Oh Gosh Ya! That is an ideal tank!!!! I'd be happy to move in there... (and if I get another tank, my wife just may MAKE me move in there )
You could keep this pair in your 20G for a couple few months anyway. They are still juvenile and don't need the room to mate. They will be happy for now. Just keep up on the water quality. As you know, it doesn't take much to foul 20 gallons.
You don't have to do anything fast...and..remember the ol' saying "Nothing Good Happens Fast". Just keep up on the 20 and start to set up their other home. It may be a blessing in disguise because you'd be better off setting up the 45G and letting it "season" for some time. This way, the pods, mysid, and all other beneficial fauna can develop and truly support your inhabitants. I let my 26G "season" for three months before putting in my ponies.
Finally, NEVER apologize for questions. The ONLY dumb question in this hobby is the one that is not asked...and therefore causes pain to the hobbiest, or worse, their "charges". Ask away... I love to help out. Otherwise, the wonderful Mods and owners here would not have asked me to follow this, YOUR seahorse forum.
If you still have problems with Seahorse.org, let me know. I can talk with Greg or Renee and get it fixed.
1) Ok now the sea horses are * almost * all black / dark brown. They have been this way for 2 days. I retested the water to make sure everything was still in normal parameters and all is good. If they are trying to "blend" in with their surroundings......I have color blind sea horses, lol. I'm including new pics of the tank and of the horses. I added brighter colored hitches and a solid yellow background in hope that they brighten back up. I also added some razor macro for them.
2) I notices some algae starting to grow on my sand in the tank. Because of the low flow, what can I do about this? I don't know why I would have an algae outbreak. All of the sand and 1/2 of the water and all of the LR came from an established tank. I'm thinking about adding a few hermits to stir the sand. I already have about 20 Nass. snails. Anything else I can do?
Water circulation.....> I had a power filter that pumped 330 GPH (16.5x the tank volume) way more than the 3-4x recommended. I switched it to a power filter that only filters 100 GPH. (seems like there isn't any water movement) Now it seems like the horses are staying hitched more and swimming less than they did when there was high flow in the tank. Should I leave it alone or put the Larger filter back on the tank?
If the ponies are eating properly and the water conditions are okay, I'd not worry. My ponies change from yellow and white with flecks to grey and black and even show some oranges from time to time. In some instances, it is just a day. Other times, especially when 'courting', they change colors for days. I've seen them change color with change in temperature. I've seen them change color if I'm fussing with the decor. They've changed color when I've introduced a new inhabitant...basically...they do it...because they can.
Again, if they are eating right, and the water is okay, and you see no visible injury or stress, I'd not worry.
I added a small Rio50 powerhead to the bottom, back corner of my system. I have it set on a timer that turns it on for just 10 minutes a day. This stirs up any detritus or leftover foods and sends them into the water column where they can be skimmed out. This keeps cyano and other alga from growing on my sand. Remember, with a shallow sand bed like that, you'll not have much biological activity in there. A deep sand bed, chuck full of bacterium (both aerobic and anaerobic), worms, pods etc. will help keep the system cleaner AND will help with PH buffering. I'm not going to get into a DSB -vs- SSB debate here. I believe in DSB and that's what I use.
The addition of the caulerpa serrulata was a good idea. Not only does it provide additional hitches, but it will help with water quality. Macro algae makes quick use of ammonia in the water. It feeds on everything you DON'T want in there..and provides a 'refugium' of sorts for good stuff. Just make sure you prune it appropriately so it doesn't cause staining or go sexual on you. Granted, there is less a chance of that with the razor type than the bubble type, but it can still happen. You'll notice that the ends will become clear when it is in need of pruning. NOT white, which indicates growth, but clear.
I'd still stick to the recommended flow rates of UP TO 5X the tank volume and no more. Additional flow could stress the ponies. Remember, using sponges on powerheads and such will reduce the flow. A Maxijet 1200 with a sponge on it will NOT put out 100% flow. It may be reduced to 1/2 the expected flow; especially if they are dirty. Finally, the use of sponges in your system could cause 'aerobic bacterium' to develop and raise Nitrates.
Yes, add some blue legged hermits. The scarlets get bigger and sometimes accidentially nip at seahorses (especially if the ponies have alga on them..most, but not all do grow alga on their back sides). This will help with sand stirring and will also help with removal of wasted foods. Cleaner shrimp will also help with this and as an added bonus, when kept in pairs or a trio, will breed and provide snacks for the ponies
Honestly, I think this system looks fine. Watch the sand and algae and all should go well until you set up the other system.
Here...Just took this. This is one of my males who is typically ALL yellow with some salt and pepper flecks. This was taken after I had my hands in the tank and ticked him off. Note that he blends in with the Tonga Branch quite nicely!
I don't have seahorses.....nor do I plan on getting any. But I just had to pipe up and say this is one of the BEST threads I have seen in a long time. Very very educational!! nice job you two.
Ok for now I'm just going to leave the tank alone. When I switch to the 45H I will have a deep sand bed. (My reef tank has a 4-6in DSB and I love it. I took out the skimmer and added a powerhead w/ spray bar to move any detritus or leftover foods into the water column. I do not have a time on it. I juat plan to turn if on manually for a few mins. every night to take care of the waste.
As soon as I find an appropriate skimmer fo rthis tank I will remove the HOB powerfilter and rely on the skimmer only (besides LR and sand) for filteration. Maybe an upcomming DIY project.
OR I have an old prizm skimmer that was a piece of crap for my 55G reef........would it be sufficient for a SH tank? I have that right now in a box in the basement.
Thanks Dirt4dinner. I'm learning lots too. I have to keep asking questions because I don't want to do anything that would harm them. They are adorable and have awsome personalities. It took all of 3 days for them to figure out that when the clear rigid airline tubing goes into the tank, Food is served. Now they hitch right to the feeding tube and wait for the mysid to come out the end. A few times they sucked it right out the end. I must have been taking too long, lol. I still have to think of a name for the female......My youngest daughter (the one who talked me into getting them) named the male Charger, since he charges at the food. So I guess I only need a female name.
)
Reply With Quote
