Seahorse Setup

A

A_Z

New member
Hi everyone

I am currently planning out a seahorse tank, because they are so cool. I am currently reading a training program from Pete at Ocean Rider, long but great info! So here is my plan so far.

For a system I was looking at several aquariums, I thought a hex would be neat but albeit a bit odd and hard to clean. I ended up deciding that a Red Sea Max 130D would be an excellent tank for a Seahorse tank. It is approx 34g.

http://www.redseamax.com/redseamax/250temp/redseamax/Red_Sea_MAX_specs130D.html

I love all the features it has and should simplify everything greatly. It would come with the tank, stand and starter kit. Which gives me everything I need to start.

Some additional equipment I am going to buy is:
- Aqua Euro USA 1/13 HP Chiller rated for up to 60 gallons
- Refractometer and calibration solution

anything else I need?

for some tank materials are BRS eco rock and tonga branch.

several types of macro algae like ogo and ulva.

tank mates would be a firefish. the pair would be a true captive bred from seahorse source erectus or barbouri.
 
also some other organisms that would be in the same tank

corals:
Sarcothelia edmondsoni
Sinularia densa

possibly if I can find
Acabaria bicolor

inverts:
skunk cleaner shrimp
Hawaiian feather duster tube worm

fish:
Firefish

Possible:
ORA mandarin
ORA baganii cardinal
ORA occ clown

also I heard sea horses can change color when they feel like, then how do some sites like ORA, OR and such say they offer specific yellow and orange variety???

does that mean they stay the bright colors no matter what??

also do I have enough hitching posts you think? from the BRS eco rock, tonga branch rock, and macro algae.

my macro algae are going to be this variety:
  • Red Gracilaria parvispora
  • Ulva sp.
  • Sargassum sp.
  • Feathery Caulerpa C. sertularioides, 2 types - Long and Short
  • Yellow Gracilaria sp.

what do you think?
 
I think you need to stick to just a pair of one species of seahorses and forget about other fish until you are sure you will succeed at that.
The tank isn't really big enough to be adding more fish, and, if you do, and if you lose the seahorses, you don't know if it is because of some pathogen introduced by the other fish.
Also, do more investigation other than just Pete's information because there are other opinions out there.
You can start by reading the links at the bottom of My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping.
You wouldn't believe how many people pay top dollars for a colour and then the colour is lost when they put the seahorses in their own tanks.
Of course, this may be after you spend money for the colour and then to buy the recommended enrichments that are supposed to maintain the colours.
IMO, cleaner shrimp can stress the seahorses to the point of stress induced illnesses occurring.
 
Save your money on the calibration solution for the refractometer, unless it is cheaper then buying distilled water because that is what it is.
 
Tucson Reef said:
Save your money on the calibration solution for the refractometer, unless it is cheaper then buying distilled water because that is what it is.
Click to expand...
WRONG!!
Calibration fluid is NOT distilled water.
In fact, if you calibrate using distilled water and you have the normal refractometer found in the hobby, sodium chloride, you will not have accurate results at the normal reef salinity.
Buy a calibration fluid in the range you intend to use it.
Now, if you buy a seawater refractometer your readings will be more accurate but still I would recommend using calibration fluids over distilled water.
Randy Holmes-Farley has published DIY calibration fluid for hobbyist use but I can't put my finger on the article just now.
 
You use distilled water and calibrate to zero and if you want to get real fancy and its not temp calibrating you need to find the temp range too, but that would not be critical at normal household temps and some are self temp calibrating. Yes there are many refracs for different solutions such testing grapes for for sugar content, but most refracs sold at LFS's will cal just fine with distilled water. When in doubt, cal it and take it to your local University to check and compare.
 
Last edited:
The clown and cleaner shrimp definate no they will stress the S.H. too much,but listen to RayJay he knows what he is talking about.As for color I have a pair of ORA "blacks"(Kuda) they say they are breed to show yellows and oranges(as in more likely to show those colors) my bigger one was yellow when I bought her,orange after release into the tank,and back to yellow after a few days where she stayed.The smaller one can go from dark almost black to a pasty white-yellow and does so frequently(she seems to be darker when free swimming and lighter when hitched to my light colored live rock and changes pretty quickly)
 
Well you can believe what you want to for your refractometer but just to be sure that others are not misled, most refractometers sold at the LFS are NOT true seawater refractometers, and as such will have errors reading at reef salinities if calibrated with DI or distilled water instead of proper calibration fluids. The difference while not great, is still there and can be in the area of 5%.
Search out threads on the Reef Chemistry Forum on this site, or go to Refractometers and Salinity Measurement.
Specifically in that article, refer to Scale Misunderstanding and Salt Refractometers and Tips on Calibrating a Refractometer.
 
this is the refractometer I was going to buy it has a bottle of fluid included so I don't need to worry about that

http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...e=PA&Product_Code=REFRACT-PA-K&Category_Code=

:)

better than a hydrometer I think :D

no one commented on if my plan has enough hitching posts (the algae and corals).
I also will have micro brittle stars and snails for the CUC forgot to mention that. :fish2:

I don't know what pair to choose from these species:

Kuda, erectus, barbouri, reidi

I still don't understand why some sites sell seahorses that are yellow and orange, seahorses change color when they want right? or are those bred to remain bright colors?

yeah I know a bit of a beginner question probably, but of which 4 seahorses I listed above, which one is the most likely to be and stay colorful like orange, yellow red, etc?

also what if I try a small cleaner shrimp? pete thinks they are fine tankmates or does it depend on the individual some are more pesky than others?? I would think they are beneficial for removing parasites etc.
 
Just my thoughts, having been in SW for almost 50 years, get the SH first, get to know them and then worry about other critters. Most Skunk, Fire Shrimp I have ever kept are pigs at feeding time, I've seen them fight with Angels over a Mysid. Same goes for Clowns, mine have always been pigs, so if you feed your SH enhanced food and the shrimp/clown/whatever steals it, what do you do? Add more food till your SH get their 3or 4? How much are you polluting your water with enhancments to feed the horses.

Nothing good happens fast in Salt Water, you will have a much better chance of sucess if you take it one step at a time
 
Molehs said:
I'd recommend this one:
http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...ode=PA&Product_Code=REFRACT-HD&Category_Code=

I did some searching about these before and it seemed that his one in particular was the most popular for quality and price.
Click to expand...

thanks! that is new as it also has salinity solution!

I was thinking of buying a fake gorg for more hitching posts. Not a huge fake fan but this looks pretty real.
http://www.saltwatereddies.com/content-product_info/product_id-2186/sea_rods_485.html

maybe red or orange or yellow?

FWIW I wasn't thinking of 4 fish + 2 seahorses in my tank, only the seahorses and maybe 1 of those fish and I thought the fire fish would be the most suitable but wanted to list some other options for feedback. although yes I will try a SHOWLR first and then later on maybe try a fire fish.

also anyone order from aquamarine international ?
 
Last edited:
Hobbyists don't order from Aquamarine International, stores or transhippers do.
Look for an LFS that carries them and then ask if you can buy them still in the bag when they get their next shipment.
Most LFSs put the seahorses in systems that either contain other fish or had contained other fish recently and the pathogens are transferred to the seahorses, making the odds of success a little bit worse.
Of course, if you find a store with dedicated tanks/systems for each breeding source of seahorses sold then you can ignore this step. I haven't found one yet.
Aquamarine breeds H. reidi and H. comes.
 
I'm not sure how to address the color thing without sounding like a jerk but...Color is a marketing gimick they change color for no rhyme or reason-mood,diet,enviroment, idk time of day.What I assume they do(like every thing ealse) is take two S.H. that tend to display the disired color put them together and now you might have offspring that "tends" to display the disired trait.They make no claims that they will stay that color,mine are called ORA black Seahorse(that is all the store i bought them at knew them as and wanted to charge me more once he noticed they weren't black-This is a highend reef shop best in Buffalo-might not be saying much idk-but I knew more about them then they did i.e.they are kudas but they saw color then saw$)and they "tend" to be yellowish not black. And as for tankmates (other than cuc consisting of a few blue legs or scarlets and a couple of snails)don't worry about them yet,get good at taking care of your S.H. first then fill out your tank as you see fit.You can put anything in there you want its your tank.But S.H. do best when not constantly pestered they can't compete for food basicaly they just want/need to be left alone and a skunk cleaner lives to fiddle with your live stock.
 
A_Z said:
this is the refractometer I was going to buy it has a bottle of fluid included so I don't need to worry about that

http://premiumaquatics.com/store/me...e=PA&Product_Code=REFRACT-PA-K&Category_Code=

:)

better than a hydrometer I think :D

no one commented on if my plan has enough hitching posts (the algae and corals).
I also will have micro brittle stars and snails for the CUC forgot to mention that. :fish2:

I don't know what pair to choose from these species:

Kuda, erectus, barbouri, reidi

I still don't understand why some sites sell seahorses that are yellow and orange, seahorses change color when they want right? or are those bred to remain bright colors?

yeah I know a bit of a beginner question probably, but of which 4 seahorses I listed above, which one is the most likely to be and stay colorful like orange, yellow red, etc?
Click to expand...

For the same reason they give them a fancy trademark name. It is all about the marketing. Please look at Ocean Rider's Term & Condition page. They wouldn't guarantee the color of your seahorse.

H. erectus & H. reidi are your best bet and please listen to what everyone been telling you so far. Stat off with the seahorses and get to know them before adding tank mates.

Tim
 
Please keep in mind the temp. I keep my horses at 68-71, don't really like to go above that. It was quite a few months before I added a mandarin. I wanted to see if the mandarin would take the cool temp. Since then I have another mandy and they are just happy as could be. I may have just got lucky.:bounce2:
 
thanks for the replies everyone and no you didn't sound like a jerk at all. :D

amazo said:
I'm not sure how to address the color thing without sounding like a jerk but...Color is a marketing gimick they change color for no rhyme or reason-mood,diet,enviroment, idk time of day.What I assume they do(like every thing ealse) is take two S.H. that tend to display the disired color put them together and now you might have offspring that "tends" to display the disired trait.They make no claims that they will stay that color,mine are called ORA black Seahorse(that is all the store i bought them at knew them as and wanted to charge me more once he noticed they weren't black-This is a highend reef shop best in Buffalo-might not be saying much idk-but I knew more about them then they did i.e.they are kudas but they saw color then saw$)and they "tend" to be yellowish not black. And as for tankmates (other than cuc consisting of a few blue legs or scarlets and a couple of snails)don't worry about them yet,get good at taking care of your S.H. first then fill out your tank as you see fit.You can put anything in there you want its your tank.But S.H. do best when not constantly pestered they can't compete for food basicaly they just want/need to be left alone and a skunk cleaner lives to fiddle with your live stock.
Click to expand...

I am going to take everyone's advice :)
 
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