My seahorse tank build

[fd678]

I wanted to post my seahorse tank build here so that experienced keepers, can give constructive criticism or advice. Beware some of these are iphone pics so they aren't that great!

I started with a plan for a custom built tank because from my reading I learned that seahorses prefer a taller tank. I sent this drawing to the tank builder:

While the tank was being built I built a stand to hold it (it's unpainted in this pic):

Next I started gathering supplies for the sump:

Here is the tank when I went to pick it up:

Next I bought some acrylic and cut it to make my overflow:

Finished overflow installed in the tank:

I then plumbed my return using locline across the length of the tank:

My first tank decorations / hitching posts:

Finally my most recent pic (this is a really bad pic i took with the phone, I'll get a better one after I charge my camera):

I still haven't purchased seahorses yet, i have been letting the tank cycle for about two months now. The only inhabitants so far are a couple snails and a Zebra Barred Dartfish (which according to the .org should be fine as a tankmate)

 

[Allmost]

so where is the info on the system ? lol

what is in the sump ?

any chillers ? heaters ? skimmer ? fuge ? lighting? parameters ?

 

[fd678]

Sorry, I guess I forgot
Tank size ~ 37 gallon + sump
Large pieces of tonga branch
(2) artificial coral
(3) 24" T5 Lights (2 10K, 1 Actinic)
(1) Koralia Nano
Black Sand Substrate
Xenia
a few red mushrooms
~ 6 polyps of green zoanthid

10 Gallon Sump contains:
JEBO Skimmer (temporary)
Chaeto
300 GPH return pump

No heater or chiller, the temp stays a constant 74

If there is anything I am leaving out just ask

 

[Allmost]

is the power head inside the tank ?

(1) Koralia Nano

Id sponge it up to not let seahorses get stuck in it.


not sure what the sump looks like so cant comment but baffles are needed to lower micro bubbles which can give the seahorses gas bubble disease or what ever its called.


I personally would never let nature decide my tank temp. what about the winter nights ? and summer days ?

also all 3 of the T5 HO are right on top of the tank and add no heat what so ever ?



oh well, good luck, Id also mesh up the overflow teeth. what species are you going to get ?

 

[fd678]

I do have mesh to put on the overflow teeth

I need to get some sponge for the powerhead (or take it out)

There are sufficient baffles in the sump

I dont have room for a chiller, ( but we have had several 98 degree days this summer and no temp problems ) but I do have an extra heater I can put in there for winter nights

The lights haven't really effected the temp, and they stay on 10-12 hrs a day

I am thinking that i want to get Erectus ponies

 

[rayjay]

Bubbles in the tank don't give gas bubble disease!!
That is archaic anecdotal information.

 

[Allmost]

Bubbles in the tank don't give gas bubble disease!!
That is archaic anecdotal information.

why are there archaic anecdotal information posted on the seahorse.org website ? I thoght u followed them

or is this something that is archaic anecdotal to you ?

Edit.
now I cant find it, might have been on seahorse.net site. still looking for the article though.

 

[SaylorsReef]

I love the tank! I would increase your cleanup crew. Seahorses can be messy. Nassarius snails are a good choice...and fun to watch.

Also you may have your structures too close to the glass on the sides. You will want to be able to get in there and clean the glass without knocking down the structure.

 

[rayjay]

There are still people out there perpetuating a lot of myths on all forums, including seahorse.org.
There are many members on the org that are not totally in the know as NO one can know everything. (I'd sure like to know a lot more than I do though)
You obviously are a member and YOU didn't know so there probably are many there not in the know if they haven't had occasion to read a thread that correctly talks about the GBD.
Gas bubble disease CAN be caused in OTHER fish by supersaturation of the water by CO2 or nitrogen, or very highly supersaturation of O2 but it is not likely the cause of GBD in seahorses.
Gas bubble disease has three basic types, external, internal and pouch emphysema. They are all thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance problem within the the seahorse and treatment of choice is Diamox.

 

[fd678]

I love the tank! I would increase your cleanup crew. Seahorses can be messy. Nassarius snails are a good choice...and fun to watch.

Also you may have your structures too close to the glass on the sides. You will want to be able to get in there and clean the glass without knocking down the structure.

Thanks for the info, I will move the rock work. What size and type of clean up crew would you recommend for this size tank?

 

[Allmost]

There are still people out there perpetuating a lot of myths on all forums, including seahorse.org.
There are many members on the org that are not totally in the know as NO one can know everything. (I'd sure like to know a lot more than I do though)
You obviously are a member and YOU didn't know so there probably are many there not in the know if they haven't had occasion to read a thread that correctly talks about the GBD.
Gas bubble disease CAN be caused in OTHER fish by supersaturation of the water by CO2 or nitrogen, or very highly supersaturation of O2 but it is not likely the cause of GBD in seahorses.
Gas bubble disease has three basic types, external, internal and pouch emphysema. They are all thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance problem within the the seahorse and treatment of choice is Diamox.

it was an article posted, not on the forums.

but I guess its time for them to clean up those articles. as you know and have pointed it out most of the recommended tank sizes there are outdated and info has changed.

but I agree that I dont know anything, and I try to learn more daily. but same goes for others who dont have a reason as of why higher temps are not recommended lol I think I should start a thread there to see if I can get a reasonable reply.

 

[SaylorsReef]

Thanks for the info, I will move the rock work. What size and type of clean up crew would you recommend for this size tank?

I wouldn't overload it with a large clean up crew right now. If you add too many and there isn't a food supply for the snails, they will die. I would start with 8 - 10 nassarius. I would also add a few Cerith snails and/or Astrea snails. Gradually increase as needed. Turbo snails are great for hair algae which is a common problem in seahorse and new tanks, but they plow over anything they can move, so be careful with them.

Macro algae is also very helpful, and can be very pretty in a seahorse tank.

 

[SaylorsReef]

Bubbles in the tank don't give gas bubble disease!!
That is archaic anecdotal information.

This article was revised in March of 2008. http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/gbd/gbd.shtml

It states:


Pouch Emphysema is characterized by air trapped in the pouch of the male seahorse. This condition, like EGBD and IGBD, can cause the seahorse to float and interfere with his ability to swim, hitch and feed. The suspected causes of PE include micro-bubbles in the aquarium and error in the hydration of carbon dioxide to carbonic acid. The micro-bubbles referred to are not those produced by air stones and water overflow to a sump, but rather the microscopic bubbles like those produced under pressure by some skimmer designs or by air leaks before water pumps.

PE can be relieved successfully through manual evacuation of the pouch. Persistent or reoccurring cases of PE have been treated with methods including flushing the pouch with carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and treatment with antibiotics, as well as modification of the environment to prevent micro-bubbles or release them through gas exchange. As always, to prevent reoccurrence, effort needs to be made not only to treat the symptoms, but to identify and correct the underlying source of the problem.


I've had to do a pouch evacuation when my sump got too low and dumped a bunch of air bubbles in the tank. The horse was fine after that.

 

[rayjay]

The latest posts by the more experience people, notably David, on the org, have stated that the micro bubbles are NOT considered to be the cause of PE any longer.
While you have had a case of PE when micro bubbles were there, I have the opposite experience.
I have 5 seahorse tanks and always have micro bubbles in them.
My sumps have no baffles, just the live rock.
The only male of 14 males I have that have had PE is a barbouri, known to have this problem and I've had to do evacuations every other day.
Last week I was finally able to obtain some Diamox and did a flush with the diamox and so far, touch wood, I haven't had to evacuate the pouch since.

 

[SaylorsReef]

Ray, do you have any links to this that you could post?

 

[rayjay]

WOW, that's a hard one.
To try and remember specific threads, or even forums where it has occurred would not be easy, especially with my memory and the fact the topic doesn't come up all that often.
I remembered David posting on a pinned thread so I took a chance and found it under the Gas Bubble Disease forum.
Unfortunately this specific one is Davids reply to bubbles resulting from skimmer use and doesn't specifically mention micro bubbles.
http://forum.seahorse.org/index.php?showtopic=9406&hl=micro+bubbles
The original post talks of micro bubbles as a cause of PE but that was posted back in 2003 when the matter was at that time, a contentious issue.
David's reply was in 2008 when more people realized that most people didn't have problems with micro bubbles, and, upon Diamox treatment for those that DID have PE problems, the treatment seemed to solve the problem thereby reinforcing the belief the problem was a chemical imbalance situation.

 

[asianer]

Is the tank glass or acrylic? I always thought you shouldn't mix the materials as I think the over flow is made from acrylic...

 

[Faerl]

Is the tank glass or acrylic? I always thought you shouldn't mix the materials as I think the over flow is made from acrylic...

It depends on what you're doing. Silicone doesn't attach to acrylic well at all. Certainly not enough to hold water in. However, if you're just using for an overflow (where the pressure is close to equal on both sides) then you can bond them up well enough. A lot of tanks use acrylic overflows with glass tanks. You just can't do anything silly like use an acrylic for the back of the tank where there's actual pressure.

 

[ann83]

I wrote the article that Saylor's Reef quoted. I'd like to point out an important part of that section quoted:

This article was revised in March of 2008. http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/gbd/gbd.shtml

It states:


Pouch Emphysema is characterized by air trapped in the pouch of the male seahorse. This condition, like EGBD and IGBD, can cause the seahorse to float and interfere with his ability to swim, hitch and feed. The suspected causes of PE include micro-bubbles in the aquarium and error in the hydration of carbon dioxide to carbonic acid. The micro-bubbles referred to are not those produced by air stones and water overflow to a sump, but rather the microscopic bubbles like those produced under pressure by some skimmer designs or by air leaks before water pumps.

People are confusing the concept of problematic "microbubbles" as created under pressure (i.e. gas supersaturation), usually invisible to the naked eye, and the concept of harmless "ugly looking tiny bubbles created by my sump & skimmer outflow". The former can be a problem, the latter are just unsightly. Seahorses can flush their pouches in the outflow of airstones or skimmers and end up with air in their pouch that way, but the seahorse is usually able to fix that sort of gas problem themselves.

 

[namxas]

Ann has "issues" :wildone: (j/k), but she's a top notch SH medico. All kidding aside...she knows her stuff.