30g Planted Seahorse Tank

[ThePurple12]

@KevPool, here you go!

This is my 30g seahorse tank, set up 2 years ago. I have a 20g sump with a Seaclone skimmer and 2 100w Walmart led bulbs for lights.

Livestock: 2 erectus seahorses and a Klein’s butterfly, which I moved over from the 125 reef tank because it was pecking at my candy cane colonies.

Plants: Somewhat barren right now. I have Johnson’s seagrass, Widgeon grass, Codium, Gracilaria Hayi, Sargassum, Caulerpa prolifera and some unknown Gracilaria. I want to add more macros once they’re in stock somewhere.

I have to dose nitrates for the macros every week or 2. I do weekly water changes for the seahorses, which really need clean water or else bacterial problems arrive.

In the above picture you can see the Johnson's grass in the sandbed. I just put it there, and I think it needs more light. I ordered a T5 fixture from someone on here.

I think a sea fan on that barren rock on the right island would look great. Maybe cover it with some blue hypnea/ochtodes;Drool;Drool

 

[fishlover1478]

i love your tanks. your 125 is what i want my 75 to look like

 

[KevPool]

That is awesome looking seahorses are so cool. Thanks for sharing mang

 

[ThePurple12]

i love your tanks. your 125 is what i want my 75 to look like

Thanks! The 125 going through a dino phase right now sadly

 

[Subsea]

@KevPool, here you go!

This is my 30g seahorse tank, set up 2 years ago. I have a 20g sump with a Seaclone skimmer and 2 100w Walmart led bulbs for lights.

Livestock: 2 erectus seahorses and a Klein’s butterfly, which I moved over from the 125 reef tank because it was pecking at my candy cane colonies.

Plants: Somewhat barren right now. I have Johnson’s seagrass, Widgeon grass, Codium, Gracilaria Hayi, Sargassum, Caulerpa prolifera and some unknown Gracilaria. I want to add more macros once they’re in stock somewhere.

I have to dose nitrates for the macros every week or 2. I do weekly water changes for the seahorses, which really need clean water or else bacterial problems arrive.

In the above picture you can see the Johnson's grass in the sandbed. I just put it there, and I think it needs more light. I ordered a T5 fixture from someone on here.

I think a sea fan on that barren rock on the right island would look great. Maybe cover it with some blue hypnea/ochtodes;Drool;Drool

[ have to dose nitrates for the macros every week or 2. I do weekly water changes for the seahorses, which really need clean water or else bacterial problems arrive.]

In following Dawn’s seahorse thread on RC, I recall her comment about operating below normal reef temperature to discourage bacteria activity at elevated temperatures.

I have always liked Caulerpa Prolifera in the substrate. It reminded me of a fresh water plant Corkscrew Vallisneria. Get some Ghost Shrimp in there as part of your janitor crew.

 

[ThePurple12]

[ have to dose nitrates for the macros every week or 2. I do weekly water changes for the seahorses, which really need clean water or else bacterial problems arrive.]

In following Dawn’s seahorse thread on RC, I recall her comment about operating below normal reef temperature to discourage bacteria activity at elevated temperatures.

I have always liked Caulerpa Prolifera in the substrate. It reminded me of a fresh water plant Corkscrew Vallisneria. Get some Ghost Shrimp in there as part of your janitor crew.

Yup, I run the tank at room temperature, which is around 70 this time of year. Someone did a study and found that at 74 degrees, Vibrio bacteria become much more virulent and as you increase in temperature, the bacteria increase in growth.

Ghost shrimp would be awesome, the problem is the seahorses. Even if I get big ones, they'd still be attacked unfortunately.

 

[ThePurple12]

 

[ThePurple12]

I bought some Hypnea from Ebay. It arrived on Monday looking pretty bad, but I think it'll recover.

As you can see, the male seahorse changed its color! I've noticed some spawning behavior as well, so the color change must be correlated.

 

[Reef Box]

LOVE IT. I would love to do a SH tank one of these days. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Rubberfrog]

Always a fan of seahorses

 

[Subsea]

Sargassum Seaweed needs intense light. I have never done well with it. Good fortune

 

[ThePurple12]

Sargassum Seaweed needs intense light. I have never done well with it. Good fortune

It's not growing too quickly for me, but I'd say it's doing well. My secret to success must've been getting it as a hitchhiker on an NPS coral I found washed up on a Florida beach. Did you get yours without roots? Maybe they need them to survive? I haven't had a lot of luck fragging and transplanting it.

 

[Subsea]

I have never received Sargassum with roots. I have collected Sargassum Seaweed during summer at Galveston. At the time, I was not interested in the seaweed but the critters that floated with it.

 

[ThePurple12]

I have never received Sargassum with roots. I have collected Sargassum Seaweed during summer at Galveston. At the time, I was not interested in the seaweed but the critters that floated with it.

I guess the kind that attaches (what I have) must be easier to grow. I haven’t tried the floating species.

 

[Subsea]

I guess the kind that attaches (what I have) must be easier to grow. I haven’t tried the floating species.

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

[Species of the brown algae Sargassum are among the most prolific of all brown algae in the Caribbean. These include both the anchored and free floating varieties. As a group, they are highly variable in shape, size and distribution and can survive in much cooler water than other tropical macro algae. The anchored varieties are of the most interest to the aquarium hobby, as the free floating patches such as S. Fluitans are not easily kept. Species of Sargassum Hystrix feature large, dark brown leaves with a distinctive white mid rib. This particular variation, identified as Buxifolium (pictured) shares the same basic characteristics, but lacks the pronounced mid rib. It is a shallow water variety, found in depths of about 45 feet, that grows attached to rocks or other hard surfaces by a single holdfast. Most anchored varieties have a very sturdy, thick upright, that is able to securely anchor itself in very turbulent environments. In the aquarium they require bright lighting and moderate to high flow rates for optimal growth.]


This is what I collected. It had the flotation balls. When I worked deep water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, during certain times of the year the Gulf Stream would spin off “Loop currents” that were a thousand feet deep and 50 miles wide. We would see large Sargassum mats floating in 5000’ of water.

Marine Plants in the Aquarium

macroalgae, marine plants, caulerpa, refugium substrate, marine macroalgae for sale

www.marineplantbook.com

 

[ThePurple12]

That's interesting. I'd say what I have looks more like Platycarpum, but they look basically the same. Mine had flotation bubbles at one point when it was significantly larger than it is now (it died off when I had a hair algae outbreak), so I assume the bubbles come with size.

 

[ThePurple12]

I moved the plant up to the top for better lighting yesterday. Lots of oxygen bubbles, so it should grow quickly.

 

[Subsea]

I moved mine up to the top yesterday as well. I am within 3” of 108W light bar with 3W diodes. After 6 hours of light, air bubbles are attached to leaves. Is this oxygen bubbles?

 

[Subsea]

[Sargassum is one of the few brown algae species that can be kept in the aquarium. It features a golden brown coloration with pointed fronds. Most species have air bladders that keep the plant upright but they are sometimes absent on deeper water specimens we collect. Unlike the floating species this form is attached to hard bottom from a single holdfast. It needs an environment with very intense lighting, but can also be kept under full spectrum lights if placed near the top of the water. Plants are sold as individual specimens and are approx 6" to 8" tall. In Stock at $8]

These come with roots/holdfast from live plants and are available now. However, ground transportation is still a problem and next day air is expensive for a plant.

 

[ThePurple12]

I moved mine up to the top yesterday as well. I am within 3” of 108W light bar with 3W diodes. After 6 hours of light, air bubbles are attached to leaves. Is this oxygen bubbles?

Looks like it to me. I hope it grows well for you this time.

Not sure why they don't use USPS Priority Mail. That's 2-3 day shipping, 4 on a bad day (or a COVID day).