2 parter... appropriate setup, and seahorse.org

[Charlie97L]

first, how long does it take to get reviewed at seahorse.org? i registered and confirmed this morning, but no go.

second... i have a 20g (24x12x16) setup for leathers, photo gorgonians, and zoanthids, with a green clown goby.

it has a mag 12 on a scwd dialed way back... i'd say 5-600 max, if that.

i've read a few items on how much flow they like, some say strong currents, others say 2-4x tank turnover.

if i swapped the pump out, is there a pair of seahorses that could go in there? i know they like lower temps, i can address that, after i address the possibility of keeping a pair. also, if swap out the pump, would that be detrimental to the coral i have?

i was just curious, as i was looking to stock another fish or two in there, and seahorses crept to mind.

i've read a lot about them, and feel i have a handle on their care... so i don't need the basic info, just if my setup is appropriate. if not, i'm not going to try them.

any input is welcome, thanks!!

 

[seas_inside]

Your setup is fairly ok, but I would recommend getting a bigger tank. It's still possible... and I'm pretty sure the goby would be fine.

At seahorse.org, just be patient, it can take a few days.

 

[Charlie97L]

that's what i thought... okay. it was just a thought! thanks for the input!

 

[Samala]

For the first part: they dont really like fast (or high velocity) current or "flow", but they do certainly benefit from high turnover rates (and resulting better filtration and gas exchange) in the system. They just dont swim well enough in most situations to stand up to crashing current you might use more typically for reef setups. Think slow flow, not low flow.

Now, will they hold up to currents for short periods? Certainly. Are there reports from this board and others where SH owners watch their fish intentionally swim a current? Absolutely. They just dont do well in that environment full time.

I cant give much details on the coral unfortunately. I would ask the coral forums/main reef discussion how a slower flow tank would work with gorgs, zoa and the leather.

Second part: Its really best to specifically ask seahorse.org questions about how they run the forum. While there is traffic back and forth between the boards and shared members, ReefCentral doesn't have any affiliation with them. So it would be just happenstance if someone here knew what was going on.

I completely understand why you'd post here, but just for the future (and for anyone else who is reading) if seahorse.org is down, or taking a long time to respond, or you have other SH.org problems, its best to ask them. I know the main guy for SH.org, Marc, is very good with posting notices to the main website page if there are announcements to be made concerning anything major. All other problems, you just have to be patient.

>Sarah

 

[Charlie97L]

thanks! he saw this post apparently, and PMed me... i couldn't find an admin email addy on the main page, that's the only reason i posted here.

thanks for the tip!

what size pump would be appropriate, do you think?

thanks!

 

[cmsargent]

Hey Charlie,

I have about 3.5-4x turnover on my 29g seahorse tank with erectus. As Sarah said current is more important in a seahorse tank than just water turnover. I know some folks who have a high flow but use spraybars to break it up. Or get creative with live rock placement. One of my horses spends most of his waking time hitched right in front of the PH. The flow pushes him sideways until he is practically laying on sand...he seems to like it. They also surf in the current. I've seen then doing flips across the tank in the flow. Silly animals. However when they hitch for the night it's always in a couple of places that get almost no flow. I think higher flow is ok as long as you make sure there are some areas that get very little flow (might be a bit hard in a small tank like your 20g). IMHO seahorses like flow but they need quite areas where they can rest and sleep too.

As for flow and corals. I have a finger leather, 2 gorgs, and a handful of zoas. They're all doing well in the flow I have. Because of the way I have flow set up I do tend to have a couple of dead areas where detritus tends to settle and I'll get small patches of cyano in those areas. That's the only issue I've had with lower flow.

BTW this is ChrisS from WAMAS. You're welcome to come over and see my setup if you want. There are a couple of other people in the area that have seahorses as well (Dave (mogurnda) has a seahorse tank too, set up a bit different than mine if you want more local opinions)