Help with new set-up

[All6Fish]

Sea horse tank help.....
Good morning everyone, today i will be purchasing everything i need to build my wife her sea horse tank and I could use any advice anyone has. I know from reading up that I will need a taller tank and low flow. I am not sure on what type of filtration system I should use such as a HOB or other options, covered heater ? I was considering the redseamax 120D but as I already have the 250 I have learned I am not overly happy with a few option RSM has such as the skimmer and the built in power heads, other than that the lack of tallness offered I dont think will be beneficial to a sea horse tank. Feeding stations are recommended for sea horse tanks, do they sell something along these lines or is that something I would need to self build? I am looking for help so when I do go to our LFS I dont lave with items not required for the sake of a sale.

Thanks


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Redseamax 250
5 soft corals, 2 Anenomes, 1 Flame angel, 1 blue Dragonet, 2 darwin clowns, 2 firefish, 2 fire shrimp and a Great CUC

Temp. 78.2* Ca 410.00 Mg 1280.0 KH 3.0 Salinity .025 NO3 .2 PO4 .020

Current Tank Info: Redsea250 Reef

 

[rayjay]

Did you mean Redseamax 130D, 34g?
At 34g, you could keep two standard sized seahorses like reidi or kuda, or even erectus.
I'm not a fan of plug'n play tanks. First the cost gets me, but also, they tend to heat the tanks too much and I want to keep seahorse tanks at 68° to 74°.
It boils down to personal preferences most times as some people like to be able to just add contents and enjoy.
In my case, my favourite sized tanks are my 37g tanks with 20g sump below. They can handle 4 standard sized seahorses.
I use sterilized reef rock in the sumps (that I cycle with ammonia), so the seahorses are easier to view, and the DT is easier to clean. (very important)
I use (in addition to the return flow from the sump) a mini power head that stays on even when feeding, and a Hagen 802 power head with quick filter attachment, that is turned off along with the sump pump when I feed.
I also utilize a rigid air line tube so that there is extra turbulence of the surface for gas exchange.
You can use macro algae or plastic decor for hitching, but obviously you need better lighting for a tank with macro, which may again give a heat problem depending on room temperature.
A skimmer does wonders for helping keep the nutrient levels down, but should not be a replacement for the extra diligence housekeeping that I think seahorses tanks should have.
While some of my seahorses would feed from a feeding dish, some don't, so I prefer to broadcast the food throughout the tank and remove excess once a day.
I've heard it mentioned that a feeding dish may promote seahorses feeding off the bottom of the tank where some food pieces that have not been removed may get snicked up, causing bacterial problems.
As for heaters, I don't use any as I keep the house at 68° in winter and 72° in summer and the highest my tanks get is about 74° and perhaps occasionally 75°.
There are links at the bottom of "My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping" that you may already have read but just in case, the link is there.

 

[All6Fish]

Thanks and I did read those articles, our RSM250 is ok so far for our reef tank with the exception of what I have already stated....I would like to have about 4 seahorses and I would like to stay away from anything fake..ie plastic. With that said would LR be a good option? maybe some soft coral?...would a 40 high be adequte for 4 SH? How about a wet/dry system like fluval makes for filtration?

 

[mtc1966]

65g rr tank is nice. I am setting one up only 36 w 18 d and nice and tall. I would go with a sump and in sump skimmer over rated. You may not even need a heater . But could be placed in sump as well. My personal preference is lots of macros . Seahorses love them and pods can hide in them.

 

[rayjay]

I'm not sure why you would want a wet dry.
My live rock (after cycling) is my biological filter. The power head with quick filter on it protects seahorses from being sucked up but also removes a lot of crap from the water. Anything like that filter or anything else that traps particles, is going to need to be cleaned frequently or it becomes food for nuisance algae and nasty bacteria.
For for seahorses, the recommended minimum tank size would be 45g so if you get the 40 then you would have to do more frequent maintenance and water changes but it can be done. If you have a sump with at least 10g of water then you would be good to go with four.
You can keep any corals that don't sting, don't need more light than you are providing, and don't mind the cooler temperatures of the water.
There are many ways keepers set up their tanks so hopefully soon there will be others giving you their ideas to consider before you make up your mind.

 

[All6Fish]

I was just using the wet/dry as an example. I did a little reading on sumps and Ive learned they have more than one way to go with various sections. What would you guys suggest, 2 sections .....3? if the sump is the direction to go I want to do it right. On my original purchase what do you think I will need to complete the set-up...I have decided to go with the 45 gal...not sure if I can get one High or it has to be long but I will see what they have. As far as lighting what would you guys with experiance recommend? With my reef 1 have 6....3 10k and 3 autinic.....

 

[novahobbies]

I agree with Ray, most plug'n'play systems tend to have bad luck when it comes to horses.

A 45g high is a GREAT starter tank for Horses IMO...if you can get one. They seem to be a little rarer these days than they used to be, but the size is very nice because you have plenty of height for the horses, and enough sheer volume to allow for some forgiveness factor in case water quality starts to slide.

Personally I have a 37g tall cube with an old Tom Aquatics Rapids Pro filter. It's essentially a wet/dry unit, and I have no problems with it. I wash 1/2 of the bioballs in old saltwater once every 6 months or so to prevent detritus buildup. If I were you, I would opt for a DIY 3-stage fuge/sump made from a 20g long aquarium. If you have the height under the stand, you could increase your fuge volume by using a 29g instead (just be aware that almost all skimmers will have to be raised up a little if you opt for this). Make the first compartment your downflow area, where the tank water can flow through filter pads, etc. Your skimmer can go here as well. Second chamber can be a fuge, with chaeto and live rock, and the third should be your return area. Make sure when you do this to leave enough volume in your return area so you're not topping off twice a day, or it can become a chore. (Been there, done that!)

 

[novahobbies]

For lighting I would go with a simple 156w 4-bulb T5 fixture, unless you're planning on keeping some very high-light demanding coral. The T5 is sufficient for most of the coral and macros you would be tempted to keep with horses, however, and can be found on certain sites for a very decent price.