Lynn's 90 gallons of Sunshine

[sasquatch]

That must be an awesome thing to behold! Ive only seen tiny ones at the lfs, never an adult. Go LYNN, I want to believe!

[lcstorc]

Sounds like not very many fishies for me in this tank. I already decided I want 4 pair so at that size I guess I am pretty maxed on bio-load.
Maybe another clown goby or 2 for color. They stay really tiny.
Thanks for the info. Can't wait to see my new babies buy we will all be waiting a while. Cleanup crew soon and a couple of little fishies after that but then I am going to wait till late Nov or early Dec before adding the 4 male ponies. Then at whatever time Matt recommends the 4 females will be added. This of course all depends on if I can keep the temp down. I think I can but much prove it to myself first or I will just have another reef tank.

[tbittner]

Does an inch of pony equal an inch of fish when calculating the bio-load?

(i know absolutely nothing about ponies but I find it really interesting)

[kathywithbirds]

I'm curious too. The lower temps won't be a problem for the gobies or firefish? And what's the deal with adding males first?

[panmanmatt]

When calculating bio-load for ponies I like to go with 1 pair for every 15 gallons of water volume. That's actually gallons not tank size. So in Lynn's 90 gallon I'm figuring she will have close to the actually 90 gallons once you figure in sump volume and all. So 4 pairs would use up roughly 60 gallons and the rest can go for tank mates.

It doesn't matter if you add males or females first. The reason I suggested males first is that they will dance and court with each other more so than the females will. This way you will get to enjoy 90% of the mating rituals without having to deal with raising the babies.

The gobies and firefish are fine at the lower temps. Matter of fact, mine seem to be slightly more active at cooler temps.

[lcstorc]

Thanks for all the info Matt. I owe you yet another drink at MACNA. This means I can go a bit heavier on the fish though I will still keep it light. Thatpurple fire fish seems to be calling my name. Add a few clown gobies and the watchman and that should give me lots of activity without overloading.
Looking forward to seeing you this weekend.

[panmanmatt]

I may have to take a rain check on those drinks. A couple things came up unexpectedly and I have to get them taken care of before I can make it to MACNA. Hopefully I can get things cleared before the weekend but it will be tough.

[tbittner]

So it doesn't matter how big they get? It's just one pair per 15 gallons? Is that a bio-load rule or is that an open space recommendation?

[panmanmatt]

More of an open space. You have to also take into account the adult size of the seahorse. It is suggested of a tank as tall as 3x the adult height of the seahorse as they use the vertical space for courting.

Some species of seahorse will reach an adult size of 12-13 inches so they will require a lot larger tank. And then there are some species that are lucky to reach 1 inch at adult size so you can stock them a little heavier.

All the suggestions I have given Lynn have been geared towards one species, H. erectus as that is most likely the species she will be getting.

[forestal]

Awesome tank, look forward to watching it grow...Erectus are my favorite, and Matt has given great advice as usual

[panmanmatt]

Originally Posted by forestal

and Matt has given great advice as usual

Thanks, Dan. Great to see you around the boards again. Missed you at IMAC this year.

[forestal]

yeah busy at frag booth, i am going to macna, so hopefully you can make it too

good to be back on the boards

[Dentoid]

This is a fun and educational thread! Although ponies are not my thing, I enjoy living vicariously through you!

[bluespotjawfish]

Me too!

[Melanie]

Ponies would be awesome but I don't want that responsibility. I like to travel and I'm lucky if I can find someone to feed and top off ONE tank. I'll let Lynn get the ponies and I'll have fun reading about them. Alot less work!