Dear Claire:
That’s quite a dilemma!
Okay, this is what I would be inclined to do under the circumstances. When you pick them up, I would acclimate the two Hippocampus kuda seahorses to your larger aquarium, which seems to have the better overall water quality and stability at this point, even though it may not have cycled completely as of yet. Due to the larger volume of water, it will be more resistant to dramatic changes in the ammonia or nitrite level so the water quality should not deteriorate as rapidly.
Go ahead and complete your preparations with the temporary 20-gallon aquarium as well. Make the water changes you are planning and work on getting the nitrate levels down. That way, you will have a backup tank ready if the water quality in the larger aquarium does start to go downhill after you add the seahorses.
And the first thing that I would do is to get some marine BioSpira and add it to both aquariums according to directions as to what is possible. It can help get the ammonia/nitrite levels down quickly and can keep them at acceptable levels thereafter, if the beneficial bacteria it contains are still viable. That will help the water quality in both aquariums and give you a better chance of avoiding any serious complications.
Best of luck with your new seahorses, Claire.
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.
