Dear Tamy:
When it comes to the water temperature in a small, closed-system home aquarium, my experience has been that Mustangs and Sunbursts are more comfortable closer to 75°F rather than closer to 80°F, Tamy.
At the Ocean Rider aquaculture facility in Hawaii, Mustangs and Sunburst are raised at a constant temperature of 75°F, and they are most comfortable with stable water temperatures in the range from 72°F-77°F. They can begin to experience heat stress and associated health problems in a home aquarium when the water temperature approaches 80°F or above for any length of time.
Also, I should point out that when you are adjusting the water temperature of the aquarium water while seahorses are living in your aquarium, you must be careful to do so very gradually, which means taking care not to raise or lower the water temperature more than 2°F per day.
When raising the temperature upwards, it is always a good idea to increase the surface agitation and aeration in the aquarium as you do so, in order to facilitate better gas exchange at the air/water interface and to promote more efficient oxygenation, because the warmer the water is, the less dissolved oxygen it can hold, and seahorses do best when the dissolved oxygen levels are near the maximum.
In your case, Tamy, if you find that your seahorses were more active and gregarious at a slightly lower water temperature, then I would gradually drop your water temperature a degree or two until you are back to the comfort zone for your particular ponies.
Best wishes with all your fishes, Tamy!
Respectfully,
Pete Giwojna, Ocean Rider Tech Support
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.
