Seahorses with SPS?

I believe trying sps with seahorses is just going to be a lot of cooperation and constant changes on our part until we get it just right. I find that gluing sps to frag rocks, then gluing the rocks to large live rock is the easiest way to go. That way you can move sps without breaking it from the rock. I would imagine if a horse wanted to hitch in a certain spot and began to threaten the frag, you can simply move it to a higher flow area where the horse will have find a new place to hitch. This is just one of MANY of compromises that would have to take place.

You know, I was very apprehensive to start this thread, thinking I would be overpowered with opinions all pointing at "NO!" But I think it's made quite a good conversation piece. I love all the different opinions and facts that have arose. Yes, it is obvious that it would be easier not to have seahorses and sps together. But how awesome would it be to see a seahorse tank for the first time that is thriving with sps. How beautiful... And how fun of a challenge!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8806466#post8806466 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fredfish
In all my reading I have not yet come across a specific reference to horses living on a reef predominated by stony corals. In general horses do seem to be found in a wide variety of environments, but I suspect that they are predominantly found in algal/seagrass areas.
Click to expand...
you might be interested in reviewing these photos, i believe most of these are on/near/around a cave entrance in the philippines. http://www.deepseaimages.com/dsilibrary/showgallery.php?cat=1200

i'll have to dig out a paper that was written about this species, they were tagged and followed for qite some time. i can't remember if there was any mention of the actual coral species they were living amongst.
 
Nice pics. the first I have seen of wild adults on coral.

Brook. I think we try very hard on this board not to give outright no answers. I personally hate to cut off discussion because I do not agree with a poster. Learning is about listening to other points of view.

Fred
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8807486#post8807486 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by OUBrook
But how awesome would it be to see a seahorse tank for the first time that is thriving with sps. How beautiful... And how fun of a challenge!
Click to expand...

If you don't get started soon you'll be the second not the first cuz I'm gonna beat ya. ;) :D

Would be nice to have someone to take the journey with.
 
Oh go for it!! Then I can have the chance to learn from other people's mistakes! Haha, not implying you will, but I know I will!

How is it that this hasn't been done really? Surely I'm not the first to wonder if they can do this... I'm still a newby with seahorses.

I love that everyone is getting hyped and learning from this thread. It's very exciting!
 
Many people have actually done it. Few with succsess. I think the plumbing is a huge part of the issue. Got to have a lot of flow, but it has to be broken up. My anwser huge sprayabr. Other problem is browning of SPS with nitrate and phosphate levels, My anwser 40g sump, 20g refugium, protein skimmer, and a filter meant for a tank twice the size.

I'm probably a month or more out.

I'm sure I'll report my share of mistakes since I'm still pretty much an SPS newb. I'll have a reef system up by then that I can move the SPS to if I do have problems so at least I have an out. Just need to get a new canopy. Apparently running 2 400w MH with a 6" canopy can cause some issues. Need to get that adjusted before I setup the reef.
 
Thats easy. A combination of early failures with wild caught horses mixed with an (I think) an unusually dedicated personality found in many seahorse keeper makes most of the group very conservative. Folks have found success and are hesitant to vary from that protocal.

The other answer is, somebody probably has, we just havn't heard of it. I do know of one person who kept a pair of seahorses in a reef tank successfully for at least 4 years.

Fred
 
Hey Pledo. What size tank are you setting up? 2 x 400w is a LOT of light, more than most tanks need. Many of the folks here on RC are obsessed with light.

Proper water flow is more important than the amount of light and feeding is of equal importance. Go do some reading on Eric Borneman's forum. IMO he knows more about how to keep hard corals than anybody else in the hobby.

Fred
 
Fredo,

The reef system will be a 65g or a 90g. Not sure yet. If I go with the 65 I might run 400w MH and 156 of T5. I already have the dual 400w MH ballast, so . . . might as well use it. The tank will be 36" long so thought about 2 250's, but when you get a dual 400w MH setup for $80 it's hard to pass up.

If it's to much light I'll move it to a frag tank. I know a fellow reefer with a similiar setup and is stuff is great, so I'll go from there.

Borneman is very knowledgable. I have much respect for him.

Either the 65 or the 90 will turn over at least once a minute. Either will have a refugium and a nice size skimmer, as well as a ton of rock. Just the way I like my reef's.

I have found so far with SPS all you need is flow, light, and calcuim. No other nurishment is needed. They get the rest of what they need from the fish and fish food. JME But I'm still a newb.
 
Thats a lot of light for a 65 or even a 90. Sure, corals will grow, but they will hit both photosaturation and photo-inhibition points. Your corals will be expending extra energy to deflect/shed the extra light.

Good deal on the lights though. I can understand the temptation.

Fred
 
Be sure to keep us updated as you go along! And pictures are great. I doubt I'll be doing sps anytime soon. I just got a new tank for my seahorses that will fit better in my house, and it's only a 37 cube that can only fit a 10 gal sump in the stand we built. I don't think there's enough quantity to make up if something fluctuates too much.

But I'm so excited for you!! I want to know how it goes! You're being RC's little pioneer.
 
Hey! I sadly got out of the seahorse hobby. I'm now simply reefing. I had to go to my hometown too much, and it was just too difficult to get a pony-sitter. However, I'm still very interested in this thread! Did anything ever come of trying, Pledo? I haven't really been keeping up with this forum much since I gave up the horses, so I'm sorry if I just missed a thread you may have started.

So did it work?!!
 
Dude, I've been lagging. :( My 65g has been up for three weeks after cooking the rock for 8 months. It is running the T5's and i moved about 9 zoo's into it as well as a couple of SPS but no seahorses in there yet. My plans were further delayed by my latest fedral income tax bill> Not going to have horses for a few more months. But I know that the seahorse tank without seahorses will support SPS growth even at the lower temps, now just need to get the seahorses.

:D
 
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