mogurnda

Amazing system.

Cool. Good luck!

What I find interesting about their behavior is that they will sit in one place for hours hunting 'pods, then suddenly be across the tank without seeming to move. I think they can teleport. The slugs are from Carolina Biological. They are the least expensive, and extremely reliable. The shaving brush is from Gulf Coast Ecosystems. They don't normally sell it as a separate item, but I always get a good number when I order the "Halimeda sampler," It sprouts new plants pretty regularly, so could probably sustain itself with a small number of slugs.

I think Elysia is a realy good choice for a seahorse tank. In my tank, Halimeda seems to be their least favorite, but they will definitely eat it..

Now that his mate is gone, your current male is probably on his way to becoming a female. Get a juvenile, and you will end up with a pair again.

These are the guys I am keeping, Elysia clarki. They are sold as "lettuce sea slug' by Carolina Biological and LiveAquaria. SeaLife inc is selling either this species, or Elysia crispata, which eats the same things. I will be putting in an order with Carolina, which has the best price (about $10), in the next few weeks, if you wanted to try a few. If I can ever get my juveniles to a decent size, I'll be happy to give you some. They would be perfect for a seahorse tank, because they like the same conditions. They eat Bryopsis, which most people here consider a pest algae. I have a pile growing right now. Warning, if you get Bryopsis established, you will probably never get rid of it. They will also eat shaving brush (Penicillus) and Halimeda, which can be found at Gulf Coast Ecosystems and SeaLife inc.

Pshaw! That is a setup for dwarf seahorses

There are some amazing nudibranchs out there. Most of them eat things that we can't keep or don't know about, so they die. I picked a species of slug that we know the food plant for, and set the tank up to be sure they always had food. Just like seahorses, if you can keep them fed, they're happy.

Can you rig up a small barrier around it to block the waves?

Oops, just saw this. How much I would love to, but am worried about running out of food. As it is, the dwarves can live off copepod soup, and I just have to add NO3 and PO4 to keep the plants happy. I think erectus would eat way too much.

As promised, the FTS. Sweet, huh? Have not seen any of the kids today, and I hope that is not a bad sign.

Current FTS later today. Thanks! These guys came from Seahorse Corral, and Beth was a huge help. The parents were so strong and healthy when they arrived, they settled right in. More photos of the parents here , and add more of the babies soon.

If I post a full tank shot, you may not be so envious. It is intentionally full of hair algae and bryopsis, so definitely won't make RC TOTM. Perfect for slugs and ponies though. Seahorse keeping definitely requires a certain commitment. When I had erectus, any time away required asking a lot of favors for people to come in and feed them frozen mysis. No such thing as autopilot with those guys. Maybe Justin will finally perfect his frozen food dispenser.

At least some of them have made it a few days. I pulled out some water and spun it down in a centrifuge (handy having a lab next door) to get a look at whatever plankton might be there. There are clearly many small, swimming creatures (rotifers?) that were much smaller than copepods and moving too fast to photograph. Seems like a good place to be a pony. Most of the time, I think they are hunting in the Bryopsis jungle. Occasionally one or two pop out and explore the open spaces. This one seems to be getting a little color. Pony with his gentle giant friend.

I feel like I'm cheating, but keeping the seahorses is almost zero work at the moment. With a large biomass of macroalgae, and no other fish, there is a dense, continuous cloud of copepods hovering in the water column. These guys are living in copepod soup, so there is plenty for everyone. I was worried that the pod population might crash after I added the ponies, but they haven't made a dent so far.

Sounds like a classic tank move: way longer than expected, high stress, hissy fits, and too many trips to the store. Many of us have been there. I am sorry about the loss of the fish (been there too during a tank move), but I had to laugh about the rest of the process. A couple of other notes: -pics, pics, pics -My rule is to never, ever return a piece of plumbing or pipe fitting. You will need it for the next hasty repair job when stores are closed. [Note that my wife may not agree with this rule]

If any of the little guys make it, they can be yours. All you need is a pico.....

But baby dwarf seahorses are ridiculously small. The dwarves in the Box of Slugs have been pigging out on copepods, and one of the males has been looking pregnant. I guess it was only a matter of time. Are these guys cute or what? I think this is the father, although I did not see the babies emerge. He looks like he has a few left to release. I liked this photo of the other male (left) with the likely mother. She is the biggest, fattest of the three females. The halimeda leaf gives a sense of how small these guys are. I have no idea whether the babies will survive. There should be lots of small creatures for them to feast on, but hazards abound when you are smaller than an amphipod. The slugs have been busy as well. I have had several hatches, and they have settled. Have not had luck getting much growth, though. Seems like the clutch stops moving if I add too much algae to the rearing dish. http://youtu.be/ZYSQ37roMRY

O! M! G!

Beautiful seahorses. If I hadn't sworn off setting up any new tanks, I would be tempted to have a seahorse DT at home again.

This tank will be amazing. Lots of room to play above and below. Have to admit, the name of the thread is primo! Maybe I'll call my next build "Reef-noceros," in honor of the Conchords.

Seems like the FOWLR would act as a nutrient source for the reef. Why not make a nutrient sink, using macros, seagrasses and/or mangroves. Could be a cool system. If I had the space, energy, and time, it is what I would do.

That may explain why I have only seen one of the evil brown flatworms, and that was weeks ago.

Yep. I vote for "Build-apotomus."

What happens when you mix: Fish-free, vermin-full tank in my office *with* Me, staring at a mound of work that absolutely has to be done; yesterday if possible. Video of flatworms! http://youtu.be/jghSpnzs9u8