145g Seahorse Fuge

[Nanook]

Thanks for the advice on feeding. I currently use Hikari Mysis for my large schools of anthias and other fish. I used to feed a LOT of PE Mysis in my old 300g stock tank and it was definitely full of phosphate. I used to buy it directly from the company because I fed so much, good stuff though.

I am collecting some corals for the seahorse tank that will act as hitching posts. The caulerpa in the above pictures took over the fuge very fast!! I had to thin it out a lot, but didn't get it all. I am afraid it will continue to overgrow the tank unless I take all the rock out and start fresh.

 

[namxas]

WOW...nice setup!

Ann is right on the money, and i agree...Dan at SH Source is the best. and, as mentioned don't pay extra for SH color over at OR...i've got some reidi that went from yellow-tan-white-pink-orange-yellow. i've also had erectus go from brown-yellow-orange.

 

[LCP136]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15508533#post15508533 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nanook
Thanks for the advice on feeding. I currently use Hikari Mysis for my large schools of anthias and other fish. I used to feed a LOT of PE Mysis in my old 300g stock tank and it was definitely full of phosphate. I used to buy it directly from the company because I fed so much, good stuff though.

I am collecting some corals for the seahorse tank that will act as hitching posts. The caulerpa in the above pictures took over the fuge very fast!! I had to thin it out a lot, but didn't get it all. I am afraid it will continue to overgrow the tank unless I take all the rock out and start fresh.

Make sure corals you collect have very minor stings if any at all. Also, the macroalgae makes great hitches in there so the corals aren't really necessary. One thing to think about is that if you put the seahorses in a tank that large with that much macro and decoration in it you'll probably seldom see them.

 

[Nanook]

I added a leather coral and was going to put a few different colored seafans and a branching orange or red sponge. I also plan to add a nice cutting of Halimeda as a hitching post. I don't want the feather caulerpa overgrowing the whole tank like in my picture above though.

 

[Nanook]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15478488#post15478488 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elysia
Well, you probably already know that it would be better for the horses if the temp was 74 degrees or under. While it might not seem like that big of a deal to be a few degrees over, from some testing that was done, oportunitistic infection is much more likely above 74 degrees than below it.

Well, this might be the fly in the ointment. I keep my system between 75-77 degrees.....occasionally it will reach 78 degrees. The 145g fuge is fed from the main system and drains back there as well. I know I do not want to go lower than 75 degrees for my acropora and am not quite sure how to make just the fuge cooler.

On some of the websites selling seahorses, the temp range was up to 78 degrees, so I thought I was OK. But, reading some more, it looks like this would be a recipe for disease and illnesses.

 

[ann83]

Dave, while you are far more likely to have success with the seahorses at lower temperatures, it still might be possible. People do keep seahorses at higher temperatures, it just increases the risk of infection. So, you have to keep all the other factors to a minimum: make sure you do a good QT, make sure you feed well, keep parameters very stable, don't introduce inappropriate tankmates, boost the immune system by feeding out ABS gutloaded with beta glucan once or twice a week, etc. And, keep a hospital tank on hand, along with Diamox and antibiotics, in case it doesn't work out. And, it might not.
It would help a great deal if you are able to keep the dissolved organics in your system very low, do frequent large water changes, and have a very low stocking density. It would also help to only get one species of syngnathid, from one source. If you already have pipefish, that'd be another risk factor. Though, again, no guarantee. Bacteria reproduces at a rate that is hard to stay ahead of.

 

[Nanook]

What is the average lifespan of CB H. Reidi in the aquarium setting? I would like to try a pair but am on the fence at present.

 

[ann83]

It isn't really known, since we're getting better at keeping them all the time, but it seems like 5-6 years, sometimes longer (oftentimes shorter ). Pledosophy had a wild caught H. reidi live 5 years for him, and it was purchased full grown of unknown age...

 

[Nanook]

Well, one thing I could do to help with the temperature on this system would be to slow down the flow into the tank from the main system and run a fan over the water to cause evaporative cooling.

 

[ann83]

Yes. That would help. I don't know how much in such a large water volume connected to warmer water, but it definitely helps a lot in the smaller closed systems that I use.

 

[Nanook]

The tank is almost in front of my split system AC as well, so I could just aim the louvers at the seahorse tank which would help too. I will play around with it and see what I can figure out. I currently have a 400 watt Iwasaki over the tank and plan on decreasing to a 175w or 250w bulb to decrease heat.

 

[Elysia]

The nice thing is that you already have the system in place, so you can modify those things and see how it works. But also don't forget that eventually you won't be running your AC (although it certainly doesn't feel that way here, now.)

Ann brought up a good point -- do you have any pipefish in your main tank? They can also bring in disease to any seahorses that you have. At the same time, though, some flagfins or perhaps some alligator pipes (instead of seahorses) may adapt very well to your fuge. People seem to find that the flagfins (I'm not as certain about the alligators, as I have never kept them but was thinking they would like the open space, algae, and sand of your fuge) do alright at tempertures slightly above the temps recommended for seahorses. Personally, I still aim for the 74 and below, and would probably freak out if any of my tanks hit 78 degrees, but the pipes would likely be okay at a stable 78 (you'll want to check on this with someone who has kept them long term in such a setting.)

 

[Nanook]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15535733#post15535733 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elysia
The nice thing is that you already have the system in place, so you can modify those things and see how it works. But also don't forget that eventually you won't be running your AC (although it certainly doesn't feel that way here, now.)

This is a good point, but I suspect that the temp will get to 77-78 from time to time. I do run my split system AC most of the year except on the coldest days outside. I also recirculate fresh air 24/7. I guess my concern is that my temps are going to be too high. I really don't have the interest in raising pipefish either.

 

[LCP136]

Your in an interesting situation. Have you considered setting up a smaller seahorse dedicated setup? I know its a hassle but if you are worried about temperature that might be a good option.

 

[G. Price]

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