Reef Central Online Community - View Single Post

rayjay · 03/25/2018, 09:02 AM

IMO, food is the BIGGEST problem with keeping seahorses as many people just don't do the needed husbandry to keep the water from becoming bacteria factories due to decaying uneaten food remains in addition to natural seahorse waste.
There are NO test kits available to the hobbyist that will tell us when that condition is becoming dangerous so preventive measures are needed.
Any filter method you choose needs to be simple and easy to clean VERY frequently or the human nature factor can take over in that you skip a cleaning here or there and eventually the water degrades to the point the bacteria explosion affects the seahorses.
When I first started about 15 yrs ago I used canister filtration until I eventually learned more about the problems seahorses have with bacteria. Took me a long time to realize it though.
Many filtration methods are in use and chosen most times by what one perceives that will work best for the conditions they have and how much one is willing to do to keep things ideal.
For me, I evolved to bare bottom that doesn't look as nice but is better for me in my aging years and health as it is MUCH easier to clean excess uneaten food and detritus.
I have powerheads with quick filter attachments in the tanks with others placed to just move the water around enough to put crap in suspension long enough to get captured by the quick filters. I use timers to turn on the ones with the quick filters that I turn off while feeding and also timers to turn on the extra powerhead movers long enough to keep food in suspension while feeding and somewhat longer to remove uneaten food. I also have filter socks on the overflows. Oh yes, I turn off the return pumps also to keep food in the display and these are also turned back on with the timers.
Temperature will also come into play as bacteria expansion occurs exponentially with each rising degree in temperature, especially after you reach 74°F.
There is an excellent read on this matter by pledosophy in the fifth post on this thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2274878

03/25/2018, 09:02 AM	#2
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	IMO, food is the BIGGEST problem with keeping seahorses as many people just don't do the needed husbandry to keep the water from becoming bacteria factories due to decaying uneaten food remains in addition to natural seahorse waste. There are NO test kits available to the hobbyist that will tell us when that condition is becoming dangerous so preventive measures are needed. Any filter method you choose needs to be simple and easy to clean VERY frequently or the human nature factor can take over in that you skip a cleaning here or there and eventually the water degrades to the point the bacteria explosion affects the seahorses. When I first started about 15 yrs ago I used canister filtration until I eventually learned more about the problems seahorses have with bacteria. Took me a long time to realize it though. Many filtration methods are in use and chosen most times by what one perceives that will work best for the conditions they have and how much one is willing to do to keep things ideal. For me, I evolved to bare bottom that doesn't look as nice but is better for me in my aging years and health as it is MUCH easier to clean excess uneaten food and detritus. I have powerheads with quick filter attachments in the tanks with others placed to just move the water around enough to put crap in suspension long enough to get captured by the quick filters. I use timers to turn on the ones with the quick filters that I turn off while feeding and also timers to turn on the extra powerhead movers long enough to keep food in suspension while feeding and somewhat longer to remove uneaten food. I also have filter socks on the overflows. Oh yes, I turn off the return pumps also to keep food in the display and these are also turned back on with the timers. Temperature will also come into play as bacteria expansion occurs exponentially with each rising degree in temperature, especially after you reach 74°F. There is an excellent read on this matter by pledosophy in the fifth post on this thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2274878 __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses