I am ready to start my first seahorse tank. I am planning on southern erectus if I can find them. I have purchased a 47g column tank, coralife protein skimmer, and sand for the bottom. I plan to purchase about 20 lbs of base rock and 20 lbs of live rock this week. Do I need to purchase anything else, ie powerheads, chiller/heater? Any other suggestions? Thanks.
Setting Up New Seahorse Tank
- Thread starter jbentley
- Start date
Octoshark
Marine Biology Student
I just got some southern erectus from www.seahorsesource.com
You can see them here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1808736
You can see them here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1808736
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
if your ambient house temp goes below mid-high 60's, you won't need a heater. even tropical SH should be maintained below 74*F due to their propensity for developing bacterial infections, which are often fatal.
if the temp of your setup goes above 74*F, i highly recommend a chiller, especially since the warm weather is upon us.
also, i highly recommend the use of live macroalgae in your DT, as it harbors pods, gives the SH hunting/hitching areas, and aids in nutrient export (SH are very hard on water quality).
also, you may consider dropping a length of open-ended rigid airline (maybe even two) down the back as bubblers since the tank is deep. i prefer airlines to PH's in SH setups, as there is no way for them to get their tails stuck in them. the SH may also hitch to the tubes for a "bubble bath" to clean themselves off.
HTH
if the temp of your setup goes above 74*F, i highly recommend a chiller, especially since the warm weather is upon us.
also, i highly recommend the use of live macroalgae in your DT, as it harbors pods, gives the SH hunting/hitching areas, and aids in nutrient export (SH are very hard on water quality).
also, you may consider dropping a length of open-ended rigid airline (maybe even two) down the back as bubblers since the tank is deep. i prefer airlines to PH's in SH setups, as there is no way for them to get their tails stuck in them. the SH may also hitch to the tubes for a "bubble bath" to clean themselves off.
HTH
PghFishNerd
New member
I got mine from Seahorse Corral and I love them! Very healthy, but still very cheap. No matter what, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU GET CAPTIVE BRED! Even if they're cheaper to begin with, the wild caught ones WILL get sick, and you will either spend a lot of money paying for medication, or they'll die without notice. Whether or not you need a chiller depends upon what kind of lighting you use. Southern Erectus are tropical so they should be kept at just a slightly lower temperature than a normal tropical tank (because pathogens that seahorses are prone to thrive in warmer waters). It should generally be around 72-75 degrees. With a normal florescent or power compact light, maybe even HO T5's (something that won't raise the temperature), you shouldn't need a chiller, just a normal little heater. As far as power heads go, I would have some toward the bottom since it's a tall tank. Things really get stagnant down there otherwise. Seahorses can take a lot more current than people give them credit for. Many of them actually enjoy "riding" the current, and it's very easy to tell if you have too much of it just by using common sense. If the horse can't swim in a straight line, or is getting flipped over, obviously there's too much. One more thing you will definitely want to buy is hitching posts for the horses to rest on. Although it may seem trivial, decorative plants (real or fake) or fake corals are necessary for their survival. If the pony doesn't have anywhere to hitch comfortably, it probably will not eat. They will hitch on the live rock, but it won't be very comfortable for them unless there's something tall and skinny to attach to. Good luck. Seahorse tanks are so much fun
Here's my most recent addition. He's from Seahorse Corral. I actually ordered him from "Browns and Blacks" category, and ended up with this beautiful gold color. He's got a great personality and eats frozen mysis like a champ!
Here's my most recent addition. He's from Seahorse Corral. I actually ordered him from "Browns and Blacks" category, and ended up with this beautiful gold color. He's got a great personality and eats frozen mysis like a champ!
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
oops! the first word in this sentence should be "UNLESS", not "IF" (i suck at multitasking).
if you can find some Tonga branch LR, it will make nice hitches for your SH. here's what our larger SH setup looked like before adding the macro, just to give you an idea:
after the macro began growing in:
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
if you mean the majority of the green macro, it's Caulerpa racemosa. it's illegal in some states, as it's classified as a noxious weed, right up there with C. taxifolia.
that being said, it's pretty EZ to pinch back, but the fact that it's a fast-grower means that each time you prune, you're exporting nitrogenous waste. the key is to freeze any prunings you don't reuse for 24 hrs prior to disposal to kill it.
this is one macro you need to keep an eye on for signs of it preparing to go sexual. it's pretty EZ to see tho. it will go white and have lots of little green spots on it. here's a pic comparing healthy to "going sexual":
that being said, it's pretty EZ to pinch back, but the fact that it's a fast-grower means that each time you prune, you're exporting nitrogenous waste. the key is to freeze any prunings you don't reuse for 24 hrs prior to disposal to kill it.
this is one macro you need to keep an eye on for signs of it preparing to go sexual. it's pretty EZ to see tho. it will go white and have lots of little green spots on it. here's a pic comparing healthy to "going sexual":
pledosophy
Active member
IME if racemosa is in one part of the tank it will spread to other parts of the tank in short order. I guess it depends on how good your are at pruning. I always seem to have a runner that goes behind the rocks and pops up on the other side of the tank.
JME
JME
