JGxIronman
New member
This is my research for my tank build I wanna have seahorse so here we go
Food:
mysid shrimp(Get from a saltwater source not a freshwater souce they don't have the right balance of fats, Mysid is the staple of the deit)
Brine shrimp
(Babies perfer young shrimp due to their nution value)
Small krill (But aparently some don't like them due to their shell)
Copepods
Amphipods
Gammarus
Scuds
You can train them to eat frozen foods but most like live food, it is recommended to enrich food with:
SELCO "“ increasing HUFAs
Spirulina - Protein, Vitamins, low in HUFAS
Naturose "“ astaxanthin powder for color enhancement.
Phytoplankton and Phytoplankton pastes "“ Increasing HUFA, pigmentation
Vibrance "“ Astaxanthin and HUFAs?
SpectraVital "“ Rumored to be the same as Vibrance
Algamac 3000 "“ High in HUFAS, DH
Feedings need to be done twice a day and for young ones 3-4 times a day. It is also suggested to use inject the food close to the seahorse so they don't have to compete for food since they are slow eaters.
Aquarium needs to be
pH -8.0 to 8.3
Specific grvity -1.021 to 1.024
Ammonia - 0
Nitirite- 0
Nitrate 0 <20 ppm (Parts(s) per million)
Tank size:
The tank height needs to be 2.5 to 3 times the uncurled length of the animal. the depth should be atlest 2 times the length.
How many can a tank hold?
2 to 3 pairs in a 24 gallon. So about 2-4 per 12 gallons Althought futher reading recommends 20 gallons per pair depeneding on the kind of seahorse up to 40 such as H. ingens or H. abdominalis
Things to keep in mind while buying:
Active, moving around. Contrary to popular belief, seahorses rarely stay in one place and are moving around quite a bit.
Bright, active eyes. A healthy seahorse will swivel its eyes around in constant search of food.
Full, round belly. A healthy seahorse is a will feed seahorse. While they tend to be fairly thin by nature, any caved in sides is a bad sign.
Clear fins
QT time suggested for seahorses:
4 weeks
Things that can affect seahorse coloration:
Stress -- seahorses often respond to stress by darkening.
Emotional state -- when excited, seahorses typically brighten in coloration, reflecting a state of high arousal. On the other hand, fear, anxiety and distress are generally accompanied by dark, somber hues.
Social Interactions -- seahorses often brighten during their courtship displays; pair-bonded seahorses likewise brighten during their morning greeting rituals, and rivals go through characteristic color changes during their confrontations and competitions.
Competition for mates -- dominant individuals brighten; subordinate seahorses darken in submission.
Poor water quality -- high levels of wastes, ammonia, nitrite or nitrate can cause color cells to contract and colors to fade.
Low oxygen levels or high CO2 levels-- can cause colorful seahorses to fade.
Background colors -- seahorses will often change color in order to blend in with their immediate surroundings.
Medications -- some antibiotics and malachite-green-based remedies negatively affect color.
Tankmates -- seahorses may change their base coloration to blend in with the rest of the herd or to match their mate (or a potential partner). This can work both ways: a dark seahorse may brighten up and assume vivid hues when introduced to an aquarium with bright yellow or orange tankmates; In the same manner, a brightly colored seahorse may darken and adopt subdued coloration when placed amidst drab tankmates
Tank flow:
It is recommended tank flow should be 10x-20x/hr and there should be sheltered areas for the seahorse to have a protected hitching spot for a rest from swimming.
Fishies that get along with seahorse:
It is recommmended to have tank mates slow FYI
Pterapogon kauderni (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/63572/0)
Nemateleotris magnifica(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemateleotris_magnifica)
Doryrhamphus janssi(http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Doryrhamphus-janssi.html)
Lythrypnus dalli (http://www.fishbase.us/summary/Lythrypnus-dalli.html)
Corals that work with seahorse:
Please note these work with seahorse but may not work well with the flow needed for seahorse they need a low flow or they have troubles swimming I also need some help with suggested lighting? Since seahorse are not really likely alot of light.
Brarum asbestinum (http://coralpedia.bio.warwick.ac.uk/en/octocorals/briareum_asbestinum.html)
Capnella sp. (http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site...c0e3fa&phpMyAdmin=Kb2XHnhmhTctZwPmOqks7zD3-sc)
Acanthastrea (http://www.fishlore.com/coral/acanthastrea-coral.htm)
Tubastrea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubastrea) These may compete with seahorse since they also eat zooplankton but personally I think they look awesome
Photosynthetic gorgonians (http://aquadaily.com/2009/01/14/photosynthetic-gorgonian-faqs/) I plan on using these for hitching points for the seahorse
corallimorpharians
Tank set-up:
-10 gallon QT(Althought after futhur research I may upgrade to a 20 gallon and use the 10 gallon as breeder for shrimp on a later date, and I still need to do more research on how I am going to set-up my QT)
-35 Gallon Tank
-RO/DI (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-5-stage-ro-di-system-75gpd.html)
This unit will be hooked into my sink since I live in an appartment and will be fed into a container with a kill switch
-Heating (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/titanium-heating-system-with-jbj-true-temp-digital-controller.html)
-Protein skimmer (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-octopus-nwb110-4-pinwheel-in-sump-protein-skimmer.html)
-overflow box
-Wet dry filter (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...D=525421271&catargetid=1570177743&cagpspn=pla)
-power head/controler (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hydor-koralia-smartwave-controller.html http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hydor-koralia-evolution.html)
That is all for now ^_^ filling in the gaps suggestions?
Food:
mysid shrimp(Get from a saltwater source not a freshwater souce they don't have the right balance of fats, Mysid is the staple of the deit)
Brine shrimp
(Babies perfer young shrimp due to their nution value)
Small krill (But aparently some don't like them due to their shell)
Copepods
Amphipods
Gammarus
Scuds
You can train them to eat frozen foods but most like live food, it is recommended to enrich food with:
SELCO "“ increasing HUFAs
Spirulina - Protein, Vitamins, low in HUFAS
Naturose "“ astaxanthin powder for color enhancement.
Phytoplankton and Phytoplankton pastes "“ Increasing HUFA, pigmentation
Vibrance "“ Astaxanthin and HUFAs?
SpectraVital "“ Rumored to be the same as Vibrance
Algamac 3000 "“ High in HUFAS, DH
Feedings need to be done twice a day and for young ones 3-4 times a day. It is also suggested to use inject the food close to the seahorse so they don't have to compete for food since they are slow eaters.
Aquarium needs to be
pH -8.0 to 8.3
Specific grvity -1.021 to 1.024
Ammonia - 0
Nitirite- 0
Nitrate 0 <20 ppm (Parts(s) per million)
Tank size:
The tank height needs to be 2.5 to 3 times the uncurled length of the animal. the depth should be atlest 2 times the length.
How many can a tank hold?
2 to 3 pairs in a 24 gallon. So about 2-4 per 12 gallons Althought futher reading recommends 20 gallons per pair depeneding on the kind of seahorse up to 40 such as H. ingens or H. abdominalis
Things to keep in mind while buying:
Active, moving around. Contrary to popular belief, seahorses rarely stay in one place and are moving around quite a bit.
Bright, active eyes. A healthy seahorse will swivel its eyes around in constant search of food.
Full, round belly. A healthy seahorse is a will feed seahorse. While they tend to be fairly thin by nature, any caved in sides is a bad sign.
Clear fins
QT time suggested for seahorses:
4 weeks
Things that can affect seahorse coloration:
Stress -- seahorses often respond to stress by darkening.
Emotional state -- when excited, seahorses typically brighten in coloration, reflecting a state of high arousal. On the other hand, fear, anxiety and distress are generally accompanied by dark, somber hues.
Social Interactions -- seahorses often brighten during their courtship displays; pair-bonded seahorses likewise brighten during their morning greeting rituals, and rivals go through characteristic color changes during their confrontations and competitions.
Competition for mates -- dominant individuals brighten; subordinate seahorses darken in submission.
Poor water quality -- high levels of wastes, ammonia, nitrite or nitrate can cause color cells to contract and colors to fade.
Low oxygen levels or high CO2 levels-- can cause colorful seahorses to fade.
Background colors -- seahorses will often change color in order to blend in with their immediate surroundings.
Medications -- some antibiotics and malachite-green-based remedies negatively affect color.
Tankmates -- seahorses may change their base coloration to blend in with the rest of the herd or to match their mate (or a potential partner). This can work both ways: a dark seahorse may brighten up and assume vivid hues when introduced to an aquarium with bright yellow or orange tankmates; In the same manner, a brightly colored seahorse may darken and adopt subdued coloration when placed amidst drab tankmates
Tank flow:
It is recommended tank flow should be 10x-20x/hr and there should be sheltered areas for the seahorse to have a protected hitching spot for a rest from swimming.
Fishies that get along with seahorse:
It is recommmended to have tank mates slow FYI
Pterapogon kauderni (http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/63572/0)
Nemateleotris magnifica(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemateleotris_magnifica)
Doryrhamphus janssi(http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Doryrhamphus-janssi.html)
Lythrypnus dalli (http://www.fishbase.us/summary/Lythrypnus-dalli.html)
Corals that work with seahorse:
Please note these work with seahorse but may not work well with the flow needed for seahorse they need a low flow or they have troubles swimming I also need some help with suggested lighting? Since seahorse are not really likely alot of light.
Brarum asbestinum (http://coralpedia.bio.warwick.ac.uk/en/octocorals/briareum_asbestinum.html)
Capnella sp. (http://www.freeinfosociety.com/site...c0e3fa&phpMyAdmin=Kb2XHnhmhTctZwPmOqks7zD3-sc)
Acanthastrea (http://www.fishlore.com/coral/acanthastrea-coral.htm)
Tubastrea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubastrea) These may compete with seahorse since they also eat zooplankton but personally I think they look awesome
Photosynthetic gorgonians (http://aquadaily.com/2009/01/14/photosynthetic-gorgonian-faqs/) I plan on using these for hitching points for the seahorse
corallimorpharians
Tank set-up:
-10 gallon QT(Althought after futhur research I may upgrade to a 20 gallon and use the 10 gallon as breeder for shrimp on a later date, and I still need to do more research on how I am going to set-up my QT)
-35 Gallon Tank
-RO/DI (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-5-stage-ro-di-system-75gpd.html)
This unit will be hooked into my sink since I live in an appartment and will be fed into a container with a kill switch
-Heating (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/titanium-heating-system-with-jbj-true-temp-digital-controller.html)
-Protein skimmer (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-octopus-nwb110-4-pinwheel-in-sump-protein-skimmer.html)
-overflow box
-Wet dry filter (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...D=525421271&catargetid=1570177743&cagpspn=pla)
-power head/controler (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hydor-koralia-smartwave-controller.html http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hydor-koralia-evolution.html)
That is all for now ^_^ filling in the gaps suggestions?
