Re:Welcome - 2006/06/22 13:43Hi dandelionstray and welcome to the forum!!
Congratulations on your pair of Mustangs!
Your seahorses will come with acclimation instructions which are quite simple and easy to follow.
In addition to the power filter I would recommend a protien skimmer.
Peppermint, Cleaner and Scarlet Cleaner shrimp all make great additions to a seahorse corra.
Best of luck with your new seahorses.
Cheers,
Leslie
| | The administrator has disabled public write access.
toscany
User Reef Raider
Posts: 12
Karma: 0
Re:Welcome - 2006/06/22 15:24Thank you Leslie...Yes, you are write. No publication as yet.. Thank you for the ensight...I would like an autographed copy if you guys will be selling it on your site. I am sure that you will share the news when it is in print....
In the mean time..I cannot locate any descent books. Any that you would suggest? I have looked for: "Guide to the Identification of Seahorses (03/04) Laurie, amanada, foster & erbest. Also "Proceedings from the First International Aquarium workshop on Seahorse husbandry, management and conservation" (12/99).
My Mustangs have landed and probably taken off to ATL from Memphis now...I set up a 2 gallon aquarium (yes it is an aquarium!) with live rock and a 10 gallon whisper (put sponge in the intake to slow down, and keep from sucking up the red shrimp. The have a beautiful home waiting...stocked with Tiggerpods (1,000)!
Thank you for any help you may give me.
Harry in Athens, GA
| | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Congratulations on your mated pair of Mustangs (Hippocampus erectus)! Mustangs are a great choice for anyone who's new to seahorse keeping, and it's an excellent idea to build up a thriving population of copepods in your seahorse tank. Seahorses love to hunt them and an abundance of 'pods will provide them with natural fodder to graze on between meals, which your Mustangs will really appreciate. An assortment of micro-hermit crabs along with a variety of snails should make an excellent cleanup crew for your seahorse setup.
Yeah, The Complete Guide to Greater Seahorses is the working title for my new book, which is now long overdue. An abbreviated 304-page version of the book was originally scheduled to be released in October 2004, and then pushed back to January 2005, and has since been delayed indefinitely following the change in publishers at TFH. The new publisher will be making a decision regarding my new book shortly, so we should know something more definitive soon, but for now, no doubt Barnes & Noble must simply be taking preorders for the book. Publication is still pending, but I'll be happy to autograph a cop before you as soon as it's released.
In the meantime, you can always reach me online for help with your seahorse related questions.
Best of luck with your new seahorses, Harry!
Happy Trails! Pete Giwojna
| | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Congratulations on your first seahorses! You're 45-gallon aquarium should make a fine home for a pair of Mustangs (Hippocampus erectus).
Yes, indeed -- your seahorses will arrive with a certificate of authenticity and a care sheet that explains how to acclimate your seahorses and care for your Mustangs properly after they arrive. That information is also available online at the following link, and it would be a good idea for you to check it out before your seahorses arrive so you are familiar with the acclimation procedures and the needs of your seahorses when they are delivered:
The acclimation instructions explaining just how to introduce your new seahorses to your aquarium are also available online, and it would be a good idea for you to review them at the following link
In addition, I would be happy to discuss the acclimation procedures with you in greater detail and explain step-by-step exactly how to proceed. First of all, however, let me assure you that 9 times out of 10 the seahorses arrive in great shape without being unduly stressed by their long-distance shipping. And even in those rare instances when the seahorses do experience shipping stress and elevated ammonia levels while in transit, they almost always recover fully, none the worse for wear, within a short period provided they are acclimated properly. I know it's hard not to get a little excited and nervous about your first seahorses, but you can be very confident that everything will go smoothly if you just follow the instructions.
The following information should make everything crystal clear, as well as explaining why it is important to acclimate your new arrivals according to the instructions:
Acclimating New Arrivals
Acclimating newly arrived seahorses properly after their transoceanic, cross-country journey is absolutely vital. It's not like acclimating the new specimens you bring home after a quick trip back from your local fish store. The long distances and prolonged transit times involved make proper care of the new arrivals once they finally reach you a far more urgent matter. The reason for this is that all the while the seahorses are en route, they are excreting wastes and respiring in the dark shipping box -- consuming oxygen (O2) and giving off carbon dioxide (CO2). That means two things: deadly ammonia is steadily building up in the shipping bag and the pH is steadily dropping, making the water more acidic.
This downward pH shift is actually helpful in that ammonia is less toxic at low pH and becomes much more toxic at higher pH. This is because ammonia exists in water in an equilibrium between two different forms -- a nontoxic ionized form usually referred to as ammonium (NH4+) and an un-ionized form (NH3), which is highly toxic. Ammonium (NH4+) is completely harmless to fishes since the ionized ammonia molecule cannot cross the cell membrane and enter their cells. Note that only difference between harmless NH4+ and deadly NH3 is the addition of a hydrogen ion (H+), which converts toxic ammonia to nontoxic ammonium. At low pH, the extra hydrogen ions (H+) of acidic water are readily available to attach to the ammonia molecule, converting most of the ammonia to ammonium: NH3 + H+ ---> NH4+. But at high pH, under alkaline conditions, exactly the opposite occurs. At high pH, the abundance of hydroxide ions (OH-) in alkaline water strips the extra hydrogen ion (H+) away from ammonium, rapidly converting most of it to deadly ammonia: OH- + NH4+ ---> NH3 + H20. In other words, the higher (more alkaline) the pH, the more ammonia is present in the dangerous un-ionized form (NH3), which easily crosses cell membranes and enters the body.
This should make it easier to understand exactly what is happening in the shipping bag. As the seahorses breathe, consuming O2 and giving of CO2, the pH of the water drops and more of the ammonia (NH3) they produce is assimilated into harmless ammonium (NH4+). So the decrease in pH that occurs during long-distance shipping is actually protecting the new arrivals somewhat -- until we open the shipping bag! Once the shipping bag is opened, CO2 begins offgassing from the bag water and fresh O2 begins entering the water, and as the pH begins to rise in response and return to normal, the ammonia in the water becomes increasingly poisonous. And when we begin to add alkaline water with a pH of 8.0-8.4 from the main tank to the shipping bag, we are accelerating the pH shift and converting ever more of the ammonium (NH4+) to deadly ammonia (NH3). The suddenly high concentration of ammonia in the water quickly diffuses into the seahorse's cells, and acclimating the new arrivals becomes a race against ammonia poisoning just that quickly.
Acclimating farm-raised seahorses properly is therefore the art of achieving the proper balance between two conflicting needs: the need to get them out of the toxic shipping water as quickly as possible and the need to allow them to adjust to tank conditions as gradually as is practical. Here's how to proceed:
1) Open the shipping box away from any bright lights. Remember that seahorses don't have eyelids -- removing them from total darkness and suddenly plunging them in bright light can be very stressful! Darken the room lights and turn off the aquarium lights before you remove the shipping bags from the box.
2) Float the shipping bag in your tank, or better yet in a clean container filled 2/3 of the way with water from the aquarium, for about 10 minutes to equalize temperatures. (Those shipping bags can be dirty and germ laden!)
3) Once the temperature has been equalized, partially open the shipping bag and check the parameters of the shipping water (temperature, salinity or specific gravity, and especially the pH). Compare those readings to the conditions in the destination tank. That will tell how you quickly you can proceed with the acclimation process. The specific gravity is not that critical. Seahorses tolerate a wide range of salinities and are very adaptable in that regard. If the water in the shipping bag and the water in the destination tank are equal in temperature, fairly close in specific gravity, and within 0.1 of each other in pH, you may introduce the seahorses to the tank right away without the need for any further acclimation. If the temp or pH are slightly off, you can acclimate the seahorses to tank conditions in one or two steps, as described below. And if the temp, pH, or specific gravity is off considerably, you will need to adjust the seahorses to tank conditions carefully in three or more steps.
4) The first of these steps is to add 1 cup of tank water to the shipping bag. Wait 10 minutes to allow the seahorses to adjust to any differences in tank water you just added.
5) Do NOT aerate the shipping bag while you are waiting. I know it seems a helpful thing to do, and your first inclination will be to add an airstone or airline to the shipping bag, but that can have disastrous consequences! Aerating the shipping water will accelerate the upward shift in pH and hasten the conversion of harmless ammonium (NH4+) to toxic ammonia (NH3). Aerating the shipping bag during acclimation will thus put the new arrivals at grave risk from ammonia poisoning! Don't do it.
6) After 10 minutes have elapsed, remove 1 cup of water from the shipping bag and add another cup of water from the tank. Wait 10 minutes to allow the seahorses to adjust, and if they remain undistressed, repeat this procedure again. Judging from how great the initial discrepancy was in water quality parameters, this procedure can be repeated as often as necessary to adjust the seahorses to the tank conditions gradually, but try to complete the acclimation process within 30 minutes after the shipping bag was opened, if at all possible.
7) Observe the new arrivals closely for any signs of ammonia poisoning throughout the acclimation process. The symptoms to look are a loss of equilibrium, hyperexcitability, increased respiration and oxygen uptake, and increased heart rate. At extreme ammonia levels, fish may experience convulsions, coma, and death. Seahorses exposed to less extreme ammonia levels will struggle to breathe. They will be lethargic and exhibit rapid respiration. They may appear disoriented, periodically detaching from their hitching posts only to sink to the bottom. Don't panic at the first sign of rapid breathing, but if you detect any of the more serious symptoms of ammonia toxicity, stop acclimating and get the seahorses into the destination tank immediately! Don't hesitate! Your seahorses will tolerate an emergency transfer far better than they can withstand prolonged exposure to high levels of deadly ammonia in the shipping bag.
8) If all goes well, you can release the seahorses into the destination tank at your leisure following a 2- or 3-step acclimation process. I do not like to use an aquarium net to transfer seahorses, since their delicate fins and snouts can become entangled in the netting all too easily. I much prefer to transfer the seahorses by hand. Simply wet your hand and fingers (to avoid removing any of the seahorse's protective slime coat) and scoop the seahorses in your hand. Allow them to curl their tail around your fingers and carefully cup their bodies in your hand to support them while you lift them out of the water. When you gently immerse your hand in the destination tank, the seahorse will release its grip and swim away as though nothing out of the ordinary has happened. Take care to get as little of the noxious water from the shipping bags as possible into the aquarium when you transfer the seahorses. Discard the impure shipping water when you are finished.
9) Leave the aquarium light off and let the seahorses settle down and adjust to their strange new surroundings at their own speed. Don't attempt to feed them for the first day. Just give them plenty of room and allow them to settle in and investigate their new home in peace and quiet. Admire them from afar. The next morning you can turn on the aquarium light at the usual time and offer them their first meal.
Don't let the discussion of ammonia poisoning and shipping stress above worry you, dandelion. It's not meant to alarm you in the least, only to explain why it's important to complete the acclimation procedure quickly (which is why drip acclimating the seahorses is counterproductive and could even be harmful) and what to do in the extremely unlikely event an emergency should arise during acclimation. In all probability, your seahorses will arrive in excellent condition and not stressed out in the least, and even when shipping stress is a factor, the seahorses typically recover quickly and are back to normal by the following day.
I'm not exactly sure what you meant about the place with slats in your dutch tank, which you think might make a good place for the feeder shrimp to go, but care instructions that explain how to look after the red feeder shrimp when they arrive are available at the following link:
Red feeder shrimp or volcano shrimp, as they are sometimes known, prefer brackish conditions and breed best at reduced salinity (1.0145-1.0168) but they adapt well to full strength saltwater and will survive indefinitely is a marine aquarium. They are a perfect "feed-and-forget" treat for large seahorses! As a rule they don't need a great deal of room. The size of the tank you'll need depends on the number of shrimp your dealing with and whether you want to maintain and ongoing culture or simple keep them alive until needed. A 5-10 gallon tank will generally suffice for 500-600 of these shrimp and biological filtration of some sort is desirable for keeping them long term. A simple sponge filter will do.
Here is some additional information about these shrimp that may help you determine where is the best place to keep your shrimp and how to care for them properly:
RED FEEDER SHRIMP from Hawaii (Halocaridina rubra)
Pros: * Excellent nutritional value * Irresistible to all the greater seahorses. * Feed-and-Forget -- lasts forever in saltwater! * Easy to enrich. * Simple to gut-load. * Can be cultured using simple techniques and the most basic setups.
Cons: * Reproduces slowly; difficult to build up a large population.
Collecting Tips: None.
Culture Instructions: Specific gravity: 1.0145-1.0168; pH: 8.0-8.3 Temperature: 68 degrees F - 73 degrees F (20 degrees C - 23 degrees C)
These fabulous little feeder shrimp can be kept indefinitely in a spare 2-10 gallon tank, or even a clean, plastic bucket, that has be filled with clean saltwater and equipped with an airstone for aeration. Neither a heater nor a fancy filtration system is required. They thrive at room temp and reduced salinity (1.015-1.016), and all they require is an airstone (or a simple air-operated foam filter at most) to keep the water oxygenated, with perhaps a little coral rubble as substrate and a clump or two of macroalgae (sea lettuce, Ogo, Gracilaria) to shelter in. They're easy to feed -- they feed primarily on algal mats and bacteria -- but they will accept vegetable-based flake foods and pellets such as various Spirulina products. They are filter feeders and can also be fed with yeast or commercially prepared foods for filter-feeding invertebrates. Many people find an easy way to feed them is to place a small piece of algae-encrusted live rock in their holding tank; once they clean it off, simply replace it with a new piece of algae rock. But if you want to culture them, I'd recommend ordering the special shrimp food formulated just for them when you order your feeder shrimp from Hawaii. It's designed to meet all their needs and requirements.
Comments:
These tiny red feeder shrimp (Halocaridina rubra) are native to Hawaii where they inhabit underground lava tubes. Brackish pools collect in the cracks, crevices and depressions in the lava below the water table, thus forming the habitat for the shrimp. The brackish water that fills these pools consists of intrusive seawater diluted by freshwater that percolates downward. Because of their lava-tube habit, they are sometimes called Hawaiian Volcano Shrimp.
Native Hawaiians call them Opa'e-ula, and they are unique among the several different species anchialine pond shrimp in being small, social, herbivorous shrimp that feed mainly on algae and bacteria. They are known to feed on insects that drown in the lava tubes. When conditions are favorable, they may feed en masse at the surface in swarms of countless individuals that turn the water red.
Halocaridina rubra look like miniature, bite-size Peppermint Shrimp, and all seahorses save the miniature species go absolutely nuts for them! They are very nutritious and eat a varied, omnivorous diet. They are perfect for seahorses in every way.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to culture these shrimp in any quantity, since they reproduce slowly and the females only carry 12 to 14 eggs. They spawn but 4 or 5 times and produce an average of only 5-10 larvae per spawn. The larvae hatch as free-swimming, yolked zoeae after a brooding period of 38 days. Larval development is abbreviated with four zoeal stages and one megalopial stage occurring before they reach the first juvenile stage. Duration of the larval stages in the aquarium is 24 to 27 days at 22 to 23 degrees C.
However, they can be purchased in quantity (up to 500 shrimp) at very reasonable prices from Hawaii, and they are easy to keep alive indefinitely, making them ideal to keep around as an occasional treat for your seahorses. Most of the time they ship very well, but occasionally when the weather is extreme, your live feeder shrimp will be delivered DOA. No problem -- simply rinse them well and freeze the freshly killed feeder shrimp in a quantity of clean water. Seahorses eat these shrimp without the slightest hesitation, even when frozen. Thaw them as needed.
Best of luck with your new seahorses, dandelion!
Happy Trails! Pete Giwojna
| | The administrator has disabled public write access.
dandelionstray
User Bottom Dweller
Posts: 3
Karma: 0
Re:Welcome - 2006/06/23 06:14Wow! Great instructions! Have saved all, thanks everyone! Sounds like acclimatizing seahorses somewhat similar to fish except is going to be real strange using my hands to transfer! Sorry I didn't mention earlier, but have a protein skimmer and filter along with just a couple of power filters. I have a 75gal reef tank but have never cared for seahorses, so will be a little different experience. My only worry is without any heater at all, the tank stays 78degrees. I understand seahorses like it a bit cooler?
| | The administrator has disabled public write access.
Fans work great for decreasing tank temps. Small 6 to 8 inch plastic electric clip on fans are available at most home improvement centers and places like Longs or Rite Aide. They can be clipped on to the tank rim and adjusted so that the air from the fan blows across the surface of the water rippling it a bit. This works very well. I would suggest 2, one on either side of the tank.
It does increase evaporation quite a bit so you will need to top off more frequently.
It is also a good idea to use a heater set at the the low end of the goal range. If your tank is 78 without a heater start by setting it to 76 with the fans running and decrease it by 2 degrees every day until you figure out just how much the fans will bring that temp down. I am guessing with 2 fans you should be able to keep the temp about 75, which should be just perfect.
HTH,
Leslie
| | The administrator has disabled public write access.
