Need some Suggestions from you folks here.

[Saldarya]

Hello all,

Let me start by saying that I consider myself a succesful aquarist having kept Saltwater for around 25 years now and although I have kept most fish and corals, I have never tried Seahorses!!

So, now my children are 8 & 5 and as much as they like staring at a tank of colored Sticks all day long, they would very much like some seahorses to observe and I would like to enjoy them as well.

At this time I have an extra 110g 48"x18"x30" that will be used for these creatures and would appreciate some direction.

Specifically, what species might you consider the most bold. Not only in how timid they may be, but in size as well.

I am able to use a chiller with the tank if it is needed.

Concerning filtration, would a sump be advisable? From what I have read it may not be needed, but I want to make sure it woudl not be detrimental.

Another way to ask my question to the people on this forum is what would you do with a tank this size as it realtes to seahorses?

I woudl appreciate any feedback and thanks!

 

[drewber]

I am just guessing here, but if your tank is 110 gallons, its a reef tank with high flow and temps in the high 70's to low 80's at the peak temp with the lights on.

While raisinga reef, and seahorses are simalr, they are differnt beast instead.

Most species of seahorses perfer temps in temps in the low to mid 70s.

They also like lower flower then reefs. I would suggest some where around 4-5x.

IMO it would be best for you to set up an additional tank if this is really your desire.

 

[ann83]

Sounds to me like this is going to be a new setup, yes?

The 110 sounds great. The species is going to depend a lot on your preference and a lot on where you can keep the temperature range. In terms of large, bold seahorses, H. abdominalis (potbellies) come to mind, but they will require temperatures under 66 degrees which could be difficult. They are also a bit more difficult to find. If you'd rather keep a "tropical" species, I would recommend H. reidi or H. erectus for the tank instead. They are readily available captive bred and only need to be kept at 70-74 degrees.

A sump will be great. Not detrimental at all.

 

[Saldarya]

Thanks for the comments thus far. Yes, the tank is currently empty and can be set up specific to the needs of whatever species.

THe Pot Bellies sound interesting. ANyone here with experience keeping them?

 

[drewber]

Well the 110 sounds like it would be a killer setup for seahorses. However, I would not be jealous of the tank, if they start mating, getting these out of a 55 was a 3 hour task.

 

[ann83]

drewber, if you only let the blue lights turn on the morning of the birth, and put a lamp (or window) on one side of the tank, you can use a turkey baster to get most out in 10 minutes, since they'll collect near the light.

 

[pledosophy]

110 would be a nice tank.

I'd do the sump, place to put the heater, chiller, etc.

You could go planted style or reef style in regards to if you want to keep corals or not. Look at some tanks and see what you like. I'm crazy and would try to mix the two, but you can go whatever direction there you like.

I like a lot of flow in my seahorse tanks, always have. If you break it up a bit you can get away with a lot. A seahorse tank is significantly different then a colored stick tank in terms of flow though. They need much much less.

As far as what to keep with the seahorses, this is a good article if I don't say so myself.

http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml