My Mustangs arrived this morning in excellent condition at 9:46Am EST..I went through the acclimation process as directed just to be safe. The were so excited they colored immediately and wanted out right away!
I placed about 20 of the 100 red shrimp in their new tank home, and the remainder in a nice hlding tank for the shrimp. Leslie suggested a piece of live rock will keep the red shrimp happy to graze on.They also have a filter to keep them happy too.
I do have a question about the feeding tomorrow with the vibrance. I feel that I'll find the answer on the sight how much to feed, and how to store it once opened I guess are the main ones)....I've started printing out all the care instructions for quick reference until I get used to it.
You guys are awesome...! I could tell right away that my Mustangs came from a wonderful place! I'll keep you informed of their progress.
In the mean time, if Hawaii doesn't want any summer storms...please blow them in our direction....watering restrictions are in place...It was 100 degrees F here yesterday.
Best regards...
Harry in Athens, GA
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dandelionstray
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Re:Welcome - 2006/06/23 14:02Thanks for your help, so 78 too hot? Will try a fan.
(Just as an aside am unsubscribing from all topics, seem to get 3 duplicate emails for every topic subscribed to)
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I'm very happy to hear that your Mustangs arrived in good shape and are doing well! It sounds like you did a fine job of acclimating them and getting them settled down in their new aquarium and off to a good start. And it sounds like you prepared a dandy little holding tank for the red feeder shrimp, too.
Just a light dusting of Vibrance is all that's needed to enrich the frozen Mysis. After using the Vibrance, seal the packet tightly to keep out as much air as possible and store it in a cool, dry place. Avoid exposing the Vibrance to heat, light, or moisture. Storing the sealed packets in the fridge works great for most folks.
There have been a few other threads on the Ocean Rider Club discussion board at seahorse.com from hobbyists who were just starting out with seahorses that you should find to be of interest, Harry. They discuss setting up an ideal system for seahorses, filtration, feeding, lighting, circulation and so on. I've provided links to those discussions for you below, so please check them out when you have a chance. They include complete instructions for thawing, enriching and feeding frozen Mysis, and I think they will answer many of your questions about keeping and feeding your new Mustangs:
As far as guidebooks go, there are several fairly recent books about seahorses available that would be helpful for a beginner. I would say the most useful of these is "How to Care for your Seahorses in the Marine Aquarium A Stable Environment For your Seahorse Stable" by Tracy Warland. Either of Neil Garrick-Maidment's two latest books, Seahorses: Conservation & Care or the Practical Fish-Keeper's Guide to Seahorses would also be good choices. And "Seahorses: Complete Pet Owner's Manual" by Frank Indiviglio is another worthwhile book for someone new to seahorses. You can order all of these books as well as the ones discussed below online from Jim Forshey at the Aquatic Bookshop (http://www.seahorses.com/index.shtm) .
Here's a breakdown of the likely book candidates that can still be found, are not totally outdated, and may be of interest to someone just starting out with seahorses:
TITLE: A Step-By-Step Book About Seahorses AUTHOR: Peter Giwojna PUBLISHER: TFH Publications, Inc. (1990) ISBN: 0-88622-486-6 REASON FOR IMPORTANCE: first of the modern guidebooks about seahorses, it is geared very much for beginners and primarily useful for dwarf seahorses keepers; although now badly outdated, it's still a good read if you come across it at the library. HARDCOVER/SOFTCOVER AVAILABILITY: Soft Cover or Hard Cover Library Edition, 64 pages APPROXIMATE PRICE: $3.50 sc; $7.00 hc (OUT OF PRINT)
TITLE: Seahorses: Conservation and Care AUTHOR: Neil Garrick-Maidment PUBLISHER: TFH Publications (Kingdom books, UK) 1997 ISBN: 185279071-7 REASON FOR IMPORTANCE: a comprehensive account of how to care for seahorses in the aquarium, which stresses the need for their conservation in the wild. Excellent coverage of European seahorses, but very limited information on other species. HARDCOVER/SOFTCOVER AVAILABILITY: Hard Cover APPROXIMATE PRICE: $7.30
TITLE: Seahorses: an Identification Guide to the World's Species and their Conservation AUTHOR: Sara A. Lourie, Amanda C..J. Vincent, and Heather J. Hall PUBLISHER: Project Seahorse (1999) ISBN: 0-9534693-0-1 REASON FOR IMPORTANCE: the first comprehensive guide to seahorse species world-wide. The heart of the book presents descriptions of each species supported by full illustrations, photographs, distribution maps and a pictorial key. Excellent identification key and introduction to meristic counts, morphometrics, taxonomy and classification. Unfortunately, there is no information at all on aquarium requirements, maintenance, feeding, breeding, rearing or aquaculture, which limits the usefulness of this book for hobbyists. HARDCOVER/SOFTCOVER AVAILABILITY: Soft Cover (spiral bound) only, 214 pages APPROXIMATE PRICE: $44.00
TITLE: Seahorses, Pipefishes and Their Relatives: a Comprehensive Guide to Syngnathiformes AUTHOR: Rudie H. Kuiter PUBLISHER: TMC Publishing (2000) ISBN: 0-9539097-0-0 REASON FOR IMPORTANCE: detailed information on over 350 different species, including Seahorses, Pipefishes, Seadragons, Shrimpfishes, Trumpetfishes and Seamoths as well as a list of all known species of Sygnathids. With more than 1000 spectacular photographs, most taken in the fishes' natural habitats, the book contains a wealth of information about habitats and behavior, including details of ideal aquarium set ups for each species. Contains the best illustrations of seahorses to date, including courtship, breeding, birth and predation. Unprecedented coverage of pipefishes. HARDCOVER/SOFTCOVER AVAILABILITY: Hard Cover only, 240 pages APPROXIMATE PRICE: $45.00
TITLE: How to care for your Seahorses in the Marine Aquarium "A Stable Environment For your Seahorse Stable" AUTHOR: Tracy Warland PUBLISHER: (2001) ISBN: N/A REASON FOR IMPORTANCE: first book by a commercial seahorse aquaculturist. Contents: What are Seahorses A Basic Biology The Tank -- Location, Lighting, Covers, Aeration & Decorations Filtration Mechanical, Chemical & Biological Filter Mediums & Cleaning of Filters The Nitrogen Cycle Water Sources Water Quality Monitoring Temperature, Salinity, pH, Ammonia Nitrite, Nitrate, Carbonate Hardness, Phosphate Adding your Seahorses Stocking Densities Seahorse Food The Courtship Dance, Pregnancy & Birth Raising Baby Seahorses Problems and Treatment for Seahorses Relatives/Tank mates/Suggested Other Reading Species Overview Glossary Water Monitoring Record Charts Conversion Charts HARDCOVER/SOFTCOVER AVAILABILITY: Softcover, 45 pages APPROXIMATE PRICE: $8.95
TITLE: Seahorses: Complete Pet Owner's Manual AUTHOR: Frank Indiviglio PUBLISHER: Barron's (2001) ISBN: N/A REASON FOR IMPORTANCE: Latest seahorse book for hobbyist Table of Contents: CLASSIFICATION AND CHARACTERISTICS General Classification Distribution & Habitat Feeding Behavior Reproduction Territorial and Activity Patterns Choosing a Species AQUARIUM HABITATS FOR CAPTIVE SEAHORSES Types of Aquariums Aquarium Furnishings CONDITIONS AND CARING FOR YOUR AQUARIUM Bacteria and the Nitrogen Cycle Aquarium Chemistry Equipment/Decorating and Setting Up Your Aquarium Water Changes/Types of Filters Cleaning and Maintenance NUTRITION AND FEEDING Individual Food Items Areas for Experimentation SEAHORSE HEALTH An Important Note Concerning Stress Signs of Illness A Word About Breeding Seahorses CARING FOR THE VARIOUS SPECIES Species Identification Seahorse Species SEAHORSE COMPANIONS Unsuitable for Aquariums Acceptable Aquarium Companions SEAHORSE SURVIVAL Environmental Ethics and the Law Medical Research INFORMATION Index HARDCOVER/SOFTCOVER AVAILABILITY: Softcover, 96 pages APPROXIMATE PRICE: $6.95
All of them have their weak points. My old Step-By-Step Book About Seahorses is too outdated to be of much use nowadays and applies to wild seahorses not the vastly superior captive-bred-and-raised animals. Seahorses: an Identification Guide to the World's Species and their Conservation is great for classifying and identifying seahorses, but has no information on the care and keeping of seahorses. Rudie's volume is a magnificent picture book with marvelous photographs but 85% of it is devoted to syngnathids other than seahorses and there is no information on their aquarium requirements.
The other 3 books (Seahorses: Conservation and Care, Seahorses: Complete Pet Owner's Manual, How to care for your Seahorses in the Marine Aquarium "A Stable Environment For your Seahorse Stable") are your best bets. They are rather limited and fairly cursory, but would be decent references to have on hand -- a good starting point for your research, Harry. Although it is the briefest, Tracy's "A Stable Environment For your Seahorse Stable" is the most useful in my opinion.
Any or all of those guidebooks would make a good place for a new seahorse keeper to begin his research. They should get you by until The Complete Guide to Greater Seahorses finally comes out.
In the meantime, if you contact me personally, I would be happy to give you a head start by e-mailing you a copy of the latest manual on Seahorse Husbandry in Public Aquariums as an attachment. That's the publication that he eventually resulted from the International Aquarium workshops on Seahorse husbandry, Management and Conservation, Harry. You can contact me at the following e-mail address: PeteGiwojna@aol.com
Best of luck with your new Mustangs, Harry! Here's hoping you get some relief from that Georgia heat wave soon!
Happy Trails! Pete Giwojna
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Siobhan
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Re:Welcome - 2006/08/22 13:24Hi, I am getting a 12 gallon regular Nano cube from a friend. It is now stocked with live sand, 16 lbs of live rock and a small damsel. It has a Fission Nano skimmer plus water and air pumps. After keeping it 2 months or so and making sure it has all the right snails+ a peppermint shrimp or 2, I would like to move the fish to another tank and replace it with a pair of small seahorses. From what I've read on this forum, 12 gallons is a little too big for pixies and a little too small for zulus. My first choice would be zulus, tank raised of course. Can this work, or am I asking for trouble? Also, I saw somewhere on this forum a link to a source for an inexpenvive device that can lower water temperature 5-8 degrees. Whether or not this tank is appropriate, can somebody give me the link to this device? Also, never having moved an aquarium before, is it necessary to remove the live rock to a bucket and lower the water level to 2 inches or so in a tank of this size, or can it simply be unplugged, carefully boxed with only a few inches of water removed? Thanks!!!
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Yes, that sounds like a sensible plan and if your 12-gallon nano cube is equipped with a protein skimmer, has efficient circulation, and a chiller to keep the water temperatures between 70°F-75°F at all times, then I think it would make a fine home for a pair of Zulu-lulus (Hippocampus capensis).
Hippocampus capensis are fat, pudgy little ponies with a very distinctive appearance. Short and stout, with a portly profile, stubby snouts, big bulging eyes, and perfectly smooth bodies -- I can't decide whether these captivating characters are more cute or more comical looking! They are very unusual for seahorses in that they have no semblance of a crest or coronet whatsoever.
These thick-bodied little seahorses are the perfect size for the home aquarium. They reach a total length of just over 4 inches, and are shipped to you at the modest size of 2-3 inches. That makes them around three times the size of dwarf seahorses -- small enough to feel right at home in the average aquarium, yet large enough to make fine display specimens and to eat frozen mysid shrimp as their staple diet. In my opinion, Zulus are the ideal size for a 12-gallon nano tank, Siobhan. They have proven to be very hardy and easy to breed, and when you're ready for the challenge of rearing, you'll find newborn H. capensis are relatively easy to raise, much like dwarf seahorse fry.
However, they are temperate seahorses that prefer cooler temperatures than tropical seahorses. The do best at stable temperatures between a range of 70°F-75°F (22°C-24°C) and don't tolerate temperature spikes above 75°F well at all. Due to the tendency of nano cubes to overheat, as you know, you will most likely require an aquarium chiller to keep your 12-gallon tank within the comfort zone for Zulus (H. capensis) at all times, Siobhan.
Fortunately, there are some very affordable mini aquarium chillers that could easily be mounted on your 12-gallon setup. For example, the CoolWorks Ice Probe and Microchiller units are ideal for small tanks (10-15 gallons) and will drop the water temperature up to 6-8°F below the ambient room temperature (I believe these are the very chillers you were wondering about, Siobhan):
Click here: CoolWorks Ice Probe with Power Supply - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store <http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idProduct=CW1111>
Click here: CoolWorks Microchiller - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store <http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=CW1131>
When it comes to moving the aquarium, Siobhan, I have to warn you that moving a fish tank from one location to another is a major undertaking that requires careful planning and a great deal of time and effort. Even relocating a small aquarium from one room to another is a painstaking task that can take all day to accomplish, let alone transporting a larger aquarium across town or across the country. Aquariums are fragile objects that were never meant to be portable.
There are two reasons why an aquarium is usually emptied except for a couple of inches of water before it is moved. The first of these is simply because even a modest aquarium is too heavy to move when it's full of rockwork and water (water weighs roughly 8.3 pounds per gallon and of course the weight of the live rock and the tank itself are added to the burden you'll be carrying). That means that just the water in your 12-gallon nano cube weighs about 100 pounds all by itself. Due to its shape shape and smooth surface which makes it an unwieldy object to handle, when an aquarium is being relocated, it is therefore usually necessary to remove almost all of the water and the decorations beforehand in order to make it manageable load.
The second reason this is done is to reduce the chances that the aquarium will spring a leak or crack while it is being transported. If you leave the water and rockwork in the aquarium while you attempt to movement, chances are great that the glass can crack or a leak can develop due to the abrupt change in pressure as the water level shifts and sloshes about while it is being carried or transported. If the nanotube is an acrylic tank, then that's not really a factor, but glass aquaria are susceptible to breakage and leaks if they are not emptied before they are moved. The chances of a leak or a crack taking place increase greatly if the aquarium cannot be kept reasonably level all the while it is being moved.
If you're confident you will have the manpower to lift the aquarium while it is full and keep it level while it is being moved, then you can consider moving it without emptying out most of the water first, but you would be taking a risk, particularly if the aquarium is constructed of glass rather than acrylic.
For these reasons, it is usually best to empty the aquarium of water save for a couple of inches before it is moved, and you must take special precautions in order to preserve your biofilter and maintain the beneficial nitrifying bacteria throughout the move. Unless it's a very short move, you must be careful to keep the live rock and biological filtration media moist (immersed is best) and oxygenated throughout the move.
Save the water you siphon out of the aquarium prior to relocating it, and it can be used to refill the aquarium once it's in place at its new destination.
Best of luck with your new 12-gallon nano cube and your first Zulu-lulus, Siobhan!
If you haven't seen it already, please check out the following thread on this discussion forum which also discusses keeping Pixies (H. zosterae) or Zulu-lulus (H. capensis) in a 12 gallon nano cube:
If you contact me off list at the following e-mail address, I will be happy to send you some additional information on Zulus (Hippocampus capensis) which can guide you in setting up your new aquarium specifically for these seahorses: PeteGiwojna@aol.com
Here's hoping the aquarium move goes smoothly and trouble free, Siobhan!
Happy Trails! Pete Giwojna
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Brugmania
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Re:Welcome - 2006/09/20 23:29You Know in my excitement of my new OR Sunbursts I never took the time to introduce myself (Just started posting like a fool)! My name is John I'm 43 and after a decade or so in south Florida I moved back home to north Florida. When I was 14 in the 70's I obtained a work permit and started a job at a LFS this was the time of undergravel filters as well as incredible waste of marine life. As a Florida native I learned to dive at a young age and could spend hours on the reefs in the keys at this time my love for the seahorse was just unreasonable (netting river grass beds for shrimp) ( banging clumps of seaweed for pods) it never worked (did O. K with the dwarfs) but they were not what I wanted! Anyway I saw my 1st Berlin system in the early 80's and have done (reef tanks since then) I tried horses again a couple of years ago (wild caught) I thought heck I can grow clams, some pretty nice coral I can culture mysis WRONG! hehehehe I know I've thanked OR for my horses more then once but I never ever thought that in my life I would wake up to start my morning coffee and defrost frozen mysis (timed 45 min in chilled sea water in the fridge) LOL to be greeted by two horses that flash their brightest shades of color to let me know (we are here) and (we are hungry) ! Once again it's a dream come true and I want to personally thank OR and their experts for being supportive in so many ways. I hope people on this board can understand my thoughts (many guests in my home make statements about the horses) They are boreing or all they do is just sit around. If you care for them (and for the 1st time) I have a pair that want to be cared for they are one of the most interactive fish I've ever owned (Lion fish excluded)! LOL . I guess we luv em or we do not and I sure do luv em!
John
Post edited by: Brugmania, at: 2006/09/20 23:36
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