temp too low?

[pastina]

i dont keep a heater in my SH tank and since its getting brutally cold out the tank has dropped down to 70, and seems to be staying there.
(my basements air temp is 70 also)

i dont think the horses are doing well in this low temp. they still eat but appear sluggish and dont finish all their food like they used to when the tank was 74.
they also arent moving as much..they look cold!

trouble is adding a heater. i cant keep heaters under 77 no matter how hard i try. i set them at 72 and they still will hit 77 water temp.
for this size tank i have a stealth heater. i may try and buy a new brand tomorrow
but just in case, is 77 too high????

[catfish63]

Originally Posted by pastina

i dont keep a heater in my SH tank and since its getting brutally cold out the tank has dropped down to 70, and seems to be staying there.
(my basements air temp is 70 also)

i dont think the horses are doing well in this low temp. they still eat but appear sluggish and dont finish all their food like they used to when the tank was 74.
they also arent moving as much..they look cold!

trouble is adding a heater. i cant keep heaters under 77 no matter how hard i try. i set them at 72 and they still will hit 77 water temp.
for this size tank i have a stealth heater. i may try and buy a new brand tomorrow
but just in case, is 77 too high????

[catfish63]

77 is much better than 70.

[crvz]

Originally Posted by catfish63

77 is much better than 70.

Is that true? I know a lot of seahorses enjoy cooler temps, but I've not much of any experience.

I wouldnt trust a heater to control my temp regardless. Have you considered getting a temp controller? I've got one built into my AquaController, but I'm pretty sure they come stand alone as well. Granted it would be much more than just a $20 heater, but it would give me peace of mind.

[pastina]

anyone else know the proper temp? is 70 too cold??
they are h.kellogi small ones about 2"

[Loverotties]

Buy a better heater or a controller.

[pastina]

ok i will tomorrow

but everyone agrees 70 is too low?

[Siberman]

http://www.fishlore.com/profile_greatseahorse.htm

[pastina]

i got the heater
they are warming up nicely
they are at 75 and i think they like it better, their more active now instead of sluggish fossilized ponies

[pledosophy]

I do not think 70 is to low for kelloggi. Especially given the recent problems with the net pen seahorses coming out of Asia. (This is where those TR Kelloggi are coming from).

Research has shown that the bacteria that commonly lead to seahorse disease are far less virtulent at temperatures under 74F. They actually produce different proteins at these lower temperatures, and reproduce at a dramatically lower rate. At the higher temperatures over 74 the bacteria produces a much more aggressive version and reproduces much faster.

This is also why when there is disease with seahorses you will often see the first suggestion to lower the temp of the tank to 68F. At this temp the bacteria almost stop reproducing allowing the seahorse to just battle the existing bacteria.

I know that in the ocean many seahorses are found at temps over 74, however there is more dillution so the bacteria is not as much of an issue.

To read more about temperature and it's relationship to bacteria populations there is a lot of information on google. There is also a book called Working Notes, where Dr. Belli has authored a section in regards to his research.

HTH

[chorsewhisperer]

I currently have 8 breeding pairs of seahorses, 5 kriesel systems, and 5 fry tanks. ALL of my tanks are 70-72 F. 77 is way too high. I run chillers on my seahorse tanks.

When I have aneed for a QT tank or a hospital tank I have them at 68 F.

I have both southern and northern H. Erectus.

Hope that helps.

[VWD]

I think the biggest concern is if You keep them at 78 to 80 all the time and then it drops to 70 over a short time span.

[YLChik]

Originally Posted by pastina

ok i will tomorrow

but everyone agrees 70 is too low?

Originally Posted by pastina

i got the heater
they are warming up nicely
they are at 75 and i think they like it better, their more active now instead of sluggish fossilized ponies

I would change the thermostate on your house

I too have ponies ( H. Reidi) and I think that they do move a little slower down at 68-70 but I wouldn't bump it up past 75. If you hacve to run a heater at 77 and then add fans to MAKE SURE it stays cooler ok, or buy your controler or whatever, but I agree with the post above that there are issues above 74.

let us know how things go!

[pastina]

they've been at a constant 74 now for a few weeks, all is good. they are behaving more normally i think. they eat well and have grown a tiny bit.

i hate to say this, but they are the most boring pet i have lol. true my turtle is a bit easy to forget at times, but i think the seahorses put me in a comatose state of mind when i watch them. i would imagine they would be great for lowering blood pressure, or perhaps helping someone to fall asleep who has insomnia

as for my house thermostat, ive cranked it up to 78. hubby is sweating and my daughter is walking around in summer clothes, me im comfy.
the basement went up slightly in temp, its up to 73ish, the rest of the house is hot! i guess because the basement is, well a basement, under a cold ground 1000 square feet of one giant basement room might be the reason its harder to warm up. its 17 degrees outside, nearly 80 in the house, anyone for lemonade?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by chorsewhisperer

I currently have 8 breeding pairs of seahorses, 5 kriesel systems, and 5 fry tanks. ALL of my tanks are 70-72 F. 77 is way too high. I run chillers on my seahorse tanks.

When I have aneed for a QT tank or a hospital tank I have them at 68 F.

I have both southern and northern H. Erectus.

Hope that helps.

I totally agree, I have over twenty northern erectus, and several 10 gal. fry tanks, all are kept 70-72. Kellogi were originally considered tropical horses, but further study has shown that they are deep water species, and more success has been achieved by keeping them at lower temps. If I find my horses getting too sluggish at 70-72, then I boost to 72-74. But, I try to maintain at 72.