) The bow kind of magnifies everything and you can see your ponies quite well. You can build or buy a hang on the back refugium for pods or get a little 10 gallon to make as a sump.

I'll write more in a bit, got to run for now....

C

 

[little_fish]

Im not looking for action from them, but i worry about finding one pair of seahorses in 55 gal tank, but perhaps this just calls for more of them . . . now there is an idea! Honestly, my biggest concern with not being able to find them is not being able to keep an eye on their health, but so long as they come out to be fed and i can get a really good look at them, im not so concerned.

I think i will keep looking for a smaller hex tank

 

[Picasso]

You'll find them very easily. They have their favorite hang out spots and you'll know how to look for them. The boys like to find their "man cave" and hang out there. At least that's been my experience. My girls are more gregarious and I see them a lot. I love the look of the hex tanks and the height is awesome for ponies but I always wonder about moving the water around effectively. You're an engineering sort of person, you'll figure it out. Right now, I've got 5 in my 55 gallon and I really should have more. They are happier when there is a lot of them. When I had 4 in my 26 gallon they seemed to really enjoy that density. I'm about to get some more horses for my 55 hopefully up to 8. Remember though, you still need the water mass and cleaning system because the horses really are dirty beasts. I've got about 60 gallons of sump space for my 55 gallon tank but I tend to overdo things.

Are you taking your fuge with you this summer?

C

 

[Picasso]

This set up is exactly what I got for my birthday in October, 2008.

Here is my blog when I first started it (before I found Living Reefs). I tend to go through phases with my blogging so you'll see a lot of gaps. The blog that I link to Paul's reef, that's a really good read too! Reading his blog convinced me to go salt instead of fresh. The other resource that really helped me when I was starting out was the IPSF youtube series. He rocks!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od2X9PJEc7o]YouTube - Nano Lagoon (1): Tank and Filter[/ame]

I had my tank set up for quite a while before I got my horses and I used IPSF's suggestions about setting up a STRONG sandbed community. I don't know if that helped or hurt but between his videos and all of the advice I got here, I haven't had a tank crash or had any significant losses in spite of me being plumbing impaired. I think you could do the IPSF nano build right now. It's fun and affordable. Then when you get your bigger tank set up this fall your nano can be your sump and it can help you seed your big tank. Moving a 10 gallon nano would be pretty easy too. I've got 2 nano's that I started one about 2 weeks ago and one about a month ago. These two nano's are going to be anchors to a volcanic shripm/pod/roti system that I'm working on. I'm setting these up with no live sand or rock and only very pure specimens so I can hopefully supply my LFS and my friends with live foods and macro algae that is safe, pest free, and nutritious. This isn't a business just a way to help my ponies be more healthy and hopefully be able to help others with their nutritional needs if necessary. I hope this helps you make your decisions.

here's my blog, hasn't been updated in forever: http://www.catherinethereefkeeper.blogspot.com/

Like I told you at the beginning. I'm still learning and I feel like a total newbie but I feel like I know where some really great resources are to help you with your set up.

Catherine

 

[little_fish]

Ya, if i do the hex tank i was planing on having two, maybe three, but i feel like the odd numbers wouldn't work very well and four seems like too many. The 55 I have has both a canister filter (it came with it, don't think im going to use it) and a coralife skimmer. I don't have room to to construct a big sump like you have, do you think there is a good way around this? Would 6 be ok? or will they still be too "dirty"?

And yes, it is in my car now actually. Im going to be driving down to Albuquerque tonight, and i hope to go by walmart tonight to get lights and maybe see if i can find a good LFS. Tomorrow is my first day at the zoo and im soooo excited!

 

[Picasso]

I would work my way up to 6. Start with just 2 and then once your tank has adjusted to the bio-load add 2 more and then add 2 more. You'll know when or if your tank could handle it after a few months of water testing. When you do stuff fast, you'll crash. Go slow and see. If you've got a great filtering system and you do frequent water changes and (here's a big one for me) target feed your horses then you should be fine. When you scatter feed your water get's really mucky really fast! I would feel like my tank could handle 6-8 easily even without my extra water mass if I changed the water out very frequently. My sand bed and macro really does help!

Can't wait to hear about your zoo job! Don't forget to keep us posted on your adventures!

C

 

[little_fish]

of course, im pretty sure the number one rule around here, nothing good happens fast in a reef tanks! And i intend to live by that! And your blog was great!
Do you think i could convince to, in the fall, post pics of all the stuff you have in your tank that i see your sea horses on, and tell me your experience with them. I love your tank shots but i don't know what everything is, which makes it very hard for me to copy you . . . so that when i order hitching posts i know what to look for.
If you dont have time for that could you at least give me a list of names and then i can look them up.
Also where did you order your gorgs from, GARF or tampa bay?

And now on to finish that youtube series!

 

[Picasso]

I'lll put together a full tour soon. I got my gorgs from tampa bay. Looking at other places too..

C