ReefWeeds Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I did a quick test for ammonia and it appears that the mini cycle is done! I keep hoping this will be at the top of the page! OH I LOVE that photo. I thought it might be a good idea to update the specifications on this bowfront tank since it has been repurposed so here goes: 36 gallon Aqueon bowfront tank and stand. Display tank has LR and shallow Carib sea Aragonite sand. Mixed reef of seahorse safe corals. 10 gallon diy sump. First chamber is drain from the overflow box. Second chamber houses the SCA skimmer and the 3rd chamber is for the 9.5 magdrive return pump which splits into 2 returns: 1 goes through the Coralife 1/6 hp chiller that is set at 70-72 degrees, 1 goes through the 9 watt turbo twist UV sterilizer. 3 Powerheads for flow inside the DT are rio pumps, 2 rio 90's and 1 rio 180. The light fixture is a Coralife 30" 4 bulb T5, (2 of which are 10k and 2 are actinic) Future plans are to switch 1 10k with a coral daylight and 1 actinic with a blue +. Unfortunately getting some colors in 30" is challenging. ATO is a Auto aqua Smart ATO. Penn Plan battery back up pump. Livestock include: a mated pair of H erectus seahorses, a banded pipefish, a royal gramma, multiple Nassarius snails and peppermint shrimp, 2 bee snails, 1 small blue leg crab and 2 cucumbers, (a yellow and a common atlantic). Corals include: mushrooms, leathers, gsp, blue clove polyps, pagoda cups, caps, gorgs, zoas, palys, candycane, a green slimer, and a bird of paradise. Macro algae include: red grape caulerpa, dragon's breath, rose pedal, halimeda and an unidentified green fern like algae. Maintenance includes 15-20 gallon WCs weekly, cleaning skimmer cup and neck every few days, changing AC in drain chamber weekly and wiping down all surfaces in DT weekly. Changing UV, T5 bulbs as recommended. My first and foremost criteria in this tank was creating as healthy enviroment for the seahorses as possible. If it isn't good for the seahorses then it wasn't a consideration. I was going for a colorful display with lots of natural hitches in varying flows. I wanted it as clean and uncluttered equipment wise as possible. Moving to the top of the page for you as I noticed my last post started a new one Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 20, 2015 Author Share Posted October 20, 2015 OH I LOVE that photo. Moving to the top of the page for you as I noticed my last post started a new one Ah thank you stella. I could not get that to the top of the page no matter what I did. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 How about some pipefish love? Link to comment
Mirya Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 The bottom pic is of the bird of paradise birdsnest in the upper left and an unidentified brownish orange dome shaped coral below the paly's. The "unidentified coral" is an orange Leptastrea. They are encrusters. Like medium to low light. Hurray for pipefish love! Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 The "unidentified coral" is an orange Leptastrea. They are encrusters. Like medium to low light. Hurray for pipefish love! Thank you Mirya for the ID. It's always nice to know what stuff is called. Link to comment
jball1125 Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Absolutely stellar. I love these style tanks. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Oh my, a slimer. Ha ha, yep I have taken the leap into a stick! I got a bird of paradise too. Now to see how they tolerate 70 degree dirty water? Link to comment
markalot Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Ha ha, yep I have taken the leap into a stick! I got a bird of paradise too. Now to see how they tolerate 70 degree dirty water? I think you'll have good luck with both, though the slimer may stay darker green. I'm really interested in how the slimer does at 70F because I'd like to get my temp that low for a while to kill off some pests. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 I think you'll have good luck with both, though the slimer may stay darker green. I'm really interested in how the slimer does at 70F because I'd like to get my temp that low for a while to kill off some pests. Well I will keep you posted! Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share Posted October 21, 2015 Absolutely stellar. I love these style tanks. Thank you. I have always loved bowfront tanks too! They are nice for giving elbow room to do an aquascape too. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Because I bought the live ghost shrimp in such a large quantity last time, I have started giving Adam and Eve a net full of live shrimp every evening. They (the seahorses) seem to love hunting their food. Even lazy Adam is starting to really get into it. The stimulation is probably good for them. I had heard on another forum devoted to seahorses and pipefish that live food seems to contribute to longevity in captive seahorses. That they can live to be 5-7 years old. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Seahorse wall hanging, 2 figurines on the tank and 1 on the fireplace mantel... A print done for the opening of the Pittsburgh Zoo aquarium in 2000... Finally a cabinet door handle that was on my 90g tank and now moved to this one... Am I over doing the seahorse accessory thing too much? Link to comment
PieMan2k Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I want a pipe fish so bad in my tank but I've read they like a very well established tank and are a bit tricky to maintain. Is this true Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 I want a pipe fish so bad in my tank but I've read they like a very well established tank and are a bit tricky to maintain. Is this true My original 30g XH tank that the pipefish was in had been cycled 6 months before I put seahorses or pipefish in. Also it was attached to my reef via the sump so I guess it was a well established tank. Also my banded pipefish is captive bred from Ocean Rider in Hawaii. I believe that they are the only captive bred pipefish available. It came eating frozen mysis the same as the seahorses. I had bought 2 but lost one and am not sure why. Even with the loss however I do not consider them to be tricky, I think it was just one of those things that fish die sometimes. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Poor Adam. He seems like his pouch is irritated because he keeps opening it. This morning I thought he was just showing off for Eve and she seemed interested. However he never pursued her but keeps flushing his pouch to open it. I am worried that he has an issue inside his pouch. I decided a mild intervention was in order so I inserted a small bulb syringe filled with probiotic water and flushed out the inside of his pouch. Needless to say he did not appreciate my attempts to help. If by tomorrow he does not seem any different I am going to do the same thing except with an antibiotic. I have read about seahorse keepers doing that for gas bubble disease. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 O man, the ponies are dancing the night away. I sure hope Adam isn't pregnant in the morning! If he has an issue with his pouch being irritated or infected a pregnancy would definitely complicate things. Link to comment
Pinner Reef Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Wow! Those are some horny ponies. lol Hopefully Adam is feeling better in the morn. Link to comment
Kylebeano Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 What a complication to have (bubble pouch), while so many people worry about if their lights and filtration are good enough lol. You're doing a lot of good for those horses. Really nice tank, looks very natural and corals are getting along with the fish. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Wow! Those are some horny ponies. lol Hopefully Adam is feeling better in the morn. Ha ha, yes they are in love! However before I intervened Adam seemed interested but just didn't seem up to it. It wasn't 20 minutes after the probiotic pouch flush that he perked up and started acting like a stallion! I just hope we both aren't sorry in the morning. Link to comment
gena Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Where'd you get the seahorse door handle?????? Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 What a complication to have (bubble pouch), while so many people worry about if their lights and filtration are good enough lol. You're doing a lot of good for those horses. Really nice tank, looks very natural and corals are getting along with the fish. I guess when you get into seahorses, one should expect complications, LOL. I knew they were high maintenance pets from the get go. I had a 'get well' kit before the seahorses arrived, ha ha! Thanks for the kind words about the tank. Where'd you get the seahorse door handle?????? I know, isn't it great? I actually bought it at Lowes. That's the good news, the bad news is that my purchase was probably 2004 or 2005. Link to comment
gena Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I guess when you get into seahorses, one should expect complications, LOL. I knew they were high maintenance pets from the get go. I had a 'get well' kit before the seahorses arrived, ha ha! Thanks for the kind words about the tank. I know, isn't it great? I actually bought it at Lowes. That's the good news, the bad news is that my purchase was probably 2004 or 2005. I just googled seahorse door handle. They still make them other places . Look at these!!!!! I love the color, but they'd clash with my tank stand. Too bad! https://www.etsy.com/listing/168038171/drawer-pulls-knobs-seahorse-nautical?ref=market Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 I just googled seahorse door handle. They still make them other places . Look at these!!!!! I love the color, but they'd clash with my tank stand. Too bad! https://www.etsy.com/listing/168038171/drawer-pulls-knobs-seahorse-nautical?ref=market Those are so cool, I love them! They don't exactly go with my livingroom decor either. Link to comment
vlangel Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 I turned on the moonlights this morning and it appeared that the loving couple were basking in the afterglow of an evening of dancing.. They were hitched side by side in the red grape caulerpa. However within minutes Adam seemed to wake and be ready for another day of dancing! No doubt something will happen today! Maybe Eve will miss his pouch? Link to comment
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