newbie to seahorses

[PhLipStyLz]

hey everyone -

i just finished setting up my new 58 gal reef tank... and now, since i still have space in my room close to the tank setup, i plan on plumbing a 6 gallon nano tank right into the sump of my current system...

i question for you all is, will this be adequate for a one or two seahorse tank?
i have a ton of pods already in the 58, mainly from the cheato, will this be a good source of food for the horses? i do still plan on target feeding them everyday. i was reading that frozen mysis is a pretty common meal if they're willing to take it...

as far as lighting, i've read a couple of different opinions. for my setup, i plan on running only (2) 9 watt CF bulbs (retro fitting the coralife's mini aqualight) which will both be Pure Actinic 03. Will that be a problem not running a daylight bulb for them? the horse tank will be sitting right next to the 58 which should have some "light leakage" from the (6) T5's (overdriven by icecap 660s)

for a return pump from the sump... around what range am i looking for as a turnover rate for a horse tank? i was thinking somewhere around 3-5 times? so about 20 - 30 gph? too high too low?

i do wanna keep a few reef items in there: rics, zoos, possibly a gorgonian... def wanna have halimeda and codium in there...

any suggestions/comments/input etc would be greatly appreciated

i know i still have a lot a research to do before i actually purchase the horses. but for now i'm trying to figure out the main setup.

thanks in advanced
philip

 

[CeaHorseMaShell]

I wouldn't put seahorses in anything less than a 29gal unless you are planning on having dwarf seahorses.

 

[PhLipStyLz]

yea, that was what i was plannin on

 

[cmsargent]

Dwarf seahorses would be good in a 6 gallon but plumbing it to the reef is not a good idea. Seshorses need cooler temps (around 74) than the reef. Also with dwarfs you need to be careful of hydroids (they can kill the horses) and since most reefs have hydroids it'll be a constant battle if your tanks are plumbed together.

Also dwarf seahorses don't eat frozen so you need to hatch live food for them daily. Most feed bbs (baby brine shrimp). They may eat the pods in your tank (depending upon what type you have) but it's unlikely that you would have enough to sustain them on that alone.

As far as light, seahorses don't need any particular light. Just enough to see thier prey. I'm not sure how they'd do under actinic though. I'd assume they'd need at least some daylight. Although the light leakage from your reef might provide enough. I don't keep dwarfs so maybe someone who knows thier needs better can chime in here.