New to seahorses
- Thread starter Ohiomom
- Start date
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
it's not that SH are difficult, but they have a set of very specific needs. if these needs are met, one can keep them successfully.
some of the best tips i can offer are:
keep them cool. even tropical species should be kept <74*F.
don't cramp them. a standard 29 gal is perfect for a pair of larger species SH.
shy away from "plug n play" systems like the nano cubes, aquapods, etc. these systems all run too warm and require modding to be good SH setups. i own 4 PnP's but none are used for SH.
buy true captive bred (CB) SH, and obtain them from a reputable breeder or hobbyist-breeder. these SH will come to you eating frozen mysis and will be free of disease/parasites. don't be fooled by the "bargain" "tank-raised" specimens most LFS carry. SH ship very well, so don't worry about that issue.
HTH
some of the best tips i can offer are:
keep them cool. even tropical species should be kept <74*F.
don't cramp them. a standard 29 gal is perfect for a pair of larger species SH.
shy away from "plug n play" systems like the nano cubes, aquapods, etc. these systems all run too warm and require modding to be good SH setups. i own 4 PnP's but none are used for SH.
buy true captive bred (CB) SH, and obtain them from a reputable breeder or hobbyist-breeder. these SH will come to you eating frozen mysis and will be free of disease/parasites. don't be fooled by the "bargain" "tank-raised" specimens most LFS carry. SH ship very well, so don't worry about that issue.
HTH
I actually just set up a tank for seahorses. It's been running for about a month. It's a 38 gallon with a 10 gal sump/fuge. I bought some tonga branch rock & actually just got it today, it will hopefully give them a lot of hold ons. I also planning on adding some different types of macro to add color to the tank & hopefully the horses as well & obviously give them some more spots to grab onto. I've wanted to keep seahorses for awhile so this should be fun. I've just done a lot of online research & read as much as I can find. Unfortunately I haven't really been able to find a lot of good books out there. My tank is definately in the early stages but I'll try & get a few pics up in the next day or two. It's usually pretty slow in this forum hopefully we can get it going. Good luck with your set up & keep us posted.........
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
LR, LS, and live macro is the way to go w/large species SH setups. i typically use a mix of Tonga branch and Fiji or Marshall Is. LR. in the bottom, i use about 1" - 1 1/2" of #3 aragonite sand.
the live macro not only provides hitches, but also a hunting ground for the SH between feedings as it harbors various types of pods. the live macro also helps to control nuisance algae by competing for nutrients, which also improves water quality.
here's a pic of our 50 gal pent SH tank:
buy_baff
New member
I got it from Liveaquaria.com it was listed as orange sea fan and it was not cheap! But it very cool. I have had it for about a week and it polyps come out all the time so it is doing good so far. The two realy large sea fans I got from ebay they were a killer deal. I got both of them for $75 shipped. I plan on doing mainly sea fans,Zoas,and Rics in this tank. Oh yea I would stay away from the green grape calupra it is like a plague it will take over the whole tank the red is fine though. If you dont know what these plants look like they are the red and green vine like plants above in Namxas tank. If you dont mind it takeing over it is fine but if you want coral in your tank you will constantly be pulling this stuff out so it dose not over take them.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
the C. racemosa (green grape) does grow quickly, but is very easy to keep under control by pruning it back. this also helps with nutrient export since you're removing it from the tank.
the tank also has a nice stand of Codium off to the left (not pictured).
the red grape is Bortycladia sp. and the pink calcareous macro is called pink galaxy (kinda rare).
i actually forget the name of the red stringy stuff, but it's a fave of the SH as it is always teeming with pods. this one and the pink galaxy came from John Maloney at reefcleaners.
one thing to make sure of is if you don't reuse any of your macro trimmings, freeze them for 24 hrs prior to disposing of them. this ensures that they stay only in your tank and don't get loose in the wild.
in our SH tanx we only use snails and true peppermint shrimp as a CUC.
the tank also has a nice stand of Codium off to the left (not pictured).
the red grape is Bortycladia sp. and the pink calcareous macro is called pink galaxy (kinda rare).
i actually forget the name of the red stringy stuff, but it's a fave of the SH as it is always teeming with pods. this one and the pink galaxy came from John Maloney at reefcleaners.
one thing to make sure of is if you don't reuse any of your macro trimmings, freeze them for 24 hrs prior to disposing of them. this ensures that they stay only in your tank and don't get loose in the wild.
in our SH tanx we only use snails and true peppermint shrimp as a CUC.
