My tank has a few more weeks of fishlessness (is that a word?) to go before i can introduce any horses to it. But, can i go ahead and get my H. erectus pair and let them be in a quarantine tank until then? I figured i could kill 2 birds with one stone, and i wouldnt have to wait any longer after the ich was gone to quarantine the horses.

I have a 15gal tall tank, if i stuck a powerfilter on it, kept it barebottom, and threw a few pieces of fake coral in there for hitching posts, would it suit the purpose of quarantine?

My Tank should be ready by the end of march, is that too long for them to be held up in this tank?

Are weekly 10% water changes sufficient for this type of bare-bottom tank?

-Adam

You know what you really need to get before you set up a QT tank? A fully stocked medicine cabinet. If you don't you could be running around at the last minute and it could be the difference of life and death for the seahorse.

Here's the basics of what I recommend...
Diamox (can be purchased HERE. (http://www.inhousedrugstore.com/neurological/diamox.html) This is the second most commonly used drug among my seahorse friends in the treatment of seahorse ailments)
Neomycin
Trisulfa
Triple antibiotic ointment or Biobandage
Methylene Blue
IV catheter sleeve (18-24 guage)
Metronidazole
Formalin
Amquel+
Refractometer for hyposalinity treatments (a swing arm type is not accurate enough for this purpose)
Clove Oil
Beta Glucan

i agree with Renee. definitely get your med cabinet squared away. there's nothing worse than running around trying to find meds/supplies when you need them.

that being said, for the kind of QT you propose, i'd do a 10% daily WC and a 50% weekly WC. siphon out feces and uneaten food promptly. you don't need a powerfilter (unless it's mature), just an airline. remember, this tank should never be allowed to cycle unless you use a mature filter, which would already be cycled.

i will admit i dont have this type of stuff stock piled, but i would like to ask.

what's the shelf life on any of this.. should we worry about getting it and having it loose its effectiveness after 3-6-9 months or something?

Most of it is good for a few years.

when you say IV catheter sleeve, do you mean the plastic coating around the needle? i can get some of those from work but whats the best gauge needle to get? and what the heck am i going to be using most of this stuff for? can you give me specific diseases and the treatments they require?

and by the way, is until the end of march too long for these guys to be in QT?

as a side note, seahorse source has no sexed pairs available for me as of yet. Its possible for them to guestimate but i just called down there and apparently they will likely sell out before they can gaurantee sexed pairs. Would yall rely on this guy's guess considering hes a seasoned horse expert?

i believe Renee gave you the proper gauge for the cath sleeve...it's 18-24 ga. this is mostly used in the event of pouch embolism in male SH, altho it could also be used for tube feeding should it become necessary.

as far as SH source is concerned, Dan is the best there is IMHO, and altho sometimes SH can fool you at young ages, i'd trust his judgement. there's a reason he sells out...he and his crew are top notch in every way.

Yup, what Saxman says. We are doing a podcast tomorrow on seahorse diseases..... it might be right up your alley!

Yup, Dan is the best of the best but no one can guarantee a horses that is too young to be sexed..... no matter how good ya are, the horse could very well turn out to be something different.