novice mariner tank questions

[UnicornLady08]

Hi I have just been given a Aqua One tank by my husband it is a 200 ltr full tank setup with all filter & skimmer setup hidden in the back.
I have put Live Rock from LFS yesterday and was wondering if anyone could tell me what I should be doing to make my tank suitable for Seahorses as I have always wanted to keep them.
I will try to put a picture of my tank as it is now please tell me if it look's ok or let me know if there is anything I can do to make it more Seahorse friendly.

 

[drparker]

Seahorse require special care and attention to the tank design and other inhabitants. Do tons of research over at seahorse.org before buying any.

I'm not a seahorse expert but I'm starting to think about trying a species tank. There's a lot to learn if you want to it right.

 

[Michael]

for a start i would suggest eel grass, they need something to hang on to, they are finniky feeders as well, id suggest reading a book about them first, this way you may have more success keeping them alive

 

[UnicornLady08]

Seahorse Tank

Seahorse Tank

Hi all I just put some pics in my gallery of new inmates lol in my tank if you want to look ? I was wondering if anyone can tell me if cleaner shrimp mate ? Ive just been watching 2 of mine chasing each other for a while then they sort of danced a bit really close, so I was wondering if they were mating or trying to eat each other?

 

[JLAURIA751]

Is that an anemone or a feather duster in the back it looks cool

 

[UnicornLady08]

which do you mean ? the orange 1 ?
Apart from the red bamboo alge they are all fake from LFS

 

[Aquarist007]

[welcome]

The fake plastic stuff is kind of tacky-- besides you are missing "Diver Dan"

suggest a few hardy "living " lps corals
torch
xenia
zoas
candy cane
mushrooms
colt coral
kenya tree
and we be glad to help you out with them

 

[UnicornLady08]

????SEAHORSE TANK?????

????SEAHORSE TANK?????

I dont know if you noticed but I just want to keep Seahorses, but realise they need colours in their lives to tempt them to change colour. We have been told to be carefull with coral as some sting and could kill them. We thought it would be nice to have pretend rather than real that way they won't harm seahorses. But thank's for thinking we are being TACKY !!! we just want colour without possible harm to tank inhabitants.

I never wanted to keep coral but would still like the colours in my tank, I dont like the idea of buying some living thing I may kill by accident, or may have to kill/get rid of when I finally put my seahorses in. I understand coral needs special lighting, feeding, etc and am not really that interested in them, but I like the colours they have.

 

[JLAURIA751]

Your tank looks good but you have pretty good lighting, If your not going 2 put coral or plants in their I would use normal florecent lighting it will keep the algea way down.

 

[Aquarist007]

Re: ????SEAHORSE TANK?????

Re: ????SEAHORSE TANK?????

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12968993#post12968993 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by UnicornLady08
I dont know if you noticed but I just want to keep Seahorses, but realise they need colours in their lives to tempt them to change colour. We have been told to be carefull with coral as some sting and could kill them. We thought it would be nice to have pretend rather than real that way they won't harm seahorses. But thank's for thinking we are being TACKY !!! we just want colour without possible harm to tank inhabitants.

I never wanted to keep coral but would still like the colours in my tank, I dont like the idea of buying some living thing I may kill by accident, or may have to kill/get rid of when I finally put my seahorses in. I understand coral needs special lighting, feeding, etc and am not really that interested in them, but I like the colours they have.

apologies---it was my opionion only that I thought plastic was tacky--I should have added IMO---and that's all it was--nothing personal
I've had 25 years of plastic plants in freshwater tanks so I guess I am a little too bias

 

[UnicornLady08]

Apology accepted

Apology accepted

No problem I didn't want to upset anyone but sometimes there are reasons for peoples choices in tank decor, be it price or possible problems. I find it usually best to ask why someone chooses to do, what they do, rather than tell them they are wrong, to do what they want; as long as their choice is not doing any harm. But I do appreciate any helpful advice given by person's who have more experience than me.

 

[Aquarist007]

thanks may I "suggest" you post in this forum--its all about seahorses and pipefish

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=35

 

[UnicornLady08]

Thanks for that link,I'll give it a look over.

Keep smiling

Ben

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12998990#post12998990 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by UnicornLady08
Thanks for that link,I'll give it a look over.

Keep smiling

Ben

not a problem
there is also a reef central member suzimullen that has kept seahorses successfully
You might want to pm here and see if she will post on your thread

Good luck
Scott

BTW
I have some plastic in my tank---my grandson threw a plastic sponge bob crabbie paddy in there and I haven't been able to get it out yet:lol:

 

[UnicornLady08]

Well Scot at least a plastic crab won't nip any other inmates in your system lol

Ben

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12999050#post12999050 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by UnicornLady08
Well Scot at least a plastic crab won't nip any other inmates in your system lol

Ben

Ben, its a plastic hamburger, not a plastic crab:lol:

 

[UnicornLady08]

OOP'S

OOP'S

Sorry Scott
I dont have any children young enough to watch spongebob, & my only daughter is 20 with no children so I thought crabby paddy was an affectation for a crab in the program, But as my dad used to say, you live & learn, the only ones who don't, don't know it, but their dead!!


Ben