Many Questions

[bkueter]

Hello all, well I am new to Reef Cental but I have been into SW for about 7 years. I have tried Seahorses many times over the years with no success (all were WC). I am now getting ready to take the plung again. Of course I am now going to be going with CB. I have checked out OR, SS, and Draco. I really do like the OR (seahorse.com site) but is there a breeder that one feels is better than another (I just want happy healthy horses that I will not kill like in the past with WC)? My plan is to go with a 50+ gal Tall tank 24"w x 30"+H x 16"w), PC lighting, Canister filter, Protein skimmer. Does this sound practical for Erectus or Redi or other Greater horses? I am going to start with Live sand and Live Rock and of course Cycle before purchasing so right now I am just getting as much info as possible.

Thank You all,

 

[ReefNutPA]

Any one of the sources you mention will provide healthy seahorses. Some have better customer service than others, but all supply healthy horses.

Personally, I'm partial to SeahorseSource as I've never dealt with a company with such exceptional customer service....before and AFTER the sale. That is of key importance to me. How you're treated AFTER the purchase.

Tom

 

[MarkKlier]

If you have not set up your tank yet see if you can "swing" having a fuge passively flow back into the tank. A great way to supply live food (pods) to your horses. I have a very low flow set up in a 90 gal! Seahorse.org is a great source for information as well. Good luck, glad to see you are going with CB, smart move. MK

 

[seas_inside]

I think that seahorsesource.com is the best source for horses and supplies.

 

[Angeline]

I like dracomarine.org for horses

 

[Samala]

[welcome]

BK you are close to several good sources of SH. There are a few hobby breeders in Brevard area that sometimes have juveniles up for grabs, in the more professional arena the SeahorseSource that has been mentioned is just a Sunday drive down 95 for you (and me).

Tank setup sounds good so far. Some people do not like keeping protein skimmers on SH tanks.. they seem to feel it can increase the instances of gas bubble disease (GBD). To each his own method. Canister filter sounds like a good idea, and you can fit a spraybar return to it to diffuse flow. That'll help you keep water quality high and gas exchange high, but not blast the SH.

 

[bkueter]

Thank You

Thank You

Thank You all. and thaks Samala, I did contact SS and asked them about seeing there facility. They said they were not public and don't have all of the horses that they sell but that I could Order from them and if it is a breed they have I could arrange pickup.

 

[scapes]

I have two reidi's that I purchased from my LFS. I bought some supplies from Dan @ seahorsesource.com. talked to him personally on the phone....wonderful man!

I just bought 4 erectus's w/ appendages from Draco Marine. They arrived 2 days ago. They are the medium size. They were a little bit smaller than I anticipated, only 1". Guess I am spoiled b/c my reidi's are about 4". But, that's ok, they are still beautiful!! I emailed the owner several times, and he immediately wrote back. so, great customer service. My protein skimmer sucked one of them up this morning, got it ok, seems to be ok. they are just too small in comparison to my reidi's. I had to take the protein skimmer out. Just be aware of that problem.

hope this helps!!
julie

 

[Fredfish]

Thats a nice size tank for seahorses! Gives you room to play with aquascaping and to consider tankmates as well.

I would also strongly recommend a refudium for the reason mentioned. Seahorses eat a very limited number of frozen foods; basically mysis, with some people succeeding with krill. Live foods are IMO critical to the good health of your horses.

I personally do not use a skimmer but have a huge refugium with tons of macro in it for nutrient export. I think a skimmer is fine though.

For your tank, I would consider the new Tunze Nanostream as a good internal circulation pump. I creates a really nice distributed flow rather than the concentrated stream you get from powerheads. It is pricy, but Tunze stuff lasts forever.

Fred