Dawn's pony garden.

[vlangel]

4 hours ago, dpoltsdsu said:

If a store near you has it, try Nutramar OVA for the Mandarin. I have gotten a few to eat it

 

 

Tank looks great by the way!! 

Thanks for the suggestion dpoltsdsu but I have looked. None of them have it and everyone that I could find online was out.  Maybe I should check again however.

[Pjanssen]

I just watched your last video, not sure how I missed it before. I don't know how seahorses breed, but that looked a little more than a PG embrace! Go Sampson. 

[vlangel]

On 4/10/2018 at 8:49 AM, Pjanssen said:

I just watched your last video, not sure how I missed it before. I don't know how seahorses breed, but that looked a little more than a PG embrace! Go Sampson. 

Ha ha, actually Dave my husband said that embrace was 'Hallmark channel'.  I will have to post a photo of a more intimate moment.

[vlangel]

Good news regarding one of the mandarins.  I had separated the mandys, one in the seahorse tank and one in the 5.5 aio.  I could more seriously attempt to train the mandy in the 5.5 onto frozen mysis because I don't have to worry about making the seahorses sick. (I am also hatching nauphii for her). She actually ate some frozen, shaved mysis tonight.  If I can get her eating well, then I will move the male into the 5.5 also and try to train him too.  Seeing her eat should encourage him also.

[teenyreef]

1 hour ago, vlangel said:

Good news regarding one of the mandarins.  I had separated the mandys, one in the seahorse tank and one in the 5.5 aio.  I could more seriously attempt to train the mandy in the 5.5 onto frozen mysis because I don't have to worry about making the seahorses sick. (I am also hatching nauphii for her). She actually ate some frozen, shaved mysis tonight.  If I can get her eating well, then I will move the male into the 5.5 also and try to train him too.  Seeing her eat should encourage him also.

That's great news! I'd love to keep a mandarin someday but none of my tanks have fuges and I'd hate to fail at training it to eat mysis.

[vlangel]

7 hours ago, teenyreef said:

That's great news! I'd love to keep a mandarin someday but none of my tanks have fuges and I'd hate to fail at training it to eat mysis.

I specifically bought these guys captive bred thinking that they would already be trained to eat mysis.  It was very upsetting when they didn't.  We are not out of the woods yet but at least I have hope. 

[kimberbee]

2 hours ago, vlangel said:

I specifically bought these guys captive bred thinking that they would already be trained to eat mysis.  It was very upsetting when they didn't.  We are not out of the woods yet but at least I have hope. 

It's not the greatest food, but my mandarin would slurp up bloodworms. Seemed to like it more than mysis and brine. 

[vlangel]

1 hour ago, kimberbee said:

It's not the greatest food, but my mandarin would slurp up bloodworms. Seemed to like it more than mysis and brine. 

Thanks kimber, are they live or frozen?  I believe in offering a variety if the fish will eat it.

[kimberbee]

28 minutes ago, vlangel said:

Thanks kimber, are they live or frozen?  I believe in offering a variety if the fish will eat it.

I did frozen. I got them in those little blister packs. You probably wouldn't need to feed a whole cube, you might get more waste that way. In my experience, the worms were heavy and sank pretty quickly. Then they'd get slurped up from the sand bed. 

[vlangel]

20 hours ago, kimberbee said:

I did frozen. I got them in those little blister packs. You probably wouldn't need to feed a whole cube, you might get more waste that way. In my experience, the worms were heavy and sank pretty quickly. Then they'd get slurped up from the sand bed. 

Thank you, I will definitely try that.  I don't mind cutting a small sliver off a cube.

[Sharbuckle]

Fingers crossed the mandarins become pigs ?

[vlangel]

On 4/13/2018 at 8:57 AM, Sharbuckle said:

Fingers crossed the mandarins become pigs ?

Well, I decided that it was in the best interest of the mandarins for me to give them away to someone with a BIG, established tank.  I posted them on my local club's forum and I got a taker.  I seem to be buying fish for every one except myself, ha ha!  I gotta do what is best for them however.

[vlangel]

Today I am finishing up preparations on a presentation that I am doing tomorrow at our local club meeting on 'Seahorses in Aquaria'!  I am somewhat nervous because I am not a public speaker.  I am however passionate about informing folks about seahorses so that they do not experience heartbreak and the seahorses are spared disaster.  Wish me luck everyone!

[fishfreak0114]

I’m sure you’ll do great!

[sublunary]

That must have been a hard decision to make. It shows how much you really care for the animals and makes me respect you even more. ❤

 

 

Good luck on the public speaking! I've noticed it's much easier for me when I'm talking about something I get excited about.  Let your passion shine through and it will be great!

[vlangel]

5 hours ago, fishfreak0114 said:

I’m sure you’ll do great!

I am all set.  The Pres. of the club will arrive at 4:30 ish EST so that is when I plan to arrive.  Today I did a run through and it was an hour and a half long.  I need to try and shorten it to an hour if I can.

[vlangel]

5 hours ago, sublunary said:

That must have been a hard decision to make. It shows how much you really care for the animals and makes me respect you even more. ❤

 

 

Good luck on the public speaking! I've noticed it's much easier for me when I'm talking about something I get excited about.  Let your passion shine through and it will be great!

Ha ha, I was asked last year and put it off so don't praise me too highly.  I do care for the animals though.  In 2004 I bought 2 seahorses and being ignorant of their needs it ended tragically, especially for them but for me too.  It took me a decade and a year of research before I would even try again.

[vlangel]

I did a major cleaning today so I am taking a pic.  I wished it would stay like this, ha ha!

[vlangel]

New video!

[vlangel]

The presentation went great and now I can relax.

[Pjanssen]

wish i could have been there for it, I bet you were awesome

[vlangel]

10 minutes ago, Pjanssen said:

wish i could have been there for it, I bet you were awesome

Ahh thanks Penny.  It would have been awesome to be presenting to my friends here so I wished you could have been there too.

[Subsea]

On 4/11/2018 at 8:38 PM, vlangel said:

Good news regarding one of the mandarins.  I had separated the mandys, one in the seahorse tank and one in the 5.5 aio.  I could more seriously attempt to train the mandy in the 5.5 onto frozen mysis because I don't have to worry about making the seahorses sick. (I am also hatching nauphii for her). She actually ate some frozen, shaved mysis tonight.  If I can get her eating well, then I will move the male into the 5.5 also and try to train him too.  Seeing her eat should encourage him also.

I love it.  Fish psychology & sociology.  

 

In the 45 years that I have maintained marine tanks, I have seen many events unfold.  Dawn, with your camera, you demonstrate the beauty that surrounds us in God’s Creation.  As reefkeepers, we are environmental stewards of the live inhabitants under our care.  You have taken environmental steward to the next level by sharing/teaching on reef hobby forums and now, public speaking.  

Kudos to you.

[vlangel]

4 hours ago, Subsea said:

I love it.  Fish psychology & sociology.  

 

In the 45 years that I have maintained marine tanks, I have seen many events unfold.  Dawn, with your camera, you demonstrate the beauty that surrounds us in God’s Creation.  As reefkeepers, we are environmental stewards of the live inhabitants under our care.  You have taken environmental steward to the next level by sharing/teaching on reef hobby forums and now, public speaking.  

Kudos to you.

Thanks so much Subsea!

 

Ha ha, I better not quit my day job since my fish psychology and sociology did not seem to work.  Today I took Yin and Yang to an aquarist in my club who has a large established tank.

 

I started my power point presentation with quoting Genesis 1:20-21 KJV

because I am awed by God's creative genius and His amazing love for us, by placing us in a world with such fantastical beautiful creatures.  One club member came up to me and thanked me for the info, but admitted that he knows now seahorses are definitely not for him.

[Subsea]

@vlangel

I got a Green Mandaran three weeks ago.  He was put into 120G display with 40G cryptic sponge refugium that was 4 months old before adding the first fish to display tank.  Pods were thick on glass during lights on.  Not just small copepods of several cultivated variety from AlgaeBarn but large amphipods bigger than mollie fry.  At the same time as mandarin intro, I introduced four Drawf Angels, five juvenile aquacultured clowns and five aquacultured bangghai Cardinals.  With that many fish, the pods do not come out during the day.  With lights out, using red led, abundent pods have sustained a healthy population.