anyone keep their seahorses in a REEF tank?
- Thread starter carpus
- Start date
pledosophy
Active member
I keep several corals, but not really a reef tank. I keep my temp at 74 and my flow broken up enough to let the horses thrive. I do love my corals, but the horses come first.
Bemmer
Premium Member
Tom,
I have my seahorse tank and reef tank seperate but they are plumbed together sharing the same sump, skimmer, temperature etc. Nothing in either tank yet...still cycling
I plan to keep my main tank at 78F. Is there a real big issue with keeping the seahorses at that temp???
I have my seahorse tank and reef tank seperate but they are plumbed together sharing the same sump, skimmer, temperature etc. Nothing in either tank yet...still cycling
I plan to keep my main tank at 78F. Is there a real big issue with keeping the seahorses at that temp???
pledosophy
Active member
Just bacterial infections. 
Samala
New member
Pledosophy's right on.. there is a correlation between higher temps and bacterial infections with SH. I'm not sure if thats a scientifically published/studied phenomenon but it holds true across many hobbyists' tanks and experiences. 78F isnt actually that high but even those four little degrees might make a difference in the SH's ability to fight off infection.
>Sarah
>Sarah
Jaguar
New member
I don't yet have seahorses, but any tank with any corals in it is technically a 'reef' tank from what my reef tank friends tell me. I'm constantly telling them it's a seahorse tank, but they insist it's a reef tank now too. I definately will not be keeping my seahorses in a FOWLR tank. I have mushrooms, Xenia, ricordeas, gorgonians, zoanthids, leathers, and some halamida. I am about to add shoal grass, manatee grass and stargrass to it. Mind this set-up is only a 20g, but I will be upgrading to a 70g tall before seahorses will be added to it.
pledosophy
Active member
The rate at which certain bactrias reproduce and how virtulent they are is greatly dependent on temps. 82 is going to be too high IMO. 78 is already pushing it. At 69 many strains of problamatic bacterias complete stop reproducing and become virtually non aggressive. This is why you will see dropping the temp to 69F or below of treatment of bacterial diseases.
Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable over 75 no matter what equipment was being used. This to also depends on the seahorses. There are some ingens that come from warmer climates that could potentially stand long exposure to temps in the higher 70's, but IMO anything above 78F ever is a risk.
UV's are great at killing bacteria that passes through them. Unfortuanetly given the right conditions bacteria can reproduce at an alarming rate. Some bacterias have the ability to completely double themselves in 20 minutes under the right conditions, one of these conditions being higher temps. A UV would not be able to keep up.
Unfortanetly recent studies have shown that the bacterias most common to cause problems with seahorses are mutated by exposure to UV for periods longer then 70 seconds. They then become UV resistant. These stronger strains of the bacteria can also become more resistant to antibiotics.
I'm not knocking UV's. I have an 18w on my 65g, bought a cannister just to polish the water before the UV, I just don't believe they are the Pancea. They cannot make up for poor husbandry practices. They are an addition, not a cure all.
In the past couple years since the push for lower temps has begun, we have also seen a radical decline in the outbreaks of bacterial diseases. While break throughs in nutirition and general care requirements have made advances over this time period I believe the greatest factor in improving the overall health of hobbyists seahorses is the drop in temperature.
Following syngnathid forums will show that outbreaks of bactrial disease is much more common the higher the temps are.
On the coral issue there are many safe and beautiful corals that are seahorse compatible. i have a tank full of them. They do make the decor more intresting then your Pirate ship, or Greek Pillars. JMO.
Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable over 75 no matter what equipment was being used. This to also depends on the seahorses. There are some ingens that come from warmer climates that could potentially stand long exposure to temps in the higher 70's, but IMO anything above 78F ever is a risk.
UV's are great at killing bacteria that passes through them. Unfortuanetly given the right conditions bacteria can reproduce at an alarming rate. Some bacterias have the ability to completely double themselves in 20 minutes under the right conditions, one of these conditions being higher temps. A UV would not be able to keep up.
Unfortanetly recent studies have shown that the bacterias most common to cause problems with seahorses are mutated by exposure to UV for periods longer then 70 seconds. They then become UV resistant. These stronger strains of the bacteria can also become more resistant to antibiotics.
I'm not knocking UV's. I have an 18w on my 65g, bought a cannister just to polish the water before the UV, I just don't believe they are the Pancea. They cannot make up for poor husbandry practices. They are an addition, not a cure all.
In the past couple years since the push for lower temps has begun, we have also seen a radical decline in the outbreaks of bacterial diseases. While break throughs in nutirition and general care requirements have made advances over this time period I believe the greatest factor in improving the overall health of hobbyists seahorses is the drop in temperature.
Following syngnathid forums will show that outbreaks of bactrial disease is much more common the higher the temps are.
On the coral issue there are many safe and beautiful corals that are seahorse compatible. i have a tank full of them. They do make the decor more intresting then your Pirate ship, or Greek Pillars. JMO.
greenighs
New member
Tank raised and captive bred seahorses aren't immune to most diseases. They just haven't been exposed to them and so won't introduce them to your tank.
I'm not saying that if you keep your seahorses in the high seventies or low eighties they WILL get bacterial infections, but they do have a much better chance of staying healthy at lower temps. Yes, in the wild they live at higher temps, but in the wild, they also get 100% water changes twice a day with tides and currents, so bacteria are less likely to overwhelm them. In a home aquarium, we are providing a closed enviroment that is perfect for bacteria to thrive in, so we have to do what we can to minimize the risk to our horses.
There are people who have seahorse tanks plumbed into larger reef systems. If the horses are healthy to beginw with and you watch them carefully for signs of illness or infection, you might be able to get away with it .... I'd plumb them between the sump and return, rather than between the reef and the sump, as the reef lights will be heating the water up even more and it may be cooler coming from the sump. Any medications for the horses if they get sick will, of course, have to be administered in a quarantine/hospital tank.
Now, the other issue is, will your reef be okay with the seahorse tank in the loop? Seahorses aren't very efficient feeders (lots of food waste and nutrient-rich poop), so your reef might not like all that.
You might find that a separate tank kept at a lower temp, with a canister filter and/or refugium works better in the long run, though.
I'm not saying that if you keep your seahorses in the high seventies or low eighties they WILL get bacterial infections, but they do have a much better chance of staying healthy at lower temps. Yes, in the wild they live at higher temps, but in the wild, they also get 100% water changes twice a day with tides and currents, so bacteria are less likely to overwhelm them. In a home aquarium, we are providing a closed enviroment that is perfect for bacteria to thrive in, so we have to do what we can to minimize the risk to our horses.
There are people who have seahorse tanks plumbed into larger reef systems. If the horses are healthy to beginw with and you watch them carefully for signs of illness or infection, you might be able to get away with it .... I'd plumb them between the sump and return, rather than between the reef and the sump, as the reef lights will be heating the water up even more and it may be cooler coming from the sump. Any medications for the horses if they get sick will, of course, have to be administered in a quarantine/hospital tank.
Now, the other issue is, will your reef be okay with the seahorse tank in the loop? Seahorses aren't very efficient feeders (lots of food waste and nutrient-rich poop), so your reef might not like all that.
You might find that a separate tank kept at a lower temp, with a canister filter and/or refugium works better in the long run, though.
reefnewbie54321
In Memoriam
Dont no much about seahorses but my uncles best freind has a in-wall 120 w/ a 55 gallon refugium ... he keeps a pair of seahorses in there.
JustDavidP
New member
Seahorses are (for the most part) a lagoonal or reef flat fish.
Would you put a North American Beaver in a Kalahari Desert display?
You are better off making a purdy lil' biotope for your ponies that meet their needs.
D
Would you put a North American Beaver in a Kalahari Desert display?
You are better off making a purdy lil' biotope for your ponies that meet their needs.
D
