Opinions/knowledge needed

[jbrown11352]

I have 13' of 5.5" O.D. 1/4" (Another 6' of 5" O.D. if needed) Cell Cast Acrylic and would like to build a seahorse tank this weekend for my daughter for christmas. I'm not sure if anything but maybe dwarf's would be ok in a 5" I.D. cylinder tank, I've only read that height is very important but nothing about width and I know it definitely matters as I'm sure they don't just swim up and down. It can be built as just a column with the return on top and drain on the bottom covered by rubble rock or similar to avoid any settling or possible PH issues or I can build an L shape or similar (I have thought about going around her door or book shelving but would need another 4' section for either one). I will use acrylic flanges like a reactor and for feeding I will install an additional bulkhead on top with a threaded cap or similar for access as well as shutoff valves for both the return and drain. I would like to have Gorgonians, Sponges, and possibly a couple compatible softies depending on the design and a few stealth LED's throughout. This will be in her bedroom and plumbed to the fish room next to hers tied into either the main 200g reef system w/refugium, sump, skimmer, chiller, reactors, ato, etc, etc... or into the 250g Carson Bin with Skimmer, Heater and powerheads that I use for holding excess LR (100+ pds) & LS (300+ pds). I would of course choose the main system but I don't know if there is any reason I should not.

What horses would you recommend (If possible one that doesn't require live food 3 times a day, I just broke down a 550g prop system to reduce my time in that room :crazy1: ) and secondly what design would you go with and/or change? Please give your honest knowledgable opinion here as I don't want to harm any livestock in an attempt to give my 8 yr old a GREAT christmas gift, I'll just need your name and address if you say no so I can hand that info to Daddy's little girl on Christmas morning :furious:

Thanks in Advance

 

[rayjay]

While sounding intriguing, I may not be grasping just how you actually picture this set up to look.
To me, it seems like a servicing/maintenance nightmare, especially an "L" shaped one.
I don't see how you can even clean the interior surfaces of algae, without frustrating effort that can possibly lead to neglect in time.

 

[jbrown11352]

It realistically wouldn't be bad at all, I'm meticulous with my tanks especially something like this. I'm already making a custom magfloat for it and the L shape could be accessed with ease without draining if necessary and its designed properly. My only concern is making sure it is humane and from what I can see of others systems for dwarfs I am planning a mansion for the little guys. I'm trying to think outside the box and the only way to do that in this hobby is to block out the "norm" you see at LFS's or here and design from scratch throwing out all the rules and cost isn't an issue because I already have the $35/ft Cylinder. Most wouldn't design it due to the cost of material alone.

 

[mikencarol]

Your system sounds exciting but.......Dwarfs are pretty small and really pretty difficult to see for little ones. I have some very nice dwarfs I got from Peka on here. I enjoy spending time watching them but my grandkids...12 and 14...have a difficult time watching them because of their size. They are in a 7 gallon tank. They LOVE watching my Erectus and Reidi. Your idea is great but don't discourage her by putting in some Seahorses that she has too much trouble finding...just my 2 cents? PS...your Dwarfs will not survive unless you have a system small enough that they can locate the live BBS that they have to be fed every day. They don't move around a whole lot......

 

[PintoSeahorse]

From what I heard, Dwarfs arent exactly the best breed to start out with. They're extremely fragile and tiny to see and will usually get sucked up into something unless you've fool-proofed every inch of your tank. Up to you if you want to go for it. The pros atleast are that Dwarfs are pretty cheap.