Dawn's 56g memorial seahorse tank!

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vlangel

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very nice! I am gonna have a few of them myself :D
The jury is still out on whether I can keep it alive and thriving however. I am dosing nualgi (for the silica) and my tank is very long established with pods and other life. I figure if I can not keep it alive in this tank I will not buy anymore tree sponges. I hear the ball sponges are easier.
 
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2018-06-15_07-57-00 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr
I am trying a new flow pattern where I have a powerhead pointing at the wall and floor to get more flow over the sand. I ended up with a bald spot but that's ok since the floor is painted. I did have to re-scape to make it work.
 
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vlangel

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We are having a rare bout of 90°+ days here in western PA and every 15 minutes our electricity flickers off. This is very hard on my aquarium pumps and powerheads so I am hoping the electric company figures out how to fix things soon.

In the mean time I did a WC and unplugged my SCA -302 skimmer. They are great skimmers but the pumps in them are junk.

I am also floating an ice bag in the tank as the temperature is up to 74°. I could hook the chiller up but that is even more electrical draw so am going to hold off a bit longer.

Of course all this happens while we have grandchildren here and more family coming LOL. Isn't that how it always is?
 

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We have the same heat wave here in London Ontario. Also, because we are totally surrounded by the Great Lakes, humidity is worse than other areas at the same temperature.
I can't stand heat now above about 73°F so have the house air conditioner on. However, the darn thing is running continually and the temperature is going up so when set at 70°F, the house gets up to 75-76°F until the sun starts to go down.
Also, when I get in the van to do shopping, the van's AC can't cool the van before I get where I'm going, and at $1.30+ per litre for gas, (around $3.85 USD+ per US gallon) I'm not about to let it sit running long enough to cool before I leave.
 
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We have the same heat wave here in London Ontario. Also, because we are totally surrounded by the Great Lakes, humidity is worse than other areas at the same temperature.
I can't stand heat now above about 73°F so have the house air conditioner on. However, the darn thing is running continually and the temperature is going up so when set at 70°F, the house gets up to 75-76°F until the sun starts to go down.
Also, when I get in the van to do shopping, the van's AC can't cool the van before I get where I'm going, and at $1.30+ per litre for gas, (around $3.85 USD+ per US gallon) I'm not about to let it sit running long enough to cool before I leave.

Right after I posted, the electricity went off completely. It was off about an hour but now seems to running without the interruptions.

The seahorses seem to be weathering it all pretty well. I can always move them to the cooler basement tank if I need to.

2018-07-01_08-41-42 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr
 
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I think our heat wave is ending today and outdoor temperatures should return to more of a normal range for this time of year. I have not been using my skimmer because of all the interuptions in our power and I was afraid it would fry the pump. I have been doing extra water changes to help lower DOC but I will reinstall the skimmer today.
 
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I reinstalled the skimmer, after a good vinegar bath. I also pruned the macros in the sump and did my weekly husbandry on the DT. The ponies did fine through the heatwave and now temperatures are back to normal.
I am target feeding Samson as he can be a lazy stallion and not come to the feeding bowl. Maybe he is not lazy but smart. Maybe he knows he is going to get fed one way or another and he just chooses to get fed with the minimal amount of effort. I don't know...he does not seem to mind using energy to flirt with the girls, LOL.
 

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I reinstalled the skimmer, after a good vinegar bath. I also pruned the macros in the sump and did my weekly husbandry on the DT. The ponies did fine through the heatwave and now temperatures are back to normal.
I am target feeding Samson as he can be a lazy stallion and not come to the feeding bowl. Maybe he is not lazy but smart. Maybe he knows he is going to get fed one way or another and he just chooses to get fed with the minimal amount of effort. I don't know...he does not seem to mind using energy to flirt with the girls, LOL.


Hi! :) Found you! lol

Maybe Samson just knows you won't let him starve and he is saving his energy for the chicks!
 
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Hi! :) Found you! lol

Maybe Samson just knows you won't let him starve and he is saving his energy for the chicks!
Hi back at you WV Reefer! Welcome to R2R.
Ha ha, I think you hit the nail on the head. He has his priorities straight.
 
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Neptune 555

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Great thread... I am debating converting my upstairs reef to a pony tank. A few questions:
  • Why did you never add other fish? I read ocellaris clowns are good tank mates and mandarins? You had a royal gramma that you gave your son... they are also listed as safe soooo who knows? but a mandarin would be in the rocks?
  • Bare bottem vs sand bottom - Your first tank was sand.. why do you think that caused the death of Adam? Your thread starts with that as a fact?
  • buckets / buckets and more buckets. I KNOW manual water changes ANNOY me. I read you switched but I don't understand how to make this upgrade? My reef in the basement is close enough to a water source so I just use a pump and hose. Upstairs I carry buckets? How do I set up my system upstairs? before I get ponies I must make water changes automatic!
  • Can you explain / show your live food source? You mention keeping a live food supply for your ponies and I would like to do the same... I currently hatch baby brine shrimp for my mandarin.. and keep trying to keep a live food supply going in a spare tank w/ little success?
  • Feeding - The reason I have not already started a seahorse tank is I travel for leisure and work. After I train the horses to feed at a feeding station... I suspect others could just add food to the station... so should be kinda easy... BUT are they sensitive to the times they eat? as in what if my fish helpers came at different times to feed them?? and what if they only came once a day? Would it be better to move the horses to my LFS when I leave or is that more stress?
  • Going to take the OR course now! but am debating these finer points before I start this journey.
  • One idea... for 100 bucks you can set up a video camera and have it run all the time so when you are away you can view your tank and seahorses from an iphone. That is my lesson learned from when my tank CRASHED. I had people checking on the tank daily.. but a fuse blew and no one caught it for 24 hours tank had no power.... When your fish helper mentioned that the gurgling sound was happening they could have just moved the video feed to show you the sump? It is a great insurance policy.
I think I am doing this! your videos really hooked me!

thank you!
Neptune
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

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