first seahorse tank need some advice

[cajunpuffer]

Hello everyone,
After setting up my 125gl reef, my wife now wants her FW 44gl hex turned into a seahorse tank.
I am all for it but need some advice on equipment.
My reef is sps lps mixed so I have tons of flow, i have read seahorse tanks use little flow.

Here is what I was thinking of for equipment...
Filtering..LR and LS, macro algae and maybe mangroves with a canister for chemical and mechanical

Flow... i really don't know how much flow to use for seahorses...help needed

Lighting... this is a hard one...44 hex does not allow too many options. Probably go with a MH pendant 250w or a 175w

Is a skimmer required??? If so I will have to get an overflow box and sump, I really don't want to go that route

Any help or opinions will be greatly appreciated

 

[CodyH]

Skimmer is not required. Some believe that the bubbles from skimmers cause problems with gas buildup inside male seahorses pouch, which causes buoyancy issues. Save your money from the skimmer, they work well with reefs and can do well with seahorses when put in a sump, but aren't so nice when HOB.

Flow can be tricky in a hex.
You only want between 2-4 times turnover. You can have higher but need to use spray bars or other diffusers.
My tank is 48"L, 13"D,21"H with about 1.5" sand. I use one micro-jet close to the sand bed with flow adjusted to preference; this one keeps away cyanobacteria and hairalgae build-up.
At the surface, I have one maxi-jet 900. The 900 has max of 230gph, so I have ~4.18x turnover with the 55 gallons The output is aimed at surface at about a 45* angle without the venturi airline mechanism used because it causes micro-bubbles (bad for seahorses).

Canister sounds wonderful. I have an Eheim 2234 and love it.

If you're going to get metal halides for the mangroves, I suggest you ditch the macroalgaes and get real seagrasses instead. It would look nicer & more natural, plus you wouldn't have to worry about the macro ever going sexual. JMO.

For the LR/LS, do you make your own or buy it?
The seahorses like to hitch to branchy rock such as Tonga branch, if you buy it. I found that the fiji LR from Foster and Smith, was branchy enough for my seahorses' likings. Sandbed should probably be 5-7" deep for the seagrasses if you go that way and have somewhat proper DSB. How tall is the 44g? You want to aim for 3x the body height of seahorses after sandbed. So say you get reidi, erectus, or kuda. You want 18-21" of space after sand. You can adjust the sand depth accordingly b/c it doesn't have to be that deep just for the grasses. Macro would be better if you go below 2".

For temp, you want a max of 76* for the species included above, so keep this in mind when lighting. You'll want fans.

Good luck with the set-up.

 

[cajunpuffer]

Thanks alot for the reply.
My hex is 23.5" tall so a DSB would be just right at 5".
I'll have to do some research on seagrass, not sure what it looks like.
Glad to hear a canister will work, that makes life so mucch easier than plumbing in a sump.
Lighting will be tricky as well as keeping it cool.

 

[BruceW]

I have found out the hard way that putting together a seagrass tank can be tricky if you want to include seahorses. I set up a 70 gallon tall seagrass tank and with the 150 Mh and 2 X 96watt 6500k PCs the tank stays between 77 and 83 degrees. Since I have H. erectus and keep them between 72 and 74 degrees. I have never put any seahorses in my 70 tall.

Also seahorses like to hide in the shadows and a 250 or 175 mh will not only heat the tank it may force the horses to seek shelter and not swim around as much. This will be particularly true of pregant males as they become very reclusive. You may want to offer them some darker areas where they can retreat. Also you may want to add a chiller in the summer months.

As to water flow I have found that somewhere between 5 to 10 times the tank volume per hour is fine. Seahorses do enjoy a little current and will often swim about more if there is good flow in the tank. If your goal is breeding then aim for the lower end as high water flow can make it hard for them to make the egg transfer.

I have found that some people with reef tanks tend to have problems with keeping seahorses. I think it is important to realize that seahorses, with the exception of a few species, are not reef animals.

Do a little research and decide what species you would like to keep. I always recommend H. erectus as the best beginner horse. If you keep your temps down, offer them healthy foods and keep your water in good shape they should live long and healthy lives.

 

[cajunpuffer]

Thanks for the advice BruceW.
It is starting to look like I will need a chiller to keep the temp down with MH lighting. I was thinking of using a spotlight style pendant.
Anyone have some good links for info on seagrass and mangroves. any online retailers?
Thanks guys