Seahorse QT setup..

[ckusnierek]

I have a few horses comming this week and am curious if my reef QT will do the the horses.

Right now I use a 10G and just a air stone. Hypo SG @ 1.018-1.020ish

I do plan to add some macro to.

I usually keep the fish in for 3-5 days. then drip acclimate into the main tank.

Is this setup ok for the horses?

[YLChik]

yes and possibly no

temperature is KEY with ponies - the BEST chance of survival is total issolation. Keeping pathogens to a minimum.

so has this tank been running with a smattering of coral ect that comes through it - does it have LR or a sand bed if the answer to any of that is yes I would say... go buy a new 10 gallon.

You will want to QT your horses for 4-6 weeks - yup you heard me. It takes awhile to get the hang of feeding and checking them, learning what they are like, so I would QT for AT LEAST 4 weeks - EVEN if you have a set up just for ponies.

If you are unsure if they are wild caught or net penned or tank raised - OR had been tank raised, but were put in with wild caught or net penned I would treat them as though they were wild caught - a little reading will tell you what to do as I can't remember off the top of my head. You can treat for bacterias that they most likely have while they are in QT.

an air stone is perfect as well as some FAKE hitching posts - those plastic plants do well. I would keep SG where the tank will be at. bare bottom so you can watch for poo. and I would call your vet and get a prescription for diomax - 250mg for a 5 day course will treat gas bubble disease - ask for refills. A friend once said gas bubble is to sea horses like ich is to tangs, but GB will kill your ponies so be ready.

[ckusnierek]

Thanks so much.

The QT I usually use is just a empty 10G and I add 10g from the reef and I will add a few gallons once or twice a week for WC.

[pledosophy]

This is my seahorse QT tank.



It is a 20g, with a 10g sump. There is 30 lbs of LR total, most in the sump. I use a Remora Pro skimmer and a 24w UV. The tank has a fair amount of macro algae. The barebottom helps to keep things clean, switch to frozen and then to a dish, and to monitor exactly how much they are eating and pooping.

For hitches I use plastic chains. Easy to clean and remove if needed.

If I do need to treat it is easy enough to take the sump off line and treat in the tank they are in without disrupting things to much.

I do about 2g's of water changes daily as I syphon out all uneaten food and dettitus and replace with new water.

I QT seahorses for at least 6 weeks. Closer to 18 weeks if I am mixing species.

JME HTH

[Loverotties]

And you don't want a lot of flow.