My tank, still a work in progress.

[SaltBabies]

So I had someone ask about my tank. It sprang a leak recently and I had to break it down reseal it and then restart it. So It is a little sparse right now and I haven't added my bella goby back yet to keep bio load down.
Here are a few pictures. In total it has 10 seahorses, 2 sharknose gobies, 2 flame angels and a yellow banded pipefish.

Before Feeding, almost no one in sight. Angel michael, Reidi boy (Ian), sharknose goby

During feeding, 5 horses bottom left, 1 horse back of tower (tail around post) top left of tower yellow banded pipefish. middle of tower angel, middle of tank sharknose

Give it a minute though and they spread out. Now Tara, the 2 angels Michael and Michelle and my sunshine is in the middle of the tank. and if you look carefully you can see shy ICE on the left. She has come out of her hiding.

Andrew

sunshine my main breeder.

The girls line from front to back. Envy, Tara (reidi), Megan. Andrew back right (he's a boy)

 

[mckinleyw]

BEAUTIFUL HORSES!! Great looking tank.

 

[SaltBabies]

BEAUTIFUL HORSES!! Great looking tank.

Thanks. I love my horses. I breed them so I have collected some colors. Their colors of course change day by day but Sunshine is almost always some version of orange. Many of his babies start black and then color up to a yellowish tan or orange. I have a white female as well. There are a few that didn't show up for the quick pics. There is a large black male and two smaller males. I intend to get rid of a few of the males and maybe this summer move the reidi's into their own tank. They are more shy. They eat just fine but when they go to mate they spill eggs sometimes just their own clumsiness other times the boys getting to rowdy and trying to cut in.

 

[lissailor]

Can you explain how you have seahorses in a reef tank? I was under the impression that they did not like much flow and would therefor be incompatible with my reef tank.

 

[SaltBabies]

Can you explain how you have seahorses in a reef tank? I was under the impression that they did not like much flow and would therefor be incompatible with my reef tank.

I don't have horses in a reef tank.

My tank is far from a reef tank.

I have moderate flow I think. I'll find out my pump size tonight and share. I have a extra intank jabaeo to help direct water to the overflow.

I create a circular track along the outside which is more flow than the center. They love the seahorse tower on the left because it has a large cave with lots of tail holding spots and hiding spots. The top is basically a lace work. There is a ledge with a space underneath down bottom and a cave in the center. All with tail holds designed in. The rock work on the right has ledges and they like to get under the ledges too.

Be happy to answer any questions you have.

 

[count krunk]

Do you have any tips for dwarf seahorses? My wife really wants seahorses and it seems like a 5g with dwarves is the easiest/cheapest way to go. Thoughts?

 

[SaltBabies]

Do you have any tips for dwarf seahorses? My wife really wants seahorses and it seems like a 5g with dwarves is the easiest/cheapest way to go. Thoughts?

I don't think I have any specific tips for dwarfs except:

Decapsulate your brine. It reduces pathogens and hydroids. I put my brine in live phytoplankton so they stay more nutritious. Strain the brine before adding to the tank, don't add hatch water.
Many use additives like selco and such. I don't because it is messy. I compensate by adding natural nutritious food.

I would also grow or add tigger pods an amphipods to the tank. While dwarfs can survive on brine in the wild they eat more nutritious meals like copepods and amphipods. The brine will keep them full but the copepods and amiphipods have better nutrition.

All this said I don't keep dwarfs. I did a long time ago but at the time I wasn't hatching brine everyday and got bored.

 

[rayjay]

I never have thought about my keeping of dwarfs being described as "easy" as to me it's a very labour intensive project, much like perpetually raising fry of standard seahorses.

 

[SaltBabies]

I guess with raising fry, I've gotten used to hatching brine so I don't consider that hard. I do agree time intensive. Though you wouldn't have to hatch everyday if you have a place for left over brine to stay nutritious like some mixed live phyto.

I never have thought about my keeping of dwarfs being described as "easy" as to me it's a very labour intensive project, much like perpetually raising fry of standard seahorses.

 

[rayjay]

The hatching enriching process isn't all that is to it though. As the nutrition is quickly depleted one should remove the uneaten nauplii before adding newly enriched and while I automated the process a bit, it still became a PITA to me, even though I have cultured artemia nauplii to adults for decades now, and, raised seahorses for about a decade as well.

 

[SaltBabies]

The hatching enriching process isn't all that is to it though. As the nutrition is quickly depleted one should remove the uneaten nauplii before adding newly enriched and while I automated the process a bit, it still became a PITA to me, even though I have cultured artemia nauplii to adults for decades now, and, raised seahorses for about a decade as well.

Exactly.

Which is why I'd keep them in mixed live phyto or RG complete which can make them almost as nutritious as a copepod. But more importantly I'd add some large copepods and amphipods to the mix as they have better nutrition and don't degrade. We have dwarf seahorses here in florida we aren't know for our brine.

I'd probably actually run light green water in the tank with the dwarfs.

 

[rayjay]

Interesting that I never thought to use nano in my dwarfs but it was a normal routine with my reidi fry until they were started on frozen.

 

[SaltBabies]

Interesting that I never thought to use nano in my dwarfs but it was a normal routine with my reidi fry until they were started on frozen.

Anything I feed live brine I generally keep in light greenwater so they keep the nutrition up instead of starving. nano is good but I'd pair it with tetra or t-iso for balance.

My grow out tank has a green machine so I can thin the green water if needed. for a small 5 gallon tank a partial water change would be the easiest.

 

[Devaji]

thanks for sharing your SH tank!
some nice and bright horses in your heard.

keep the updates coming!

 

[SaltBabies]

Well my current updates are not on seahorses
My flame angels have been spawning for about 8 months or so. But the eggs haven't been fertile.

Now they are fertile. So I'll be playing with flame angel eggs for the summer.
It was supposed to be a profitable summer as I have several batches of horses in grow out tanks.
Now it's going to be a money pit LOL.

I also have some settled peppermint shrimp now. Which is great. Let's see if I can keep them alive long enough to get big enough to sell.

 

[SaltBabies]

It's hard to see but here's a juvenile riding a starfish.

 

[beehive124]

Those seahorses are awesome!

 

[SaltBabies]

Those seahorses are awesome!

I'll have to try to get a picture of ice. She's a white beauty.

 

[beehive124]

Awesome!!!!!

 

[Weasel1960]

Nice tank and “stable”. Good luck with your flame angel babies, keep us posted.

I thought star fish were a no-no with seahorses, or is it just the serpent type? What type is yours?