which tank to get for horses?

well i think that's an acrylic top that comes off, at least i hope it would otherwise it would be impossible to access the top lol
 
It is imperative that the top comes off. If it doesn't, I would stay clear of that tank.

From other Sea Horse tanks I have seen, a lot of people have taller tanks rather than longer.
 
Some things that I would be concerned about is height, volume and ease of modification.
First of all, some seahorses need height to be able to transfer the eggs female to male. The shorter tank might not cut it.
Volume recommended is a minimum 29g for one pair of normal sized seahorses, but I've found that in my case at least, it requires more husbandry to keep water conditions pristine than if I'm using a sump, to increase water volume and allow for more biological filtration. I didn't see mention of the hex being drilled for overflow.
Lastly, a tank with a hood may not allow for making modifications down the road as you find you might need a protein skimmer, extra filtration added, whatever.
In addition, it make make tank temperatures higher than the recommended maximum 74°F which is to minimize the effects of bacterial outbreaks on seahorses as they are so susceptible to things like vibriosis outbreaks.
 
well both tanks are over 18" tall and the hex is 20" tall. They are both drilled for overflows and plan on running atleast a 10g sump. I hope that the acrylic lid comes off, im not gonna get it if it doesn't since i couldn't even work in the tank lol I'm just thinking that a hex stand probably won't have enough space for a 10g sump but the 10g sump might fit under regular rectangle tanks so that's why I'm still considering the rectangle tank but its still atleast 18" tall. isn't that the min for height for erectus?

could I add a canopy on the tank? with the lights hidden and fans mounted in the canopy. i also have a chiller to use if the temp constantly gets above 74

or i could just get a glass cube or hex tank like this (http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem.aspx?idproduct=AZ1133&idCartRow=18579518&isKit=0&child=AZ1137) and dill it for an overflow and return. it would be alot cheaper than the acrylic but I would probably need to use a solana stand since they don't usually make alot of cube stands.
 
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I have the 28 gallon hexagon with seahorses and it works fine (well actually it is my girlfriend's tank but I maintain it).

I can easily keep the temperature at 74*

The opening is actually bigger than it appears to be in that picture, and I ordered it directly from the TruVu website so I would assume that would be the same. There is also an additional opening in the top rear for a HOB filter/skimmer, etc, etc. I don't know why those openings are not shown on the default picture, but I ordered from there and that is how mine arrived. Maybe send them an email to verify.

I also have the hex stand, but I do not use it. You will not be able to fit an efficient sump system in it.
 
thanks for the reply Octoshark :) is your 28g the reef ready one?

so the whole top doesn't come off? can you post a pic of the tank? man that sucks.what kind of a stand do you use?
 
Here is a pic of my standard version:

P1020653.jpg


See how there is also the opening in the top rear for a HOB filter/skimmer, etc

The main opening is like (5" or 6") x (16" or 18")

Also, this is not the reef-ready version. This is listed under "Aquariums Standard" http://www.truvuaquariums.com/mahx0028.html
 
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NOTE:

I wanted to make a separate post for this to be sure you saw it.

The picture of mine is the standard version, NOT the reef ready version. I thought they were the same because TruVu uses the same default picture for both of them, but then if you scroll down you see the text that lists what it has. The reef-ready one says it comes with a 4x4 overflow in the back corner, so it may or may not have the 2nd opening in the top rear for a HOB like mine does.
 
is it hard for you to get in there with that top? so the top doesn't come off?

can you post a pic of the whole tank?
 
Here is the whole tank:

P1020654.jpg


I think the biggest drawback of the hexagon style is just the viewing panels. As you can notice in the picture from the angle, the view gets distorted if you look through the corners. On top of the rock you will see a Ricordea Florida mushroom (the pink/purple guy), but there appears to be 3 of them. There is actually only one but the view is distorted because the picture is taken at a bad angle. There also appears to be 2 heaters. So that is my biggest concern with these tanks, other than that I wouldn't say they are significantly different than rectangular tanks.
 
Jason7504 said:
isn't it hard to work with that small hole in the top?
Click to expand...

No not at all, I can reach my hand to any part of the tank. I was able to get the rocks in and aquascape without scratching the acrylic. I haven't run into any problems. The main opening is as wide as the tank, you just can't see it because the light fixture is in the way.

I will take another picture without the light fixture so you can see the whole top. Remember, this is the standard version, not the reef-ready version ;)
 
Ok here is a shot of the top openings without the light fixture in the way so you can see everything:

P1020657.jpg


Just dont get huge rocks or they may not fit through the opening, I will measure my opening for you.
 
oooooooh, and one very important thing...

Make sure you can find a lighting fixture that is both powerful enough but small enough to fit on top (that can be an issue with tanks that are taller than they are wide; its a bigger tank with less top room to fit a fixture powerful enough). That was a big challenge for us. Most lighting fixtures we came across were either too small or too big. Our current coralife fixture is the dual 18W for a total output of 36W on a 28 gallon tank, or 1.3 watts per gallon which is on the lower side. I am going to see if I can work something out though.
 
well i was going to use my 24" 4x24w light. i know it will hang over but it does now on my 15g too which is 18" wide too..i'm going to keep macro and i think this light would work on this tank too..
 
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