Question for 1st timer.
- Thread starter AquaJern
- Start date
Moonstream
New member
first thing you need to do is research. next, you need to relize that SH and pipes are not easy to care for. you need to be committed to keeping them and realize that it may or may not work. I myself have never kept seahorses, but I do know much about them because I researched them for a while, until I realsied they had no place in my tank.
for a first time SH I recomend either H. kuda or H. erectus. both are hardy as far as SH go, tho the latter is a better chioce. dwarf SH are a bad choice as they need very tiny tanks, correct feeding consentrations, live small foods like pods and BBS, as well as no other animals in the tank besides small shrimp (like red shrimp, and pods, and brine shrimp which will be eaten soon), they also need frequent feedings, and no things such as hydroids in the tank. I see you want to keep pipes in their as well, maybe best left untill you have mastered keeping SH and keeping perams stable ect. this is ot because of the pipes but because of the SH. the little poneys will produce a large amount of waste and it can be hard to keep up on WC and to not overstock. My edvice would be to get the poneys, after maybe 1 yr or so, if you feel you can, add the pipes.
for the tank,the temp needs to stay below 74F, as anything above causes stress in even tropical SH. Lighting is not an issue, but the stronger the light the more algae will grow on youre SH (yes the do grow algae on themselves!) but no light wont be good either. If you plan on keeping any corals or macro algae, choose lights that they will do best under. the flow should be low. oh and the tank size, for a pair of kuda or erectus a 29 gallon tank at least 18" high would be ideal, maybe you could get a pipefish in their w/ them too, but no more then that, a better choice is to get a 30 gallon tank. any tank above 29 gallon would be fine, it just needs to be at least 18" high (tho 21" is recomended by most experts).
powerful skimming is a very good idea, a sump big enough to hold a skimmer plus a decent size fuge is really good, as it will help to cultivate pods.
also, stinging corals and nems should be kept out of a SH tank, tho pipes are fine in a reef setting. hitch hiker nems like aptasia need to be apsent from the tank before and after the SH get introduced because of their powerful sting. you can however keep shrooms and zoas in the SH tank, tho they need to be slowly acclimated to the lower temps first. Keep all fish out of the tank, and only keep a small number of snails and maybe hermits in the tank for the algae. also be prepared to find baby SH in the tank if you do have a male/ female pair.
well, hope this long post comes in handy 4 U!
for a first time SH I recomend either H. kuda or H. erectus. both are hardy as far as SH go, tho the latter is a better chioce. dwarf SH are a bad choice as they need very tiny tanks, correct feeding consentrations, live small foods like pods and BBS, as well as no other animals in the tank besides small shrimp (like red shrimp, and pods, and brine shrimp which will be eaten soon), they also need frequent feedings, and no things such as hydroids in the tank. I see you want to keep pipes in their as well, maybe best left untill you have mastered keeping SH and keeping perams stable ect. this is ot because of the pipes but because of the SH. the little poneys will produce a large amount of waste and it can be hard to keep up on WC and to not overstock. My edvice would be to get the poneys, after maybe 1 yr or so, if you feel you can, add the pipes.
for the tank,the temp needs to stay below 74F, as anything above causes stress in even tropical SH. Lighting is not an issue, but the stronger the light the more algae will grow on youre SH (yes the do grow algae on themselves!) but no light wont be good either. If you plan on keeping any corals or macro algae, choose lights that they will do best under. the flow should be low. oh and the tank size, for a pair of kuda or erectus a 29 gallon tank at least 18" high would be ideal, maybe you could get a pipefish in their w/ them too, but no more then that, a better choice is to get a 30 gallon tank. any tank above 29 gallon would be fine, it just needs to be at least 18" high (tho 21" is recomended by most experts).
powerful skimming is a very good idea, a sump big enough to hold a skimmer plus a decent size fuge is really good, as it will help to cultivate pods.
also, stinging corals and nems should be kept out of a SH tank, tho pipes are fine in a reef setting. hitch hiker nems like aptasia need to be apsent from the tank before and after the SH get introduced because of their powerful sting. you can however keep shrooms and zoas in the SH tank, tho they need to be slowly acclimated to the lower temps first. Keep all fish out of the tank, and only keep a small number of snails and maybe hermits in the tank for the algae. also be prepared to find baby SH in the tank if you do have a male/ female pair.
well, hope this long post comes in handy 4 U!
ann83
New member
1. Captive Bred Erectus from www.seahorsesource.com or www.dracomarine.org Avoid wild caught seahorses and tank raised seahorses at the LFS (they are often raised in pens in the ocean and come in with the same issues as wild caught).
2. 37 gallons or larger for 1 or 2 pair, you could go as small as 29 gallons for one pair but that will make things alot harder for your first SH tank and it will be difficult to keep the water quality good. Seahorses are a bigger bioload than they look (predators with simple digestive systems). The bigger, the better. Height is important too. Minimum 18" of height, 24" is better. No pipefish, they are wild caught and can transfer disease to your seahorses. If you want a tankmate, try a clown goby and maybe a couple of peppermint shrimp instead.
3. Power compact or T5 lighting (less heat than MH, but enough light for soft coral and macroalgae). Look into something in the range of 48 - 96 watts.
4. Broken up flow. Use spraybars on your sump return and any powerheads. Flow is good because it eliminates dead spots and helps water quality, but you don't want strong flow, just lots of mild flow. Strong flow will blow the SH around. Try for 10x turnover using spraybars for the returns.
5. I recommend a sump/fuge and a skimmer. But, you can get away without them (and use a cannister or modified HOB) if you stock lighter. AquaC-Remoras are nice little skimmers. Put the skimmer and heater (so the seahorse's can't burn themselves) in the sump, and look into rock rubble, cheato, and copepods for the fuge section. Look into a chiller too if you can't keep the temperature in the tank under 74 all the time without one.
6. Always captive bred from a reputable aquaculture facility. If you want to try to raise fry, go with southern erectus (sold by seahorse source), they are easier to raise. Feed frozen mysis 2-3 times a day, and always keep tank temps under 74 degrees to prevent bacterial infection. No stinging corals, anemones, clams, crabs, large hermits, aggressive fish, or anything else that could stress or injure your seahorse. Read in the libraries and forums at www.seahorse.org and www.syngnathid.org
Good luck.
2. 37 gallons or larger for 1 or 2 pair, you could go as small as 29 gallons for one pair but that will make things alot harder for your first SH tank and it will be difficult to keep the water quality good. Seahorses are a bigger bioload than they look (predators with simple digestive systems). The bigger, the better. Height is important too. Minimum 18" of height, 24" is better. No pipefish, they are wild caught and can transfer disease to your seahorses. If you want a tankmate, try a clown goby and maybe a couple of peppermint shrimp instead.
3. Power compact or T5 lighting (less heat than MH, but enough light for soft coral and macroalgae). Look into something in the range of 48 - 96 watts.
4. Broken up flow. Use spraybars on your sump return and any powerheads. Flow is good because it eliminates dead spots and helps water quality, but you don't want strong flow, just lots of mild flow. Strong flow will blow the SH around. Try for 10x turnover using spraybars for the returns.
5. I recommend a sump/fuge and a skimmer. But, you can get away without them (and use a cannister or modified HOB) if you stock lighter. AquaC-Remoras are nice little skimmers. Put the skimmer and heater (so the seahorse's can't burn themselves) in the sump, and look into rock rubble, cheato, and copepods for the fuge section. Look into a chiller too if you can't keep the temperature in the tank under 74 all the time without one.
6. Always captive bred from a reputable aquaculture facility. If you want to try to raise fry, go with southern erectus (sold by seahorse source), they are easier to raise. Feed frozen mysis 2-3 times a day, and always keep tank temps under 74 degrees to prevent bacterial infection. No stinging corals, anemones, clams, crabs, large hermits, aggressive fish, or anything else that could stress or injure your seahorse. Read in the libraries and forums at www.seahorse.org and www.syngnathid.org
Good luck.
