I have had two horses (thats all I had) die a painful death of tail rot or bacterial infection (from what I can tell). I treated the second with furon 2 but I could not save him. The first never showed me signs other than going on a hunger strike. Moving forward I'm trying to address possible issues with my setup and wanted a place to bounce some ideas off of. That's my intension with this post.
Current setup:
37 gallon
Reef Octopus BH-1000 HOB protein skimmer (rated for much higher than my tank)
Marineland Penguin BioWheel 200 HOB filter
200 watt heater (located in the output chamber of the protein skimmer)
Custom three-phase LED lighting setup (currently have only two running on timers for daytime and night time with some overlap)
28 lb. - mudd live rock
6 lb. - fiji live rock
2 lb. - coral skeletons
20 lb. - Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Black Beach Reef Sand
15 lb. - Aragonite Black Sand (can't remember brand)
5 lb. - Fine white sand
1 quart of Codium macroalgae
1 bag of chaeto macroalgea
polypropalene and fiber rope for hitching posts
have a clean up crew and increasing the Giant Nassarius snails from 2 to 12 - currently 1 Astrea Snail, 1 turbo, 3 micro hermits, 2 cerith snails, 2 Giant Nassarius snails
I was told that bacterial infections can come with livestock and can also be caused by mysis shrimp decaying between substrate. Currently my macro is growing well and there seems to be coralline growing on at least three coral skeletons that never had it. I would like to eradicate the bad while keeping the good if thats possible.
Heres my plan:
1. I was told by an authority that my substrate might be contibuting to the problem if it is too corse or big in grain size. Remove or add new finer sand over the top of what is there now.
2. Start using the probiotic Sanolife Mic-F located at seahorsesource.com (treat for twelve weeks at a higher dosage).
3. Always purchase livestock from a credible source such as seahorsesource.com or seahorse.com (OR).
4. Since pipefish are in the same family (and considerably cheaper), once the tank chem looks right after the twelve weeks, add two and watch for any problems for at least two months.
Notes:
1. I try to keep my temp from 74-76 but there are times when it reaches 77 (such as today) and slightly higher (never 80).
2. Prior to the last horse dying, my ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate looked great.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. I've done a lot of work and research before ever putting together a setup and thought I was on the right track (except the horse livestock that was given to me as a present -- 2 x h.kuda 1" - 2".... way too young and not from a good source).
I really want to get better substrate (finer Aragonite) but I cant determine from the pics online which would fit the bill for what I need. Can anyone recommend a brand or two?
If you sat through this post and still have nothing to contribute, I thank you for taking it seriously and look forward to the beneficial comments of those who might have some insight to offer.
Current setup:
37 gallon
Reef Octopus BH-1000 HOB protein skimmer (rated for much higher than my tank)
Marineland Penguin BioWheel 200 HOB filter
200 watt heater (located in the output chamber of the protein skimmer)
Custom three-phase LED lighting setup (currently have only two running on timers for daytime and night time with some overlap)
28 lb. - mudd live rock
6 lb. - fiji live rock
2 lb. - coral skeletons
20 lb. - Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Black Beach Reef Sand
15 lb. - Aragonite Black Sand (can't remember brand)
5 lb. - Fine white sand
1 quart of Codium macroalgae
1 bag of chaeto macroalgea
polypropalene and fiber rope for hitching posts
have a clean up crew and increasing the Giant Nassarius snails from 2 to 12 - currently 1 Astrea Snail, 1 turbo, 3 micro hermits, 2 cerith snails, 2 Giant Nassarius snails
I was told that bacterial infections can come with livestock and can also be caused by mysis shrimp decaying between substrate. Currently my macro is growing well and there seems to be coralline growing on at least three coral skeletons that never had it. I would like to eradicate the bad while keeping the good if thats possible.
Heres my plan:
1. I was told by an authority that my substrate might be contibuting to the problem if it is too corse or big in grain size. Remove or add new finer sand over the top of what is there now.
2. Start using the probiotic Sanolife Mic-F located at seahorsesource.com (treat for twelve weeks at a higher dosage).
3. Always purchase livestock from a credible source such as seahorsesource.com or seahorse.com (OR).
4. Since pipefish are in the same family (and considerably cheaper), once the tank chem looks right after the twelve weeks, add two and watch for any problems for at least two months.
Notes:
1. I try to keep my temp from 74-76 but there are times when it reaches 77 (such as today) and slightly higher (never 80).
2. Prior to the last horse dying, my ph, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate looked great.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. I've done a lot of work and research before ever putting together a setup and thought I was on the right track (except the horse livestock that was given to me as a present -- 2 x h.kuda 1" - 2".... way too young and not from a good source).
I really want to get better substrate (finer Aragonite) but I cant determine from the pics online which would fit the bill for what I need. Can anyone recommend a brand or two?
If you sat through this post and still have nothing to contribute, I thank you for taking it seriously and look forward to the beneficial comments of those who might have some insight to offer.
. warning signs are key and when you say your levels were great what were day, what one considers great may be dangerous to another especially for seahorses. What are you feeding them?