Upgrading tank, need advice

[whatnot45]

Ok so I have a 29 gallon seahorse tank that has been doing great. I HAD 2 OR sunbursts (h. erectus) in it, but i went on vacation back in jully and came home to find my female dead. My male however is doing absolutely fine, he is eating like a pig, and dosn't seem to be bothered by her absence at all. ANY WAYS so i have decided to upgrade the tank to a 40 gallon tall + a 10 gallon sump. With that, i would be getting 2 more Female erectus. SO my problem is this: I just found out oceanrider raised their prices A LOT (crazy since they were already way over priced before). I got my 2 sunbursts for 90 dollars each, now they are 185 dollars each, and i am not going to pay 370 bucks for 2 females.

I know it is bad to mix breeders, but would it really be THAT bad?

 

[ann83]

Mustangs are the same exact seahorse and they're only $150 each Your best bet is to at least get southern erectus (that's what OR has), rather than northern. Southerns and Northerns are so different they may as well be different species. www.seahorsesource.com sells southern erectus.

I don't know what you want anyone to say to "would it really be THAT bad?", what do you mean by "that bad"? Its a calculated risk, and there are things that you can do to lessen that risk, but its still a risk. I don't think anyone is going to say "No, its not a risk. Go right ahead and don't worry." But, you can do it, I would just take extra precautions (UV, chiller to keep temps stable no higher than 72, long quarantine with good nutrition and supplements of beta glucan and other immune stimulants, introduce the water from main tank to QT slowly, etc.). Good Luck.

 

[ReefNutPA]

I agree with ann. It CAN be done...but make SURE you have all needed meds on hand as well as a way to keep the temp at 72F. If any of them get sick, you'll need a way to get the hospital tank down to 68F at least. Since you're in Cali, that might be tricky for you without a chiller. Just be prepared BEFORE you buy horses from another breeder.

Tom

 

[whatnot45]

I do have a chiller, but it dosnt go any lower than 73 degrees, which is what i run my tank at now... will that work?

 

[ann83]

It will work, provided you can guarantee the temperature will never go above 73, but obviously a larger buffer zone in situations like these is much better. And you will still need a plan for getting the hospital tank down to 68 degrees if/when you need to treat the seahorses.