5 gallon nano Sea Horse tank.. (NEW)

R

Reistroffer

New member
Hey Guys,


First off I'm new to reefcentral so please forgive me if im not as smart with the lingo as everyone! :) ...Anywho I'm new to sea horse's as a whole....not marine aquaitics....Anyways I'm currently running a 125 gallon reef with a 45 gallon refigum ..which is about 9 months old...have a few tangs...tons of coral...yada yada ...does really well....On that tank I run a UV/2800 gallon per hour turn over/ 2 400 watt mhs ...etc ...and also i use my own RO/DI unit ...So I have a pretty good set up and foundation on this hobby.... but sea horses are new so im gonna have a ton of stupid questions...

anywho I recently set up a 5 gallon nano with around 9lbs of live rock... normal pc light...sand bed (thin) ...

The tank has a filter on it designed for a 55 gallon (I wanted to over filter the tank) ...but im noticing the current is pretty high...im reading they LIKE a lower current...is there anything i can do? besides getting a new filter?....or is this my only choice? heat in the tank stay's at 77F...so thats nice... the animals are eatting really well...they were captive raised so they eat dead food....i turn the filter off when feeding them....anyways ...

if anyone has any ideas or suggestions ...all are welcome...

is there anyway i can have them in my 125 reef?

really established...heck i have 2 mandrins that are SUPER fat... :)


~Chris
 
Hey Chris, you didn't tell us what kind of horses you got, or how many. yes they do like lower flow. what brand filter is it? sometimes you can modify the impeller or get a smaller one from a smaller filter model. I wouldn't put them in your 125g. do you have a male and a female mandarin? suggestion - if the tank is doing well, just make sure you keep it topped off, it will evap quickly and could swing the SG too high for the SH. larger water changes would be a plus too.

luck,
mark
 
Honestly im not sure what kind of sh they are... im going to be doing a 10% water change each day on the tank (from my main tank) (my levels are PERFECT) ....knock on wood... the filter..im not to sure...

Anyone know how to post a picture?

im not as good with this stuff as i would like to be
 
http://www.imageshack.us/ owns you, then just "
 
Chris,
I'm sorry to tell you, but your 5 gal nano is far too small for any horses except dwarfs, and I can tell by the pic and the fact you say they are captive raised that they are not dwarfs.

So, lets get more info on your 125 reef, and forget about flow, etc in that little nano. Do you have any stinging corals in your reef? If so, the answer is no. Do you have any fast moving fish in your reef, then the answer is also no. You say you have tangs, they usually aren't compatible with seahorses.

If I were you, I'd set up another tank, somewhere in the range of 30-40 gallons for the seahorses, and use the nano for more nano-ish stuff. They may be doing OK for now, but they will grow, and that size tank just won't be suitable.
 
Possibly, but the stress of being in too crowded of a tank will definitely kill them in the long run.
Your pic appears to be a juvenile reidi. Those are some fairly large horses when full grown. Crown to tail, they could get 8" tall. Your 5 gal will never be big enough for even one. Please re-think keeping any seahorses except dwarfs in that size tank.
 
Today i upgraded the nano to a 20 gallon tall for the time being, added some plant life for them to play in...so that should rock for them!

anywho...are there other things they may need?


~Chris
 
I hate to be the mean one...

but shouldn't you have done research before buying the sea horses?

I mean, obviously you are not dumb because it sounds like you have a nice big reef... but I recommend doing your research before buying next time.

I would help ya out, but school is awaiting me.

Not trying to be mean, good luck,

Jordan
 
dont get me wrong, im wishing i would have researched this more, i just really rely'd on the guy who sold them to me, he's never steared me wrong in the past...so i figured i'd trust him... everything seems to be going rather well at the moment (knock on wood)

any hints or tips are welcome!

~Chris
 
Its not uncommon for the LFS guys to underestimate SHs for tank size since they are so slow moving and tend to come in from the captive bred operations at a pretty small size (growing them out is expensive). The 20 tall should be good, though it is the minimum size recommended, once it cycles. :) Good choice!

I think you're off to a good start with lots of macros in the new tank, that will keep down the need to do lots of water changes each week and the need for a skimmer (might want to read up on pros/cons of skimmers with SH). Otherwise, you may want to cruise SH.org's board and look for what medications they recommend to have on hand for emergencies should the need ever arise.

And... might want to read up on food enrichment (Selco, phytoplan, naturose, etc.) to beef up the mysis' nutritional profile. I think you're off to a solid start honestly. :) Five gallons might not be ideal but its temporary.

>Sarah
 
Hey sarah,

Thanks for the reply all advice here is welcome! ..Yesterday night I upgraded there tank to a 20 gallon tall, and put some macro in there tank ...they're loving it! ..play in it constantly...anywho they're on dead brine shrimp and misits* sp on that one... The tank didn't need to " cycle " because I took live sand from my 125 reef and live rock from it as well ..and water...so everything has been aged for around 7/8 months....The filter is basicly a power head that runs through a cloth with live rock in it...in the tank i prolly have a grand total of 16lbs of live rock. ..Big thing i've been hearing everywhere is they love to eat all the time...so for the past few days i've been feeding them twice a day... That enough?...or to much? ...This weekend im going to be putting a skimmer on the tank ...just i have to " rig " it so it doesn't slam flow on the horses...right now the tank has a GOOD current...but they're out swimming around so im assuming its not to bad...

also i keep the tank at 77F ...im reading they like a lower temp?

anyone have any advice there?

thank you!
 
It sounds like everything is OK if they are out swimming around. The problems come when they don't feel safe enough to turn loose of their hitches long enough to eat. I have to ask tho, how many is "they"? A 20 gal tank is the minimum size for 1 pair of reidi.
77F is an OK temp. Some keepers like to keep it lower, but you should strive to not let it get any higher. If you can keep it at 72-73 on a regular basis, that would probably be ideal.
Mysis should probably be their staple food. Brine shrimp, especially "dead" has no nutritional value unless it's enriched. Feed whenever you like, as long as there isn't food laying around to foul your water. Some feed several times a day and siphon leftovers, I personally feed once a day or once every other day.
 
i have 2 sea horse in my 20 gal, they are cling'n to the rock right now..but again they've only been in this tank for a day ...so im sure they're still lil scared of the tank...they love to eat thats for sure..hehe

~Chris
 
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