Alto's Dwarf Seahorses

[Whys]

Let me know if you find any more info on using iodine. I'm curious to know if that will actually work.

Looks to be more often used as a supplement for soft corals, but does have antiseptic qualities when used in high dosage. I think I've heard of it being used as a disinfectant before, but don't know of any reason to use it instead of vinegar. I can only assume iodine is cheaper as you probably need less of it. A 50/50 solution in my kreisel would be 7 gallons of vinegar. But we use vinegar for all sorts of stuff in my home, so buy it in bulk. :]

 

Pteraeolidia ianthina is the only nudi I know of that eats hydroids, though I've never seen them for sale.

It's a true nudibranch; you'll never see them for sale. The "nudibranchs" we keep in aquariums are actually sea slugs. That's why I wanted to know.

[altolamprologus]

Just did some water tests:

 

ammonia: about 0.1 ppm, hardly showing a reading on the test kit

nitrite: 0.5 ppm

nitrate: off the charts-test kit only goes up to 25 ppm lol

phosphate: 0.00

 

So it looks like ammonia should be gone by tomorrow evening and nitrite will hopefully be gone in 2 or 3 days. Once that happens, I'll be doing a 50% water change and bumping ammonia back up to 1 ppm to see how fast it falls.

[Felicia]

Sounds like your cycle is moving along quickly. I need to test for ammonia tonight to see if mine has taken off yet.

 

I don't remember exactly where I saw the comment about a 30 min fresh water dip killing hydroids. It was when I was just doing a google search and reading a bunch of how-to guides on hatching and enriching brine shrimp. It probably wasn't the most reputable source on hydroids.

 

I ordered a book off of Amazon called "Dwarf Seahorses in the Aquarium" by Alisa Wagner Abbott that got really good reviews. It came today, so I'm going to start reading it tonight. I'll let you know if it says anything of interest about hydroids.

[altolamprologus]

Sounds like your cycle is moving along quickly. I need to test for ammonia tonight to see if mine has taken off yet.

 

I don't remember exactly where I saw the comment about a 30 min fresh water dip killing hydroids. It was when I was just doing a google search and reading a bunch of how-to guides on hatching and enriching brine shrimp. It probably wasn't the most reputable source on hydroids.

 

I ordered a book off of Amazon called "Dwarf Seahorses in the Aquarium" by Alisa Wagner Abbott that got really good reviews. It came today, so I'm going to start reading it tonight. I'll let you know if it says anything of interest about hydroids.

It is moving quickly. I tested ammonia again yesterday morning and it's at 0. Nitrite should be pretty low by now too. The Dr. Tim's is really working miracles in there.

 

Perhaps the 30 minutes freshwater dip was in reference to brine shrimp cysts. Maybe what they meant was it will kill any dry hydroids hitchhiking on brine eggs, not that it will kill living adult hydroids. Idk just a thought.

 

Let me know if it says anything of interest at all. I love learning stuff

[Whys]

Perhaps the 30 minutes freshwater dip was in reference to brine shrimp cysts. Maybe what they meant was it will kill any dry hydroids hitchhiking on brine eggs, not that it will kill living adult hydroids. Idk just a thought.

Decapsulation sterilizes the eggs along with other benefits. I wouldn't trust a fresh water dip to do much more than kill crustaceans and decimate the bacteria.

 

Hydroids are notoriously tough. They can stand hyper salinity, hypo salinity, 90+ temps, 70- temps, small ammonia spikes (at least 0.2ppm), and starvation. If that weren't enough, they have 4 -- count them -- 4 distinct life stages each with their own adaptations and resistances. They can also go dormant for long periods of time and the eggs survive extended periods of dehydration. Who even knows what special survival skills the planula larvae may have developed.

 

Here's a map of the monster.

[Felicia]

It is moving quickly. I tested ammonia again yesterday morning and it's at 0. Nitrite should be pretty low by now too. The Dr. Tim's is really working miracles in there.

 

Perhaps the 30 minutes freshwater dip was in reference to brine shrimp cysts. Maybe what they meant was it will kill any dry hydroids hitchhiking on brine eggs, not that it will kill living adult hydroids. Idk just a thought.

 

Let me know if it says anything of interest at all. I love learning stuff

Dr. Tim's is just bottled nitrifying bacteria correct? I added some bottled bacteria to my new pico, but its API brand. Hopefully it will work as well as the Dr. Tim's.

 

Yeah, the 30 minutes may have had to do with the brine shrimp cysts. I'm definitely going to buy decapsulated eggs though to be safe. Man hydroids some like an absolute nightmare to kill.

 

And I'll let you know what I learn from the book

[yoshii]

Hey check facebook or clear your inbox! It's important

 

I'll give you your dip back if you do!

Hm. I wonder if the dip would do anything to hydroids? probably not, but it'd be cool to try

[patback]

I leave disappointed, I saw 2 more pages since the last time I checked and no cute little seahorses yet

[Whys]

Google Image Search

 

[altolamprologus]

Dr. Tim's is just bottled nitrifying bacteria correct? I added some bottled bacteria to my new pico, but its API brand. Hopefully it will work as well as the Dr. Tim's.

 

Yeah, the 30 minutes may have had to do with the brine shrimp cysts. I'm definitely going to buy decapsulated eggs though to be safe. Man hydroids some like an absolute nightmare to kill.

 

And I'll let you know what I learn from the book

I don't trust the API stuff. I've used it on freshwater tanks and it doesn't do anything. Dr. Tim's is refrigerated and has an expiration date, which seems a bit more legit to me

 

Hey check facebook or clear your inbox! It's important

 

I'll give you your dip back if you do!

Hm. I wonder if the dip would do anything to hydroids? probably not, but it'd be cool to try

Done.

 

I doubt it, but I'll try it anyway once I get my dip back. Bring it on Sat and I'll bring you the codium and palm caulerpa I said I would give you ages ago

 

I leave disappointed, I saw 2 more pages since the last time I checked and no cute little seahorses yet

Aww sorry Soon I promise.

 

Google Image Search

 

Lol thanks I do that like once a week to satisfy my craving for teeny tiny water ponies

[Whys]

What's the dip, CoralRX? I'm finding that CoralRX doens't work for hydroids. Hmm... rethinking that Chaeto I put in my fuge. Oopsie...

 

Incidentally, it doesn't work well for vermetid snails either.

[Felicia]

I don't trust the API stuff. I've used it on freshwater tanks and it doesn't do anything. Dr. Tim's is refrigerated and has an expiration date, which seems a bit more legit to me

Yeah, the fact that the API stuff doesn't even have an expiration date has made me wonder if it does anything at all. I just had an old bottle laying around from one of my freshwater tanks so I figured dumping some in couldn't hurt the cycle any. I may have to go get some refrigerated stuff if I'm not seeing much of a cycle.

[altolamprologus]

What's the dip, CoralRX? I'm finding that CoralRX doens't work for hydroids. Hmm... rethinking that Chaeto I put in my fuge. Oopsie...

 

Incidentally, it doesn't work well for vermetid snails either.

It's bayer insect killer, the stuff you get at home depot for your garden. It works wonders for some pests like flatworms and redbugs

[altolamprologus]

The entire cycle took 12 days! I'm thoroughly impressed with Dr. Tim's one and only

 

So I did a water change and brought ammonia up to 1.5ppm so we'll see how fast it drops

[metrokat]

The ponies we got from salty critters are doing well. Zeph put them in a bare bottom tank with plastic plants to get it started. He added sand 2 weeks later. Says one of the girls is huge so must be preggo. He hatches and feeds brine shrimp daily of course but he uses a specific brand of the cycts and the food to feed them. No hydroids.

[altolamprologus]

The ponies we got from salty critters are doing well. Zeph put them in a bare bottom tank with plastic plants to get it started. He added sand 2 weeks later. Says one of the girls is huge so must be preggo. He hatches and feeds brine shrimp daily of course but he uses a specific brand of the cycts and the food to feed them. No hydroids.

Thanks for the update on those. I was wondering how they were doing

 

My concern with hydroids is that I'm doing a natural setup with live macro algae that can very easily introduce hydroids. I can't stand the look of plastic decorations in tanks, even though that's the safe route with dwarfs

[metrokat]

Thanks for the update on those. I was wondering how they were doing

 

My concern with hydroids is that I'm doing a natural setup with live macro algae that can very easily introduce hydroids. I can't stand the look of plastic decorations in tanks, even though that's the safe route with dwarfs

Hate those plastic things myself, in fact his big sea horses are in with the Batfish with plastic decorations, except for the 2 macros I gave him. Guess what the sea horses in that tank like to hold on to?

[Whys]

I can't stand the look of plastic decorations in tanks, even though that's the safe route with dwarfs

♪ You succeed at class... ♫

[ZephNYC]

The ponies we got from salty critters are doing well. Zeph put them in a bare bottom tank with plastic plants to get it started. He added sand 2 weeks later. Says one of the girls is huge so must be preggo. He hatches and feeds brine shrimp daily of course but he uses a specific brand of the cycts and the food to feed them. No hydroids.

 

Hey I see all my friends are here !!! You all call me the clam man, but guess what? I have been keeping and breeding seahorses for like...35 years. My father used to keep them when i was a baby. The 2 pairs I received from saltcriters are all doing well and yes one is preggo BUT KAT!!??? I AM SHOCKED!!!! DONT YOU KNOW ITS THE MALE SEAHORSES THAT CARRY THE BABIES AND NOT THE LADIES??

 

The best baby brine shrimp eggs to use are these.

 

brine shrimp direct.

 

They are extra small so even new born dwarfs have no problem eating the same food as their parents. And they hold nearly twice the fatty acids regular eggs have.

...I dont think I can keep up with you guys, but I sure am enjoying the ride.

-Z

[altolamprologus]

Hey I see all my friends are here !!! You all call me the clam man, but guess what? I have been keeping and breeding seahorses for like...35 years. My father used to keep them when i was a baby. The 2 pairs I received from saltcriters are all doing well and yes one is preggo BUT KAT!!??? I AM SHOCKED!!!! DONT YOU KNOW ITS THE MALE SEAHORSES THAT CARRY THE BABIES AND NOT THE LADIES??

 

The best baby brine shrimp eggs to use are these.

 

brine shrimp direct.

 

They are extra small so even new born dwarfs have no problem eating the same food as their parents. And they hold nearly twice the fatty acids regular eggs have.

...I dont think I can keep up with you guys, but I sure am enjoying the ride.

-Z

Jeez man is there anything you haven't bred? Lol I was going to call out Kat about the pregnant female comment, but I let it slide as an honest mistake.

 

Those are the eggs I have now so it's good to know they're the best

[Whys]

Says one of the girls is huge so must be preggo.

 

BUT KAT!!??? I AM SHOCKED!!!! DONT YOU KNOW ITS THE MALE SEAHORSES THAT CARRY THE BABIES AND NOT THE LADIES??

 

I thought the pregnant females only transfer fertilized eggs to the male, first carrying them up to a point. No?

[ZephNYC]

I thought the pregnant females only transfer fertilized eggs to the male, first carrying them up to a point. No?

 

True...they lock and she transfers. But its the poor fella that has gestate.

[ZephNYC]

Jeez man is there anything you haven't bred?

 

yea...humans. LOL..some people just shouldnt have kids and im one of them. I think my perents were too.

 

sorry if i got off topic, i will try to stay focused from now on. I think i got in trouble on my PM thread. Ohh wellllllll.

[Whys]

yea...humans. LOL..some people just shouldnt have kids and im one of them. I think my perents were too.

 

sorry if i got off topic, i will try to stay focused from now on. I think i got in trouble on my PM thread. Ohh wellllllll.

And where would the breeding hobby be? Just because some people weren't meant to have kids, doesn't mean those kids weren't meant to be had.

[Felicia]

Hey have you seen this about killing hydroids on macroalgaes?

 

"Macro algae can be rinsed with hydrogen peroxide then rinsed in freshwater, then rinsed in saltwater to be sure no hydroids are present. Hydrogen Peroxide is very dangerous to all living critters for a limited time, however, once it breaks down into water and oxygen no lingering effects are present." From World of Seahorses

 

I wonder if hydrogen peroxide really works that well. From what I've seen, the people who write World of Seahorses seem to know their stuff when it comes to seahorses. Do you know anything about this as a treatment instead of 3 days in fenbendazole?