NPS Seahorse Tank

[nicewicz]

OK, so Cuttlekid's thread has inspired me to finally upload some photos of my NPS seahorse tank. It's still a work in progress, so keep that in mind. We're running an 18" cube tank with a stand built by a friend. I built the sump tank (14"x14" footprint) that barely fits below and houses a protein skimmer and refugium. A small space for a tiny top-off tank completes the jam-packed setup that has been running for about 9 months now. I'm leaving out a lot

FTS:

Sump and Underbelly:

 

[nicewicz]

OK, now for the inhabitants; I have a pair of h. erectus horses in here. One was female, then she turned into a male a few months after I got her.

Jasper:

Polly:

I have a few different sun corals, but here, the black sun coral is the most photogenic:

Diodogorgia nodulifera:

Horses in the gorgonians:

 

[nicewicz]

This is a mixed tank with some photosynthetic corals:

Thus far, most of the photosynthetic corals that I've introduced to the tank go through an adjustment period (where some dieback has occurred), but they usually pull through and bounce back. I have ecoxotic LED bulbs to really concentrate light where I need it for the photosynthetics while leaving the NPS in the shade. I do have a photosynthetic gorgonian (ptergorgia of sorts):

This is a particular favorite of the ponies:

A couple of other inhabitants:

The refugium boss:

 

[nicewicz]

I mainly try to target feed all of my NPS to minimize waste and I have a huge clean-up crew of shrimps, hermit crabs and snails. There is not a single piece of uneaten food. I have to take great care in feeding the horses as well: they are particularly slow eaters and they will also cherry pick from the sun corals from time to time as I'm feeding them. I've had my setbacks: the yellow gorgs have taken a beating from the horses hitching on them. I've simply added more dead corals for hitching posts and they seem to particularly like the colt corals in the front of the tank, so they tend to keep off of the gorgonians then.
As for flow, I do not have anything other than the return flow from the sump, but it is fairly strong. Often you will hear that higher flow is not compatible with horses and that low flow is not compatible with NPS. Well, I decided to split the difference, and while I can definitely say results are far from perfect (algae battles have been epic at times), I'm beginning to see the tank stabilize a bit more now.

 

[jstuver]

Nice tank, I also keep h erectus seahorses. Love them!

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Remember- no stinging corals like rhizos, dendros, or sun corals!

 

[Allmost]

I have often thought about this, but see 2 Issues

long term, NPS corals require alot more flow than seahorses can take. [Wave will solve all your ISsues !!!!, seahorses can take more than ppl think, but not direct flow]

over time, the NPS corals will be stressed from seahorses holding on to them. [no solutions to this lol ]

that is why I have 2 tanks, one NPS, one seahorse.

good luck

suncoral is safe wit horses as well.

 

[tntdsol]

nice tank. great pics

 

[CuttleKid]

OK, so Cuttlekid's thread has inspired me to finally upload some photos of my NPS seahorse tank. It's still a work in progress, so keep that in mind. We're running an 18" cube tank with a stand built by a friend. I built the sump tank (14"x14" footprint) that barely fits below and houses a protein skimmer and refugium. A small space for a tiny top-off tank completes the jam-packed setup that has been running for about 9 months now. I'm leaving out a lot

FTS:

Sump and Underbelly:

Im honored to have inspired you to post pictures of your GORGEOUS tank.

 

[Bonta]

Beautiful tank

 

[RyanTurner]

Sweet set-up. I've always wanted to keep seahorses. What do you feed the yellow gorg? I noticed mine pull in brine and mysis, but i wonder if I shouldn't feed smaller food.

 

[nicewicz]

Thanks all for the compliments.

@RyanTurner: I feed the yellow gorgonian a mix of frozen mysis, Fauna Marin Ultra Min F and Ultra Sea Fan as well as Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast. These finer foods feed all of my NPS corals in the tank. There are a few I don't have close-ups of that I will post soon.

@Bongo Shrimp: I've heard from many seahorse folks that sun corals and dendros are completely fine with seahorses. I've never had a bad experience. In fact, the horses often use the black sun coral as a hitching post while it is open and the corals don't seem to be bothered (though it took a few weeks for them to adjust to this).

This is, of course, predicated on the fact that the horses need to be large enough to not be eaten by the corals...

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Those stinging corals especially dendros with their strong stings can give the seahorses ulcers which can lead to death. I don't know who you were talking to but they obviously don't know what their talking about.

 

[Allmost]

My seahorses, H. Reidi, have absolutely no Issues with Sun corals I keep in the same tank.

sometimes, Experience speaks louder

the .org site also puts sun coral as fully safe.

nicewicz, your tank is amazing and has inspired me to finally take a step and start putting seahorses in my NPS tank, always been worried about them hitching onto the NPS corals and killing the coral. but I see yours are doing fairy well.

thanks for posting it.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Hey its fine with me. Just don't be surprised if they are harmed.

And by the way I used to have a dendro head in my seahorse tank and one of my reidi got stung, got an ulcer and ultimately died. I'm not just making these things up.

 

[Jerad]

What kind is the yellow sea horse?

 

[nicewicz]

It is true that tubestra and dendros have stinging nematocysts, but they do not contain compounds nearly as toxic as, say, aiptasia nematocysts, which are quite common hitchhikers in tanks and easily missed (I just plucked one out of the tank a few days ago, in fact). Ulcers can develop on seahorses for a variety of reasons, one of which could be a sting. Playing devil's advocate here: Bongo, did you actually see the dendro sting the horse, or are you assuming it did? I'm trying to attack you, I just want to understand if these types of corals are high risk with seahorses. This is the first I've seen people mention that such corals are dangerous with horses.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

I saw the seahorse's tail slide on the dendro, it reacted and the the seahorse twitted quickly and swim away. Then a day or so later the ulcer developed right in that spot... I'm just saying that these corals are quite dangerous to seahorses. Suncorals may be less of a threat but I know dendros, balanos and rhizos especially have the ability to sting seahorses. I mean of all the corals you could put with seahorses...

I'm trying to attack you

Oh and I think you forgot a "not".^^^

 

[nicewicz]

Heh, Freudian slip, I suppose

Point taken; I certainly wouldn't put rhizos with seahorses; they simply grow way too big to be safe anyway and dendros are now on my borderline based on your experience. I appreciate the advice.

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

Look- If you are able to keep dendros with seahorses and they are not getting hurt great. I just care that they are being kept properly and are of good health. Just be careful.

I still would not recommend it though.