SOO MANY PRBLMS!!!

[Octomush]

Hey all,
My tank is all ready for an octopus. I got food a tank and even sum tank mates but no Octo! Heres sum questions...
1) Are the following ok as tank mates for an octo? Seahorse, small puffer, & a anenome crab.
2) Will my puffer harass my sea horse i just fed him but later will he eat him? Puffers r quite aggresive right?
3) I just put a huge mass of live brine into my tank by accident and they are swarming the fish! Is this harmfull?
4) I have dived several spots looking for octos but not have seen a single one! Theres like none left oon the island! Whats going on? Do octo populations like die off sometimes and come back?
Thanks!

 

[clownfish]

puffer fish and seahores are no go the puffer will bother the seahores and puffer will eat octopus. take the shrimp out! they could polute your tank. yes octopus do die of maby you should go tide pooling that is your best bet put a few jars in a tide pool and come back and check them everyday that would catch you an octopus and other cool things. as you should now octopus cant have any tank mates (he will eat them or the will eat him) sorry to be a downer. ohh I wish I could dive and such *sigh* well the best of luck if you do catch one please tell me I think that is so coool

 

[Octomush]

Thanks clownfish! Also I think I'll leave the puffer in for now cuz hes just a tiny baby. But soon ill release him.

 

[clownfish]

you shouldent release ornomental fish to the ocean not even the wright ocean they get used to you and rely on you for food so they cant survive in the wild

 

[joel_ang]

Well it's not exactly a good combination of creatures... I would expect the puffer to either be annoying your seahorse, octo or the crab. And assuming your crab is anemone-less, say goodbye once your octo gets in. Seahorse and octos don't normally go well together, a dead/missing seahorse would not be suprising.

I think you should wait til you've settled your tankmates before getting another octo.

 

[Octomush]

Thanks joel,
The puffer is actually being quite docile I think its cuz I fed him. And I thought that seahorses adn octos were perfect for each other! Damn what a waste of money. Also I will deffinately wait to get an octo because I am going on vacation to Oregon... Which raises a whole new set of problems.
That weird nasty blackish goo coating the sand wont go away! I've tried picking it up with a baggy, I've tried vacuming it, and ive tried burrying it. NONE WORK! What can I do!?!? By the time I get back it will be overrun by that stuff! HELP!
And also I dont ave any plant life for my sea horse and no stores sell them! AAAUGH! What will I doooooo!!?! My poor fish! Someone plz help!

 

[Jean]

Hi OM,

For your Horse, get some fine marine grade rope and split the strands Tie them to a small rock or lead weight and place in Tank. Sea horses will happily hitch to something like that!

As for your sand can you get some burrowers? Maybe some worms they should help!

J

 

[Octomush]

Hello Jean,
I took some netting attached it too sum coral overed sinkers my dad and I found diving the other day and a floater yesterday. It didnt work. The seahorse was on it a total of twice and now spends most of its time looking at its reflection. I think shes sad... Ive been trying to get sum like burrowing fellows that you talk about but so far no luck. I think I could catch sum sand turtles or whatever you call um. The little digging oval crabs... But no worms. Things have taken a turn for the worse and the puffer is being mean. When he aproaches the little horse. She swimgs her head at him. Is this normal!!??! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

 

[Octomush]

Disaster!!! I fear that the seahorse is a lost cause. Her breathing is heavy and she seems lonly diseased. It's soo sad I cant take it! Shell either die by the puffers hand or a disease I'm sure. She apeared to be perfectly healthy before but now she is rapidly deteriorating.

 

[Jean]

Hi OM, Puffers can be really aggressive and can harrass other fish to death. Seahorses are gregarious they like company of their own spp. We never keep only one horse. Also most seahorses are monogamous and mate for life. So if your horse has been separated from a mate she could be pining.

J

 

[monty]

seahorse hitching posts

When I used to keep seahorses, I got some kind of stuff they liked; I think it was a coral, but it may have been some kind of seaweed husk; it was a dried black branched thing that was sold in the same store as the seahorses (this was back in the late 70s, so they're long gone...) Anyway, the seahorses I had were not at all picky about what to hang on, as long as it was something thin enough they could wrap their tails around.

I never kept any other fish or swimming inverts with them; just a few anemones and hermit crabs. They did seem happier when there were several in the tank, however. I've since read that they are notoriously hard to keep, but I didn't have any trouble as a kid with little aquarium experience, and that was before I had heard of skimmers and live rock and such, so it was all just undergravel filters, air bubblers, and checking the salinity and ph regularly.

 

[Octomush]

Wow thanks Jean & monty! As for that husk stuff I think they sell some here at Coral Fish Hawaii but it's extremely expenisive! I'll try and get my horse a suitable mate as soon as possible.

 

[Jean]

Hi

Seahorses can be hard to keep especially wild caught ones. water quality has to be perfect and as they have no stomach they nead HEAPS of food. We feed ours upwards of 5 times a day. We feed live mixed plankton (caught on the end of our jetty!) and frozen Krill Nyctiphanes australis we also catch live mysids for them. Brine Shrimps are not fed as they lack nutrition. We feed live food to excess........more than they can eat in one meal cos they will eat it and it won't do any harm in the tank. The frozen stuff we feed slowly until the horses stop eating then stop as we don't want too much on the bottom of the tank.

OM if your horses are wild caught it will take some time (if ever) for them to learn to eat frozen/dead food. Do any of your shops sell Mysid shrimps?? If not you can try netting them in brackish water eg where a storm water drain flows into the sea.

Cheers

Jean

 

[chrono_war01]

Hi

Seahorses can be hard to keep especially wild caught ones. water quality has to be perfect and as they have no stomach they nead HEAPS of food. We feed ours upwards of 5 times a day. We feed live mixed plankton (caught on the end of our jetty!) and frozen Krill Nyctiphanes australis we also catch live mysids for them. Brine Shrimps are not fed as they lack nutrition. We feed live food to excess........more than they can eat in one meal cos they will eat it and it won't do any harm in the tank. The frozen stuff we feed slowly until the horses stop eating then stop as we don't want too much on the bottom of the tank.

OM if your horses are wild caught it will take some time (if ever) for them to learn to eat frozen/dead food. Do any of your shops sell Mysid shrimps?? If not you can try netting them in brackish water eg where a storm water drain flows into the sea.

Cheers

Jean

how exactly do Mysids look like?

 

[Jean]

Small shrimps! Check out this website for a piccy!


http://www.woodbridge.tased.edu.au/mdc/Species Register/mysids_and_isopods.htm

J