which seahorse

[eagle9252]

I can get a captive bred pair (M&F) of either kudo or reidi which would you get and why?

The system is a 25 cube (18x18x18) with a 20g sump. I probably have about 10-15 lbs of live rock and about 10# of LS that came from my DT of 120g. I have another 20# of dead rock in the sump. I'm thinking of getting a off yellow fake center piece like a fan tree or something for hitching and some live red micro grass algae for in the tank.

I have a mag 9.5 feeding the chiller and it is set on 76* ATM. the flow through the chiller and then to the tank is not a lot. maybe 150 to 300gpd. I could tee off the pump and then feed both chiller and tank. I need to check it today. I bought an mp10 for the tank but I think it would be too much flow, what do you think? I have a small nano ph in it ATM

 

[rayjay]

As both produce pelagic fry, it merely comes down to personal preferences.
I have both but prefer the reidi. They both have approximately the same body shape/style with a much more prominent coronet on the kuda.
By starting with anything live for your biological filtration, you also are introducing the chances of losses due to pathogen exposure to the new seahorses which probably have not grown up with exposure to the same pathogens present in live sand (or live rock).
IMO, the two biggest causes of seahorse loss is pathogen exposure and bacterial infestations.
While 76° is not too bad for temperature, the recommendation is to run between 68° and 74°.
The nasty bacteria (like the prominent vibrios) grow exponentially with each rising degree temperature, and, above that 74° this growth rate is much more pronounced than when lower.
All my seahorse tanks have at least a 15X turnover and some of the keepers posting on seahorse.org have MUCH higher flows.
Basically you can have areas of low, medium, and high, with hitching provided in each area so they can choose where they wish to be at any time.
Of course, the higher flow areas should not be capable of blasting a seahorse against anything so it can be damages.
I have seahorses that "play" in the output of power heads.
Speaking of power heads, be sure to protect the inlet so tails cannot be sucked up, or seahorse bodies cannot be drawn up to.

 

[eagle9252]

the tank was holding at 78 before turning the chiller on. so i wanted to drop it slowly and not all at one. my thought was setting it at 72*

so you think i should tee off the pump and have more turn over in the cube? i will have to test when i get home to see what the gpd is.

thanx

 

[rayjay]

It's not that you "have to" have higher flow, but you need enough to keep dead spots from occurring in the tank.
If the output is not being fully utilized then perhaps you could have it spit into two lines.
I also have an open ended air line in each tank, and a Hagen 802 power head with quick filter attachment for increased turbulence at the surface that promotes better gas exchange and therefore better pH maintenance.
The return pumps and Hagen power heads are hooked to mechanical timers so that I turn off the power at the timer and move the dial up so that it is beginning to turn it on again. This gives me about 45 minutes feeding time without the overflow/power head filter removing the food from the water column. I have a micro power head in each tank (not on timer) that along with the open ended air line, keep the food in suspension better as I broadcast feed rather than dish feed my seahorses.

 

[eagle9252]

i dont under stand open ended air line? if it sucks air will it not have air bubbles?

 

[rayjay]

The air pump puts air into the aquarium via the air line which is open ended, meaning no air stones so that the bubbles coming out the end are larger.
The rise of the bubbles from the bottom of the tank, add to water movement in the tank, and, the escape of the bubbles at the surface create turmoil that aids in the gas exchange.
If you use an air stone, you end up with smaller bubbles and you have much more salt creep problems.
I have some air lines that are just weighted to be at the bottom and others that I use rigid 3/16" tubing inserted into the standard air line, with the bottom end of the rigid tube being wedged against decor or rock so it remains at the bottom.
For my dwarf seahorse tanks, I just use two open ended air lines for water movement, nothing else.