Would a 40 gallon breeder be appropriate for seahorses?

[Spork3245]

I got ich in my 90 DT and am currently doing TTM on all fish, I bought a 40 gallon breeder during the $1/gallon petco sale as a temp home for my DT fish as I wait out the ichs life-cycle. So, after my fish are back "home" and happy in the 90 gallon DT, I'm left with the question of what to do with the 40 gallon breeder... Sell it, or turn it into another tank... There's not a lot of interesting things ("regular" fish wise ) that can really be kept in a 40 gallon breeder IMO, however, a seahorse tank is something I've always been interested in since getting into the hobby about a year ago.

Now, I know with seahorses you generally need a taller type of tank so I'm not sure if the 40 gallon breeder is appropriate. Also, I was planning on keeping the seahorse species that does better in warmer climates to avoid purchasing a chiller (H.Erectus...?). Thoughts? Should I just sell the 40 breeder and revisit a seahorse tank at a later date?

 

[joshky]

I believe the height is required if you plan on breeding, or just simply want to see them do their mating dance. But I believe that it's not a necessity to owning them as far as health concerns go.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can chime in as this is just what I've read secondhand.

 

[rayjay]

While you could use it for a pair of standard seahorses, by adding a sump you could keep two pair.
They may not breed for you if you don't mind that aspect.
However, I would be concerned about your chiller comments indicating you don't want to keep lower temperatures.
Erectus, reidi, kuda, etc, can come from warmer waters in their natural habitat.
The problem though is keeping them in confined water in our aquariums. Seahorses are VERY susceptible to bacterial infestations often leading to their death. As these nasty bacteria (like the vibrio species) multiply exponentially with each rising degree, especially above 74, it has been found the the odds of success are greatly increased merely by using excellent husbandry practices (needs better filtration than a reef tank IMO) AND by keeping the temperatures in a range of 68° to 74°.
Sometimes hobbyists luck in and get livestock that is able to handle the warmer temperatures and increased risk, just as in humans some people are much more resistant to problems than most others. Unfortunately there are great numbers of seahorses lost in the attempts to do so.

 

[Spork3245]

While you could use it for a pair of standard seahorses, by adding a sump you could keep two pair.
They may not breed for you if you don't mind that aspect.
However, I would be concerned about your chiller comments indicating you don't want to keep lower temperatures.
Erectus, reidi, kuda, etc, can come from warmer waters in their natural habitat.
The problem though is keeping them in confined water in our aquariums. Seahorses are VERY susceptible to bacterial infestations often leading to their death. As these nasty bacteria (like the vibrio species) multiply exponentially with each rising degree, especially above 74, it has been found the the odds of success are greatly increased merely by using excellent husbandry practices (needs better filtration than a reef tank IMO) AND by keeping the temperatures in a range of 68° to 74°.
Sometimes hobbyists luck in and get livestock that is able to handle the warmer temperatures and increased risk, just as in humans some people are much more resistant to problems than most others. Unfortunately there are great numbers of seahorses lost in the attempts to do so.

Hmmm, wasn't aware of all this - So you cannot QT Seahorses I assume then? I had planned, if going through with this idea, to only keep tank-bred Seahorses that are actively eating prepared/frozen foods (in addition to pods). I'd likely attach a 20 gallon sump w/refugium. I don't have any interest in breeding/raising babies btw.

My concerns with a chiller come down to power cost, cost of equipment, risk of hardware failure causing a tank crash, etc.

 

[rayjay]

First of all, quarantine of seahorses is just like standard reef fish, some recommend while others don't.
However, quarantine ONLY shows whether or not it has parasites that are causing health problems to the fish. It DOESN'T mean the fish is parasite free, only that it's immune system AT THE MOMENT, is in control rather than the parasites being in control. It also DOESN'T have anything to do with the nasty bacteria that can cause problems.
Nasty bacteria are always present, but in the ocean, the water is constantly changing so populations stay controlled. In our aquariums, the water is captive and not changing, and much more laden with "foods" to cultivate that bacteria.
Therefore, the only way we as keepers have to limit that cultivation is by removing that "food" in the water and to lower temperatures such that the cultures don't grow as fast.
Seahorses produce very dirty water (even though it may look perfectly clear) as they are very selective in the pieces they eat, leaving much to get trapped unseen and not removed by filtration methods. They also dirty the water when they snick their food as upon snicking, they masticate the food and particulate matter is passed out through the gills and into the water.
The more you do to limit this, the better your chances of success will be, especially when lowering the water temperature.
Keeping seahorses requires more effort and due diligence IME, than caring for a reef tank.
There are some articles explaining better than I can, linked at the bottom of "My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping" written by experienced keepers and probably the best and most helpful breeder in the US.
In my situation, I don't need a chiller because in the cool weather I keep the house at 68° and the tanks don't get much warmer. In the hot weather I keep the AC around 72° and the tanks don't get above 74°.