Jake's 50+ gallon seahorse tank

Are you moving locations Jake? or just moving the tank to a new spot?

 

Thanks so much! You are both too kind!

Corailline - you are of course right. I am sad to take the tank down, but I am trying to look on the bright side.

Oldfishkeeper - I am moving locations, from North Vancouver to Vancouver, which is about a 15-45 minute drive depending on traffic.

Hopefully the move goes smoothly, please let me know if you have any suggestions! Here is my plan:

Day 1: transfer all livestock and live rock to a 20 gallon holding tank. Remove DSB. Take down tank plumbing and pack up all equipment.

Day 2 (move day): Move tank, keeping almost all of the original systems water. Set up tank and plumbing. Add live rock and new DSB. Start skimmer and filters to remove any debris/sand from the water column.

Day 3: Once the water looks clear, I will add the livestock.

Ideally I would like to allow the tank to stabilize for a couple of weeks, but unfortunately I do not want to keep my livestock in a 20 gallon tank during that time.

 

I think that's a good plan. Your tank is gorgeous and I'm sure it will stay that way if not look better after you set it back up

 

Incredible tank! I love your layout. Good luck on your move! I hope everything transfers smoothly.

 

Well moving was a huge pain. The plan I posted earlier was a little optimistic, I wasn't able to get transfer the livestock to the new tank in just 2 days. It took me about 4 days to do it as I was just too busy... well moving! In the end, my only live stock losses were the Halymenia and Halimeda algae. I think both died due to "nutrient shock" caused by being placed suddenly in a tank with very few nutrients available, combined with being without light for 3-4 days.

The Halymenia lost it's pigmentation after only one day. As a graduate student who studies algae, I think this was due to carotenoids being broken down for energy to sustain other essential cellular processes during the period of stress. This is a common reaction to stressful conditions in microalgae. Unfortunately, the Halymenia just didn't recover. A few small pieces seem be alive and well, so hopefully I can grow the colony back.

Looking at my last picture of the old tank above, the tank has definitely lost it's natural look. Hopefully this new aquascape can achieve the same look, while avoiding the coral shading problems I had in the old tank. One day I hope to re-establish the Halymenia as I really miss it.

I also have been building a cover for the metal stand over the last six months and it is finally finished. It was hard to get pictures at night so I'll have to post more later. It is made of walnut plywood, stained and polyurethaned, attached to the metal stand with magnets. The trim is aluminum. Honestly, in the end my main recommendation is to just get it professionally done! I don't think I saved any money by doing it myself, but it was fun learning how to do it.

 

Posted this late last night, so figured I'd give it a bump!

 

I actually looked at it yesterday and did not comment because it just did not look like an "after the tank had been moved" image. And the tank is not on the new stand.

The differences are subtle, I am sure within a month or 2 it will grow and expand to again look like it once did. It's still extremely beautiful and I like the placement of the tank right where it is, although I know that is not permanent.

Do you have any plans to add anything to the tank?

 

This is the final placement for the tank. The stand itself isn't new, I just made some walnut panels for the stand to cover it. Before I moved the tank was on a bare steel frame, now it is on the same steel frame but covered with walnut.

Thanks a lot! I would like to add 2-4 more seahorses or possibly a pair a of ORA dragonettes, but I am going to let the tank mature a bit. I am concerned I could over feed right now as I completely replaced the sand bed. The non-photosynthetic gorg has suffered since I am hesitant to feed the tank, hopefully it will rebound.

 

What are the Sea Horses eating?
Some Pipe Fish would look awesome as well.

 

Congratulations on the move Jake! Tank looks incredible after such a huge move! I agree with Corailline, some pipefish would be really cool in that tank.