Eat the leftovers.

JamesFitch · 01-31-2007, 08:14 AM

What will help eat my ponies leftovers on the Live sand i have 6 hermit crabs but they may pick at it not effective enough though. Is there a fish that wont compete with the ponies they mainly only eat off the bottom so i need slow cleaner that will allow ponies to eat first (also i read that vacumming live sand is a bad idea. is that true...

Dentoid · 01-31-2007, 08:46 AM

Serpant Star

Woodstock · 01-31-2007, 08:56 AM

Wasted/rotten food is why most pony-keepers use a feeding trough. The ponies learn quickly where the food is located! The use of a feeding trough reduces waste and will help keep the water cleaner.

JamesFitch · 01-31-2007, 09:17 AM

We tried for a few days using a feeding station but they wouldn't eat out of it. At all. Now we usually cut a cube of Mysis or Emerald Entree in half and put directly in the tank two times a day. 1/2 a cube in the morning and 1/2 a cube in the evening.

lcstorc · 01-31-2007, 09:55 AM

Nasacarrius snails are great for food debris and they churn the top part of your sandbed. I would get a number of them to help with the cleanup. Also you could try a shrimp ot two. the will compete a bit for the food but not too badly. I have a skunk cleaner, and a peppermint in with mine. I also have thousands of micro brittle stars in that tank. They must have come in on a piece of rock but thrive there in the seahorse tank. I occasionally move some to my fuge and reef.
It is recommended that you do not keep other fish in with the seahorses and I am not sure I would do the serpent star. I have one in my reef but not my pony tank. I tried a sand sifter star, but the tank was too small for him and he died likely starved. They eat pods etc in the substrate and the small tank just did not provide enough, plus my system was to new to have an established population. (I found this out of course after the fact.)

So are both of the ponies eating now? How do they look?

JamesFitch · 01-31-2007, 10:10 AM

Yep they are both eating now two times a day and look allot stronger and more active. The bigger of the two ponies eats allot more then the smaller but even the smaller is still eating about 4-5 pieces per feeding so I assume that is good?

lcstorc · 01-31-2007, 10:18 AM

She should be eating more than that, but anything is a good sign. Hopefully she will get hungrier and hungrier.
Do they really eat the Emerald Entree? I was always told to feed them Mysis. Maybe I'll try some variety with mine. I feed a wide variety of food to my reef so lots of stuff around to try.
Once they are eating well you may want to give the feeding station another try, or try a different method. There are all types of stations from ones you buy to a simple shell. It will help keep the tank cleaner as will a large cleanup crew.

JamesFitch · 01-31-2007, 06:32 PM

I like thge idea of the clean up crew we had a sand shifter but after we researched it we came to the conclusion that he would starve i dont normaly impulse shop for pets but loved the idea of what he did just didnt want anything to starve to death so next day we took him back now with the pepermint shrimp (I love those lil guys) will he be okay with the 6 hermits one is about the size of a quarter the rest smaller.

JamesFitch · 01-31-2007, 06:36 PM

I think they like the emarld better than the mysis they eat it faster maybe becouse its smaller pieces though. How is your ponies bubble doing in the research i did prior to getting mine they made it seem a simple massage would get rid of it. But iam sure thats not the case hope all is well

JamesFitch · 01-31-2007, 08:52 PM

I found this on the Nassirius snails http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/mg/index.php concerned about the last paragraph are you safe?? what do you make of this.

lcstorc · 01-31-2007, 10:18 PM

Kinda scary with how often my hand are in the tank. I do take care to wash up afterwards at least though we really should wear gloves. There are lots of scary things in the reef that can really hurt you.
I absolutely agree with part of the article at least. I know that mine will eat just about anything. Pellets, flakes, meaty foods including mysis. I also knew they were eating some of my pods as well but almost everything you put in the tank loves to eat pods so I just try to grow as many as I can in my fuge and buy them occasionally to re-stock. You can almost always find pods on my glass so they are definitely there.
Personally I don't have crabs in any of my tanks since I have just watched them kill too many things in my reef. I would rather have the shrimp or snails. That is just my choice. I don't think you would have a problem with a peppermint shrimp unless it was really small and then even the ponies could see it as food as well as the hermits. Watch out for them as they get bigger though. They could even prey on a sick or sleeping seahorse.

lgerold · 01-31-2007, 10:39 PM

Interesting, aggravating article. I wonder now about the tonga nassarias?

01-31-2007, 08:14 AM	#1 (permalink)
JamesFitch Star Polyps Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 155 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Eat the leftovers. What will help eat my ponies leftovers on the Live sand i have 6 hermit crabs but they may pick at it not effective enough though. Is there a fish that wont compete with the ponies they mainly only eat off the bottom so i need slow cleaner that will allow ponies to eat first (also i read that vacumming live sand is a bad idea. is that true...

01-31-2007, 08:46 AM	#2 (permalink)
Dentoid Over Achiever Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 10,289 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Eat the leftovers. Serpant Star __________________ Scott Dentoid's Reeforama

01-31-2007, 08:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
Woodstock The Wand Geek was here. ;) Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 23,649 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. Wasted/rotten food is why most pony-keepers use a feeding trough. The ponies learn quickly where the food is located! The use of a feeding trough reduces waste and will help keep the water cleaner. __________________ ~Doni Marie~ *GOT ICH???* 120 Reef Chronicle ~ *Breeding Picasso Clownfish~* *Massive 300 gal growout~* *My Anemone & Picasso Tank ~* *Picasso & Snowcasso for sale~* "Energy and persistence conquer all things." Benjamin Franklin __________________________________________________ ______________________________________________

01-31-2007, 09:17 AM	#4 (permalink)
JamesFitch Star Polyps Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 155 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. We tried for a few days using a feeding station but they wouldn't eat out of it. At all. Now we usually cut a cube of Mysis or Emerald Entree in half and put directly in the tank two times a day. 1/2 a cube in the morning and 1/2 a cube in the evening.

01-31-2007, 09:55 AM	#5 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,866 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. Nasacarrius snails are great for food debris and they churn the top part of your sandbed. I would get a number of them to help with the cleanup. Also you could try a shrimp ot two. the will compete a bit for the food but not too badly. I have a skunk cleaner, and a peppermint in with mine. I also have thousands of micro brittle stars in that tank. They must have come in on a piece of rock but thrive there in the seahorse tank. I occasionally move some to my fuge and reef. It is recommended that you do not keep other fish in with the seahorses and I am not sure I would do the serpent star. I have one in my reef but not my pony tank. I tried a sand sifter star, but the tank was too small for him and he died likely starved. They eat pods etc in the substrate and the small tank just did not provide enough, plus my system was to new to have an established population. (I found this out of course after the fact.) So are both of the ponies eating now? How do they look? __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

01-31-2007, 10:10 AM	#6 (permalink)
JamesFitch Star Polyps Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 155 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. Yep they are both eating now two times a day and look allot stronger and more active. The bigger of the two ponies eats allot more then the smaller but even the smaller is still eating about 4-5 pieces per feeding so I assume that is good?

01-31-2007, 10:18 AM	#7 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,866 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. She should be eating more than that, but anything is a good sign. Hopefully she will get hungrier and hungrier. Do they really eat the Emerald Entree? I was always told to feed them Mysis. Maybe I'll try some variety with mine. I feed a wide variety of food to my reef so lots of stuff around to try. Once they are eating well you may want to give the feeding station another try, or try a different method. There are all types of stations from ones you buy to a simple shell. It will help keep the tank cleaner as will a large cleanup crew. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

01-31-2007, 06:32 PM	#8 (permalink)
JamesFitch Star Polyps Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 155 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. I like thge idea of the clean up crew we had a sand shifter but after we researched it we came to the conclusion that he would starve i dont normaly impulse shop for pets but loved the idea of what he did just didnt want anything to starve to death so next day we took him back now with the pepermint shrimp (I love those lil guys) will he be okay with the 6 hermits one is about the size of a quarter the rest smaller.

01-31-2007, 06:36 PM	#9 (permalink)
JamesFitch Star Polyps Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 155 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. I think they like the emarld better than the mysis they eat it faster maybe becouse its smaller pieces though. How is your ponies bubble doing in the research i did prior to getting mine they made it seem a simple massage would get rid of it. But iam sure thats not the case hope all is well

01-31-2007, 08:52 PM	#10 (permalink)
JamesFitch Star Polyps Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Illinois Posts: 155 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. I found this on the Nassirius snails http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-11/mg/index.php concerned about the last paragraph are you safe?? what do you make of this.

01-31-2007, 10:18 PM	#11 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,866 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Eat the leftovers. Kinda scary with how often my hand are in the tank. I do take care to wash up afterwards at least though we really should wear gloves. There are lots of scary things in the reef that can really hurt you. I absolutely agree with part of the article at least. I know that mine will eat just about anything. Pellets, flakes, meaty foods including mysis. I also knew they were eating some of my pods as well but almost everything you put in the tank loves to eat pods so I just try to grow as many as I can in my fuge and buy them occasionally to re-stock. You can almost always find pods on my glass so they are definitely there. Personally I don't have crabs in any of my tanks since I have just watched them kill too many things in my reef. I would rather have the shrimp or snails. That is just my choice. I don't think you would have a problem with a peppermint shrimp unless it was really small and then even the ponies could see it as food as well as the hermits. Watch out for them as they get bigger though. They could even prey on a sick or sleeping seahorse. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

01-31-2007, 10:39 PM	#12 (permalink)
lgerold Scopas Tang Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Brainerd, Mn Posts: 473 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Eat the leftovers. Interesting, aggravating article. I wonder now about the tonga nassarias? __________________ Lucy Upgrade from 125 long to 210 on 1/7/07. 66 gallon sump/refugium. 10 hrs of light: 500 watt pc actinic 10 hrs 400 watt pc daylight 6 hrs 500 watt MH 4 hrs 180 lbs branch liverock. 100 lbs + assorted liverock. 3"+ DSB. Fish - Foxface, Yellow Tang, Mimic Tang, 2 Tomato Clowns, pair True Percula Clowns (and their 6 inch pastel green carpet), Mandarin, Scooter Blenny, Bartlett's Anthias, Royal Gramma, Pseudochromis Splendens. Blue/Gold Crocea Clam, Teardrop Squamosa Clam Coral favorites include: 2 Acanastreas, Pink Cynaria, Green Cynaria, Birdsnest, Trumpets, Red and Pink and Green Goniporas (3), Frogspawn (peach favorite), Fox Coral, Diploastrea, Blasto, 3 Fungia (orange, purple, and green) and many others.

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