SkullV's Stable Courtesy of Peka's Ponies

[rayjay]

That's one of my concerns even the upgraded dimensions is only about 20 gallons with the live rock area in the back I was planning on having for a breeding ground for pods. Would they be okay in a smaller sized area? It would be about 17x14x19, with a 3x14x19 back area. Eventually I will put up a build thread with pictures and more info.

What is the total water in the system?

 

[ashtree68]

The tank I'm doing will have about 20, connected to a 24g mixed reef, a 90g LPS/softy/anemone tank, all through a 40b sump.

How are you liking your par38 light?

 

[rayjay]

For seahorse tanks connected to other systems, you may be decreasing your odds of success in keeping seahorses. While it is being done, many more attempts fail due to either temperature issues promoting dreaded bacterial problems with the seahorses, or, by introducing the seahorses to pathogens that they are unable to adapt to.
If you have any sps then you may find in time that the lower water quality due to messy seahorse eating could possibly have an effect on them.

 

[ashtree68]

The tank is several months away, I'll see if I can lower my temps by then and keep them steady without any ill effects. I don't have any SPS, never really been able to keep them, there are a couple of montis but that's about it. I'm not 100% set on them either, just would be interesting to keep, but need to do a lot more research.

 

[SkullV]

For seahorse tanks connected to other systems, you may be decreasing your odds of success in keeping seahorses. While it is being done, many more attempts fail due to either temperature issues promoting dreaded bacterial problems with the seahorses, or, by introducing the seahorses to pathogens that they are unable to adapt to.
If you have any sps then you may find in time that the lower water quality due to messy seahorse eating could possibly have an effect on them.

Yeah, I have noticed the water quality thing but I have just upped the water changes and the use of phos-ban to take care of it. My SPS are doing just fine in the water at 75*. Once my RKL gets here hopefully by Friday I'll drop it down to 74* but I wanted to wait until I had a controller to make sure it never drops below that.

 

[FlaJohn]

Hope they are coming along.

My Captive baby's that I raise would find this environment you provided very unnatural .
Guess that's where instinct comes into play.

 

[SkullV]

Hope they are coming along.

My Captive baby's that I raise would find this environment you provided very unnatural .
Guess that's where instinct comes into play.

Weird to think that providing a very natural environment would be unnatural for them! These are also captive bred and until they hit this tank all they had ever known was a feeding dish and some zip tie hitching posts.

They are both doing very well though and eat selcon enriched PE mysis like little pigs.

My female hanging out at the feeding dish:

My Male wrapped around his favorite place to hitch (the female prefers to move from mangrove to mangrove):

 

[rayjay]

Weird to think that providing a very natural environment would be unnatural for them!

To the best of my knowledge, you won't find many seahorse natural habitat areas that are anything like your tank, or even any of mine.
Most are found in grassy or weed bed environment where they can blend in.
I would think the greatest majority of reefs would not be suitable for seahorses due to predation that would exceed that of the grassy areas.
I've not seen any seahorses on any reef I've been on but I do see reports of them being found on a reef if they are true.

 

[SkullV]

To the best of my knowledge, you won't find many seahorse natural habitat areas that are anything like your tank, or even any of mine.
Most are found in grassy or weed bed environment where they can blend in.
I would think the greatest majority of reefs would not be suitable for seahorses due to predation that would exceed that of the grassy areas.
I've not seen any seahorses on any reef I've been on but I do see reports of them being found on a reef if they are true.

I was under the impression that seahorses are found in mangrove forests congregating around mangrove roots?

 

[rayjay]

While it's my understanding that some seahorses are found around mangrove swamps and others around soft corals, the preponderance of seahorses I believe are found in areas of grasses and weed beds, especially around estuaries.

 

[SkullV]

While it's my understanding that some seahorses are found around mangrove swamps and others around soft corals, the preponderance of seahorses I believe are found in areas of grasses and weed beds, especially around estuaries.

Not that I'm going to change the tank around, but do you know off hand where the H. Erectus are found?

Edit: Just found this:

Hippocampus erectus occur in water up to 73 m, and are associated with aquatic vegetation such as mangroves, seagrass, sponges, and floating Sargassum, as well as sponges (Lieske and Myers 1994, and McAllister 1990 in Lourie et al. 1999, Fish and Mowbray 1970). Hippocampus erectus can be found at the surface and bottom of both shallow water and deeper areas of channels in bays, along beaches, in or near salt marshes, and over oyster beds and weed-covered banks (Hardy 1978).

so it looks like I am not that far off with the tank.

 

[rayjay]

Yes, some are found around mangroves.
The reef rock is definitely something most of them don't see though.
From the Seahorse ID guide 2004,
Confirmed distribution
Bahamas; Belize; Canada;
Cuba; Guatemala; Haiti;
Honduras; Mexico;
Nicaragua; Panama; Saint
Kitts and Nevis; United
Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
(Caribbean territories);
United States of America;
Venezuela
And from the same guide, much like you already discovered,
Habitat
Maximum reported depth 73 m; seagrass, sponges, floating Sargassum

 

[SkullV]

Hm, well I ordered some Sargassum so that's good. I'm really still looking for some red/yellow/orange macro to really bring out some color in them. The male often goes full yellow but the female is always black.

 

[rayjay]

Unfortunately you will be able to do little to influence the seahorse colours.
Many have tried, including me, and all have failed really.
I even painted the bottom, ends and back in bright orange and red, with all orange and red hitches/decor in the tank and the seahorses still failed to return to the reds and oranges they were when I purchased them.
The only headway I've made is a partial return to red after I painted the tank a light sky blue on all but the front panel, with the red and orange decor/hitches still inside.

 

[FlaJohn]

Weird to think that providing a very natural environment would be unnatural for them! These are also captive bred and until they hit this tank all they had ever known was a feeding dish and some zip tie hitching posts.

They are both doing very well though and eat selcon enriched PE mysis like little pigs.

My female hanging out at the feeding dish:

My Male wrapped around his favorite place to hitch (the female prefers to move from mangrove to mangrove):

Skull it is weird, Please I think your tank is beautiful!

Just wanted to remind people that our captive breds are raised from birth in bare bottom tanks or tubs with easy to clean hitches with good flow and that is all they know when you first get them. So what is natural for a wild caught seahorse is definitely unnatural for a captive bred.

 

[SkullV]

Well it is a little over 2 months in. One tank cracking disaster, a 3 day diamox treatment, a manual pouch evacuation and these guys are still living the life. They mow down mysis and even like hunting the occasional Stomatella snail. What do you think. Do they look healthy? I love these little guys! They have been named Mario and Luigi!

I hope this is available in HD by now:

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[ladyfsu]

Not that I'm going to change the tank around, but do you know off hand where the H. Erectus are found?

I live north of Tampa and we go seining with students and scalloping near estuaries or in the Gulf. You can go miles out and still be only 10 ft. deep and the bottoms are covered in seagrasses. We find a lot of seahorses out there using those nets (we let them go). I'm pretty sure they are erectus but maybe reidi (don't know the difference). We also find them along with lots of other things in floating mats of sargassum.

Your seahorses are cute, btw!!