Nice! It looks like everyone is getting along. Also I like the caulerpa tree in the foreground.
Dawn's seahorse garden!
- Thread starter vlangel
- Start date
vlangel
Premium Member
Yes, they are getting along nicely. Also I added prasipro which has stopped the scratching and twitching. I am cautiously optimistic that this is going to go well.
vlangel
Premium Member
Thank you kindly!
vlangel
Premium Member
I caught the lined blenny, (Linus) harassing Delilah. He had her cowering and trying to hide behind the grape caulerpa tree. That was it, I grabbed the net, swooped him up and now he lives with the barnacle blennies in the QT.
I had not expected that sort of behavior from a lined blenny. The ones I was worried about were the striped blennies, Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad but they have been model citizens thus far. Linus is an algae blenny though so maybe he was hoping to get some algae off of Delilah. I had hoped with the seahorse garden being so well established that there would be plenty of micro/film algae on rocks and such that Linus would be satisfied...plus I feed emerald entree. O well, it is what it is.
I had not expected that sort of behavior from a lined blenny. The ones I was worried about were the striped blennies, Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad but they have been model citizens thus far. Linus is an algae blenny though so maybe he was hoping to get some algae off of Delilah. I had hoped with the seahorse garden being so well established that there would be plenty of micro/film algae on rocks and such that Linus would be satisfied...plus I feed emerald entree. O well, it is what it is.
In an effort to control multiple tank syndrome (I had 3 tanks set up), I consolidated a 5.5 gallon pico reef with the QT. I moved the 10 gallon QT to next to the seahorse DT and put the contents of the 5.5 reef into the 10 gallon. Now I have an attractive QT and when there are not fish in it, it should be just as easy to maintain as the 5.5, which was super easy.
2018-09-07_09-07-22 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr
From this...
2018-09-20_07-08-37 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr
Is "œ multiple tank syndrome "œ contagious, because I am an "œaddicted reefer".
vlangel
Premium Member
YES, you get it from hanging out on too many reef forums! LOL
Sometimes you gotta thin the herd to keep the peace. Good job!
vlangel
Premium Member
Laughter is good medicine! We all can use more of that. :lmao::rollface::thumbsup:
vlangel
Premium Member
Yes, keeping peace is paramount.
vlangel
Premium Member
Thanks Kevin. The video was a bit long but I wanted the viewers to get a feel for the movement in the tank. Its my justification for getting the fish because except for flirting and food the seahorses do not do a lot of moving. Its ok that the lined blenny is in the QT. He is quite cute in there and still enjoyable.
Sadly on fish news is both bangaii cardinals disappeared this past weekend. They appeared to be doing well when I transferred them from the QT but then they quit eating and then just disappeared. I am sure they died but I moved all the coral, macro algaes and rock that did not hold up the retaining wall and I could not find bodies. That is of some concern because even though they were tiny, they could grow pathogenic bacteria and probably will. Well, unless the peppermint shrimp and army of micro brittle stars polished them off. I am doing WCs every day to reduce the density of pathogenic bacteria. I really hope that does not create a problem for the ponies. I will be watching them closely.
Today is the 2nd anniversary of the start of this tank. Yesterday was the 4th anniversary of me keeping Eve, one of my 1st seahorses. There has been quite a learning curve in these years and I still don't know everything!
Congrats on the milestones!
you previously mentioned how you assisted ponies immune system with reduced water temperature which would also reduce bacteria production rate. Do most of those bad bacteria prefer lower oxygen areas as opposed to free swimming in the water column.
I had to wipe the tears of laughter from "œmultiple tank syndrome". I agree, laughter is good for what ails you and if nothing ails you, then you should feel blessed.
vlangel
Premium Member
Thanks Michael. Keeping Eve for 4 years is very rewarding. Many seahorses don't make it much past their 1st year in an aquarist's tank.
vlangel
Premium Member
Right now I am very blessed to be in such good health. My hubby keeps me laughing even after 37 years of marriage so thats another reason I am blessed.
I don't know for sure about the low oxygen but most are not free swimming. They populate in areas where there is excess uneatten food or detritus laying around. Usually that is at the base or crevises if rock. They enter the seahorse through the gills, cuts or abrasions to the skin ( which would have to be in the water column) or on decaying food and settle in the gut. Seahorses are very vulnerable in these 3 areas.
vlangel
Premium Member
All of you guys are really inspiring me.
Michael, I loved your last build and am closely following this one. Your fake wall totally intrigues me and I am interested in an easy seagrass as well.
Kevin, I really appreciate your imput on blennies. I am really loving mine. As the barnacle blennies grow bigger and I see how successful I am with them I would love to have a whole community of them.
Patrick, I love that huge coral rock that dominates the left side of your new tank. To me it is so aesthetically pleasing with coral and macro adorning it that I plan to imitate it when I redo the seahorse garden and turn it into only a fish garden.
Some things I can do now and some will need to wait until my ponies live out their natural lives. For those of you who have followed my tank, you already know that I have purchased some blennies that will go into the garden tank. 3 of those 5 blennies are not in with the seahorses due to size or aggressiveness toward the ponies. Its my hope to reunite all the blennies someday.
I would still like to add a pair of yellow head jawfish and some gobies, maybe a green citrinis, greenbanded and/or rusty goby.
I would like more variety of macro algaes. Right now my tank seems to be too clean to keep some varieties. I will keep the tank dirtier when I do not have ponies anymore.
Here is a pic of my tank as of yesterday.
2018-10-16_04-46-48 by Dawn Gilson, on Flickr
I added more sand in preparation for jawfish. I will add some rubble rock for them to construct their burrows.
Michael, I loved your last build and am closely following this one. Your fake wall totally intrigues me and I am interested in an easy seagrass as well.
Kevin, I really appreciate your imput on blennies. I am really loving mine. As the barnacle blennies grow bigger and I see how successful I am with them I would love to have a whole community of them.
Patrick, I love that huge coral rock that dominates the left side of your new tank. To me it is so aesthetically pleasing with coral and macro adorning it that I plan to imitate it when I redo the seahorse garden and turn it into only a fish garden.
Some things I can do now and some will need to wait until my ponies live out their natural lives. For those of you who have followed my tank, you already know that I have purchased some blennies that will go into the garden tank. 3 of those 5 blennies are not in with the seahorses due to size or aggressiveness toward the ponies. Its my hope to reunite all the blennies someday.
I would still like to add a pair of yellow head jawfish and some gobies, maybe a green citrinis, greenbanded and/or rusty goby.
I would like more variety of macro algaes. Right now my tank seems to be too clean to keep some varieties. I will keep the tank dirtier when I do not have ponies anymore.
Here is a pic of my tank as of yesterday.
2018-10-16_04-46-48 by Dawn Gilson, on FlickrI added more sand in preparation for jawfish. I will add some rubble rock for them to construct their burrows.
Chasmodes
Well-known member
I kept a pair pearly jaws for a while, until one jumped out of the tank. Mine found a tiny hole and get out, and I don't know how it got out, but it did. The other one lived for about a year longer. I had plenty of sand and rubble, but it seemed like mine never stayed in one hole long. And, they just dug under the coral most of the time, rarely making their own hole, as I had hoped.
After that, I tried a single dusky jawfish, and it was a great fish. It stayed in the same hole almost its entire life. It lived over 3 years. It constantly found rubble to line its burrow and decorate the top. I only wish that I had more than one so I could watch their antics together. Maybe I'll do a species tank one day. Bluespots appeal to me too, but they are more of a coldwater species, I think (or room temperature maybe).
I'm not saying that pearly jawfish wouldn't work, just that my luck wasn't as good. When we visited Myrtle Beach, we saw two in the reef tank at the Ripley's aquarium and they both had nice burrows out in the middle of the sand bed lined with rubble. So, my guess is that with the right conditions, they'd be entertaining. They certainly are a beautiful fish!
Your tank still looks fantastic! Glad the blennies are doing well!
After that, I tried a single dusky jawfish, and it was a great fish. It stayed in the same hole almost its entire life. It lived over 3 years. It constantly found rubble to line its burrow and decorate the top. I only wish that I had more than one so I could watch their antics together. Maybe I'll do a species tank one day. Bluespots appeal to me too, but they are more of a coldwater species, I think (or room temperature maybe).
I'm not saying that pearly jawfish wouldn't work, just that my luck wasn't as good. When we visited Myrtle Beach, we saw two in the reef tank at the Ripley's aquarium and they both had nice burrows out in the middle of the sand bed lined with rubble. So, my guess is that with the right conditions, they'd be entertaining. They certainly are a beautiful fish!
Your tank still looks fantastic! Glad the blennies are doing well!
