Ready for seahorses?

[bubble14]

Hi guys,
So about a month and a half ago, i started a 30g tank for seahorses. Since then I have added live sand, 10 lbs of live rock, 2 fake plants, 2 seahorse safe corals, and 10 crabs, 10 astrea snails, and 2 turbo snails. I had the Ammonia, and Nitrite spike, like it's supposed to, and then it went down to zero and has been there ever since. The nitrate has also been pretty low, and where it should be. So after all of this was set, i found a crab dead in one of the plants. then a few days later, i found two more crabs dead. the same day i found three other astrea snails dead. I know that the astrea snails will usually die if they flip over, and i think the causualities may have been because i put too many creatures in at a time before the seahorses so there was not enough food. (I put 10 crabs and 10 snails) I am getting my H. Erectus seahorses from a local breeder, and because all my levels are right and nothing seems to be wrong, do you think I am ready for seahorses?

 

[cjm3]

Have you been feeding your crabs and snails?
A new tank may not have enough food to keep them alive.

Personally, I'd like to find out what's killing off the CUC before I put any more animals in the tank. Things that kill crabs and snails could be harmful to your Seahorses.

 

[bubble14]

Yes, I have been feeding them.... So far no other snails or crabs have died...
I did look into that after I found some dead, and did get Algae strips, that they seemed to like. There is this red worm that we found that appears spiky. It's about 3 in long, but the people at our LFS said it wouldn't harm the seahorses. Is this true?

 

[rayjay]

If a seahorse snicks it up the bristleworm can cause damage to the seahorse that could get a bacterial infection that they are so prone to.
VERY FEW LFS's are qualified to advise on any topic regarding seahorses, although most think they are.

 

[cjm3]

VERY FEW LFS's are qualified to advise on any topic regarding seahorses, although most think they are.

This ^
No truer words about Seahorses have ever been spoken.

I remember one LFS that told me the ones they were selling were CB and eating flake foods!(?)
I asked to see their shipping papers from the breeder, but they "wouldn't be able to find right now".

 

[genetao]

Yeah it could be that your CUC is starving. Or perhaps you might have something in there releasing some toxins of some sort (e.g. copper???).

To be on the safe side, try adding a damsel in there and see how it does. If it does fine for several weeks, you can always give it back to LFS after you're done using it as a canary.

 

[bubble14]

Thanks so much!

 

[kudagirl]

You may also like to add a air line to your tank and maybe a
wave maker (which will need to be covered) just to make the water move around.