New Tank

[smazzuca_34]

Hello
I am setting up a 60 gallon aquarium 24x24x24 and wondering how long I should wait till I add a pair seahorses to the aquarium? If you buy fully cured live rock will the nitrogen cycle still happen? Also how many pairs of seahorses can I put in the aquarium? And what species, if I am lookingfor colourful and easy? Also where do you recommend to buy them online? I have had marine fish before and I decided to start up a seahorse aquarium.I have not yet set up the aquarium but planning to do so soon.I would only like to keep seahorses and maybe polyps. Thank you!

 

[Redbellyjx]

About the live rock... if you buy live rock from an LFS that has been sitting there for a few weeks; you are proabably good to go. however i would still monitor the water for about a week just to make sure.

if you order live rock, there will be some die off which will cause an ammonia spike which will cause a cycle to happen.

as far as the rest goes, im still learning my self. i have a 65 gallon tank cycling right now and wondering how many pairs i can keep.

 

[crazedpuffer]

I have Erectus, they aren't colorful but they are fun. I believe Kuda are colorful but I could be mistaken.

 

[LisaD]

Sounds like it will be a nice tank.

"Easy" is a relative term with seahorses. Buy healthy, captive bred animals, trained to eat frozen mysis, from a reliable source. This will be most important to your success. The most readily available and hardy species are erectus, reidi and kuda.

H. reidi are potentially the most colorful, though many are black or yellow, and can change color, depending on the environment. H. kuda are also potentially colorful. Some erectus, while not colorful, can have striking patterns. You could put 4 pairs of H. reidi in a tank like that. Maybe more, but I wouldn't push it until you have some experience with seahorses.

Don't assume you will have an instant cycle with live rock. Put in the rock, and "feed" the tank with mysis or another source of ammonia, and watch water parameters for a few weeks. When ammonia and nitrite are zero AND you have detectable nitrates, you will know the bacterial colonies for biological filtration are established. Even "cured" live rock at a LFS may not have enough nitrogen fixing bacteria to support fish if it was in a bare tank (no animals).

I would buy from a supplier specializing in seahorses. I buy from hobbiests I know that raised seahorses at home or from www.seahorsesource.com. I know the owner - he started out as a hobbyist, and has been established for several years and provides healthy stock and good service at a reasonable price.

 

[hydroid]

I'd like to add to LisaD's post.

When cycling a tank, you are cycling it to support a specific bioload. The more you feed it during the cycle, the greater the boiload it will support.

Example: If you feed it one cube of mysis a day during the cycle, it will only support that much feeding afterward, which would feed say 2 horses. If you intend to add 4 horses all at one time, you would want to feed a couple cubes per day during the cycle, so you could continue feeding that much after adding the horses.

HTH

 

[smazzuca_34]

So during the cycle I should add 2-3 cubes frozen mysis till' NH4, NO2 are 0 and NO3 is a high? And then do a water change to remove all the frozen mysis shrimp? Won't the mysis shrimp cause hair algae or no?
Thanks for all your help!

 

[seacraze]

Lisa D and Hydroid have perfect points.
Our adult tanks and fish are fed twice a day, we simply add a serving of mysis to the cycling tanks as I walk by them on the same schedule they will be fed when the seahorses will be in there. So far its been simple. We have not had the hair algea insodent - however the tanks are not brightly lit either. We have cycled dozens of tanks this way and on move in day there has been zero spikes.

 

[LisaD]

you can keep light down (short or no photoperiod) when cycling to avoid growth of nuisance algae. also, be sure you have the right lighting to encourage coralline, and whatever other "good" photosynthetic reef life you want. wrong lights (old or wrong wavelengths) can encourage the bad stuff.