new year, new seahorse build!!!!!!(many pictuers)

I don't know what "75 percent base rock" means, and I know that others use rock to cycle a tank, however, a seahorse, being prone to fatalities due to pathogens passed from other fish, will have better odds of success just using dead rock.
I go further and boil my rock or sterilize it with hydrogen peroxide before putting it in the tank for cycling.
Any rock that has been exposed to water with fish in it stands a chance of passing pathogens to your seahorse so if your 26 the rock comes from is a fish tank, it is definitely not "pest free" as you cannot SEE what is there to do the harm.
It's just one more way to increase the odds of success in keeping a more difficult fish.
I don't know why people are fixated upon using table shrimp, when any food will do the job. In fact smaller food like frozen brine or mysis works faster because of particle size allowing for faster decay to produce the ammonia, and you're going to be having frozen mysis to feed the seahorses anyway so you are not buying something that can't be used up. Just thaw & rinse the frozen food of choice quite well before adding to the tank to start the cycle.
Add about a tablespoon of thawed/rinsed/drained mysis and you can do it now, you don't need to wait for the cloudiness to clear to do it.
Some people just use household ammonia from the grocery store, making sure first of all that is is just ammonia with nothing added, so you could wait until the stores open and buy some ammonia that will give an immediate ammonia source and test for the level of ammonia. Probably 2ppm will suffice.
Once the ammonia goes to zero, and the nitrite has spiked and gone to zero, add enough ammonia again to bring the level to 1ppm and see how fast it clears back to zero again. If it clears within 8 to 12 hours you should be good to go.
The problem with using foods is that you don't see how much ammonia you are getting until after the decay process works. Also, once the cycle appears to be finished, it takes longer to be SURE it is finished as adding more food to decay to produce the ammonia for clearing isn't almost immediate like just adding liquid or powder ammonia.

 

Its not a fixation, but a preference. I like the table shrimp method because it is removable. You only need the ammonia source, not rotting food that you can't remove latter. I've also used chunks of fish. That's what I've had success with, but I never said it was the only way.

Here's what I have named my "Bag-O-Guts".




I think I have tried all the methods, and this is the way I have come to prefer, hence its why I recommend it. It would be rather odd to personally recommend methods I have come to dismiss over the years.

 

I hadn't meant to imply that you were saying it was the only way, just that I didn't understand the use of it by so many (especially a preference for it) when it is faster to use something else, especially the powder or liquid forms of ammonia which need no decay and are an immediate source of ammonia.
If you don't know how much you need to add using mysis, you can put it in a media bag or a toe from nylons and remove after spike is achieved.
When using a table shrimp or other food, you get no ammonia until the food begins to decay, breaking it down into the chemical constituents of ammonia and other elemental compounds (like phosphates) and, like the ammonia, those other compounds already released by decay are not going to be removed by removing the remaining food.

 

I edited my post above after you posted, I think.

I'm not saying the mysis method doesn't work. I never even made a comment about the flake which I personally don't agree with. I was just sharing of all the methods I've tried, I've come to like the chunk of meat more.

It takes 2-3 days too see ammonia after the shrimp is added.

 

ok well we have a bottel of some household ammonia. im worried about it having other things in it, should i be worried?????? i could just put a cunk of brine shrimp in the tank.

but if i dont use any live rock how will i seed the bese rock. and also what about sand should i just take a cup of sand out of my 26 or wold that havae the same affect as the rock so i cant use i t????? im a little confused.

 

ok well my dad wants an eel sooo bad in this tank. thats all he has been talking about after i showed him a snowflake at the store. he want to know if their are any that could be kepped with horses. i dont think so but i no that graden eels can. ill have to look into them.

also what turn over rate shoud i shoot for. you said that i shouldent do a low flow.

 

ok well the cycal has started right now i have about 3 ppm ammonia. also how would i seed the rock/sand. and also what turn over rate should i go for. sorry all the qustions are above.

 

I shoot for 10-15x. It helps keep the detritis off the rocks which keeps the number of bacteria lower and decreases fuel for nuisance algae. Just have some lower flow areas for them amongst the rockwork.

 

ok but how would i seed the live rock if im useing all base rock.

sorry

 

I've never started anything with dry rock, so I have no recommendation from experience on that one.