Dear Deb:
I’m sorry to hear about the problems you’ve been having with your seahorse setup.
I agree with Leslie — it sounds like your aquarium may never have cycled initially while you were so patiently waiting because there was no bioload in the tank and therefore no source of ammonia to feed the beneficial nitrifying bacteria. Leslie gave you an excellent advice and that regard, and I would follow her suggestions explicitly.
Let us know when your ammonia and nitrite readings are finally back down to zero again, and we can work on adjusting your pH in stabilizing it in the proper range at that time. But for now, the low pH is actually helping to protect your seahorses from the ammonia that’s present.
In the meantime, there have been a few other threads on the Ocean Rider Club discussion board at seahorse.com from hobbyists who were just starting out with seahorses that you should also find to be of interest, Deb. They discuss setting up an ideal system for seahorses, filtration, feeding, lighting, circulation and so on. I’ve provided links to those discussions for you below, so please check them out. I think they will answer many of your questions about keeping seahorses:
Click here: Seahorse.com – Seahorse, Sea Life, Marine Life, Aquafarm Sales, Feeds and Accessories – Re:ok stocking density…
http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/catid,2/id,1526/#1526
Re:Hello, newbie here! – O http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/id,1004/catid,2/
Click here: Seahorse.com – Seahorse, Sea Life, Marine Life, Aquafarm Sales, Feeds and Accessories – Re:Setting up a 100gal for
http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/id,1382/catid,2/
Re: Guidance on Keeping Seahorses:
http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/id,639/catid,2/
Re: New to seahorses and I have lots of questions!
http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/id,152/catid,2/
Re: Tank set-up advice
http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/id,715/catid,2
Re:New-comer in need of help
http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/catid,2/id,2180/#2180
Re:New with lots of questions 🙂
http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/catid,2/id,1050/#1050
In particular, Deb, be sure to copy and paste the following URL for a good discussion on cycling a new aquarium, suggested maintenance for a seahorse setup, and performing water changes. It should help you understand the cycling process a little better:
Click here: Seahorse.com – Seahorse, Sea Life, Marine Life, Aquafarm Sales, Feeds and Accessories – Re:need info on protien skimmer among other things
Best of luck with your new seahorse setup, Deb!
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
