So My Fiancee Talked me into a seahorse tank

[mgoesma]

So my Fiancee has been asking since i got back into the hobby for sea horses. I'm sure many of you have had this problem. I keep telling her that we cant put them into my Display tank because they will die. :-( Well just last week she figured out a new angle. I have a 37 column that i keep Fresh water fish in. I really don't do a lot with it mainly because its self sufficient. i sometimes let it get a little over grown with algae. so last week it wasn't looking the best and she decided i should give my fish to ny nephew who just got his first aquarium and turn it into a sea horse tank. I got to say its not a bad idea. (don't tell her that). so i have been reading up on pony's. looks like i will need to keep the water at 72 to 74. i can do that. have a lot of hitching post. i can do that. I need low flow. i can do that. Plant macro algae and softies, She loves softies so that works. I am feeling like the best options are to drill it and add a sump. i can do that. ill need to get a protein skimmer. we will have a refugium in the sump. We will be getting 2 Lined Seahorses. maybe adding a couple other docile fish. I'm thinking i can complete the whole build for $500. Yay!! Thats affordable. I will use this thread to track my progress and ask for advice. please feel free to let me know what i'm doing wrong. I am new to sea horses.

 

[mgoesma]

helps if you spell horse right in the name. lol.

 

[mgoesma]

Ill post some pics when i get home.

 

[Greybeard]

Once upon a time, I used to keep Kuda and Erectus.

Take a look around at http://seahorse.org/ Especially at their 'tankmates guide'.

I eventually gave up, decided that I was unwilling to keep killing these beautiful creatures. I made every attempt to do everything right, and still managed to loose them far more often than I was willing to accept. Personally, I've decided they're better off left in the oceans.

If you do start a seahorse system, please, please, buy only healthy, captive bred specimens. If it's not from ORA or Ocean Rider, I'd be highly suspect!

 

[Heather w]

So my Fiancee has been asking since i got back into the hobby for sea horses. I'm sure many of you have had this problem. I keep telling her that we cant put them into my Display tank because they will die. :-( Well just last week she figured out a new angle. I have a 37 column that i keep Fresh water fish in. I really don't do a lot with it mainly because its self sufficient. i sometimes let it get a little over grown with algae. so last week it wasn't looking the best and she decided i should give my fish to ny nephew who just got his first aquarium and turn it into a sea horse tank. I got to say its not a bad idea. (don't tell her that). so i have been reading up on pony's. looks like i will need to keep the water at 72 to 74. i can do that. have a lot of hitching post. i can do that. I need low flow. i can do that. Plant macro algae and softies, She loves softies so that works. I am feeling like the best options are to drill it and add a sump. i can do that. ill need to get a protein skimmer. we will have a refugium in the sump. We will be getting 2 Lined Seahorses. maybe adding a couple other docile fish. I'm thinking i can complete the whole build for $500. Yay!! Thats affordable. I will use this thread to track my progress and ask for advice. please feel free to let me know what i'm doing wrong. I am new to sea horses.

 

[mgoesma]

Thanks will do. I have been doing a lot of research.

 

[mort]

This was mine a few years ago. It was low ish flow but you'd be surprised that seahorses like a bit more than the 2-3 times turnover you often see advised. They need quieter areas to rest and feed but my female lowed swimming against the current.
I had a pair of giant Reidi in there that were bred locally by a friend. I raised a good number of their offspring. Over here apart from giant Reidi you won't see any wild caught seahorses. We can easily get hold of erectus, kuda, comes and Reidi and they are far cheaper than wild caught. I'd only go for captive bred and erectus seem particularly hardy (and relatively easy to breed, plus the babies at least the one I had, can have really cool extentions).
For tank mates I had a pair of bluestripe pipes and a pair of scooter dragonets (basically equally slow feeders who won't compete).

 

[Waters]

I actually had the exact same situation with my wife.....I set up the seahorse tank, kept them for about 3 months, then tore it down It was much more work than I had anticipated....the multiple feedings throughout the day became too much for me to keep up on so rather than risk the life of the livestock, I returned them to the LFS. Currently the tank has a small puffer and cardinal.

 

[Diego Johnson]

First I have to know what is the length of your seahorse tank. If you have largest seahorse tank, filtration is the great way to go. You can use a canister filter, you should remember weekly 10% water you have to change when you using a canister filter. You should use the live sand or live pebbles, these keep the tank cleaner and make a nice natural setting. You can keep seahorses pair and group.

 

[d2mini]

Just FYI, Fiancé is the person, Fiancee is the word for the period of time you are engaged... the engagement.

Seahorses are so cool.
But I've always been afraid I'd kill them.

 

[laga77]

Here is my 47G cube Seahorse tank. Its been going for 18 months. I have a pair of H. Erectus who breed on a regular basis. There is also a pair of Red Scooters, pair of Orange Spotted Filefish, a Yellow Multi-banded Pipefish, and a Cowfish. It has a sump with skimmer and a small chiller to keep it at 72F-74F. Everyone just loves Seahorses.

 

[mgoesma]

Just FYI, Fiancé is the person, Fiancee is the word for the period of time you are engaged... the engagement.

Seahorses are so cool.
But I've always been afraid I'd kill them.

good to know. I'm new to being engaged so learning the lingo.

 

[mgoesma]

Here is my 47G cube Seahorse tank. Its been going for 18 months. I have a pair of H. Erectus who breed on a regular basis. There is also a pair of Red Scooters, pair of Orange Spotted Filefish, a Yellow Multi-banded Pipefish, and a Cowfish. It has a sump with skimmer and a small chiller to keep it at 72F-74F. Everyone just loves Seahorses.

What kind of chiller?
I have been looking into a few but they are all so expensive.

 

[mgoesma]

First I have to know what is the length of your seahorse tank. If you have largest seahorse tank, filtration is the great way to go. You can use a canister filter, you should remember weekly 10% water you have to change when you using a canister filter. You should use the live sand or live pebbles, these keep the tank cleaner and make a nice natural setting. You can keep seahorses pair and group.

it is a 37 column. so it is 12"L x 30"W x 22"H

 

[mgoesma]

So, Some more updates of what in thinking.
In the Sump/ refugium - i will keep rock and chaeto. I will also have a cooler of some sort, skimmer, carbon.
in the tank - i am thinking no sub-strait. about 20 lb reef saver rock, 10 lb multi branching rock. i will plant kelp, dragons breath, and maybe some other macro algae. I will also have some softy corals like kenya tree, paly, maybe a leather. I will have one small power head for some movement.

All rock will be dry.
Lighting will be 2 24 in t5. not sure of the color bulbs yet but i have 2 new pink bulbs at the house.
Still need to find an affordable cooler. not supper worried as i believe the actual horse are still 6 months out.

 

[mgoesma]

Has anyone ever used a brine shrimp hatchery with Seahorses?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

A brine shrimp hatchery won't feed regular sized seahorses. That would be more for dwarf horses and fry.

 

[Florida Sunshine]

Best of luck. I tried and failed to keep these wonderful animals. Living in Florida I just couldn't keep the temp low enough for them.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Take a look around at http://seahorse.org/ Especially at their 'tankmates guide'.

If you do start a seahorse system, please, please, buy only healthy, captive bred specimens. If it's not from ORA or Ocean Rider, I'd be highly suspect!

SeahorseSource.com is THEE place to go for captive bred horses. If you have an issues, you can talk to the breeders and they have zero bad reviews.

We have our own version of the tankmates guide here in a thread. I wish Seahorse.org was more active.

http://reef2reef.com/threads/seahorse-tankmates-guide-part-i-fish.258832/

 

[Greybeard]

SeahorseSource.com is THEE place to go for captive bred horses. If you have an issues, you can talk to the breeders and they have zero bad reviews.

We have our own version of the tankmates guide here in a thread. I wish Seahorse.org was more active.

http://reef2reef.com/threads/seahorse-tankmates-guide-part-i-fish.258832/

As I said, many years ago... my info pre-dates this source, and your info on seahorse.org is likely more current than mine. Circa 2001, I was primary maintainer of Seahorse.org. I note that the menu system they are using, and the look/feel of the site, is the same design I did for them nearly 20 years ago. It was quite active at the time, sorry to hear that is no longer the case. I haven't logged on in a dozen years or so.

In any case, I certainly don't have anything negative to say about SeahorseSource... at the time I was attempting to keep Seahorses, ORA and Ocean Rider were really the only two reputable breeders out there. If SeahorseSource has taken the ball and run with it... GREAT! Just trying to encourage healthy, captive bred animals on anyone attempting to keep these marvelous creatures.