New tank getting ready for seahorses.

[SlasherZ]

Hey ya'll! About a month ago I picked up a fluval Evo 13.5g tank brand new for extremely cheap. If I had to pick an AIO, it wouldn't have been my first choice... But couldn't pass it up.

So I've been cycling it with live rock and substrate from another of my tanks and everything has been consistently stable parameter wise! Planning on making this a Dwarf seahorse tank... Any thing that catches your eye as a no no yet? Any tips and tricks for the future? Thanks guys!

Currently stocked with

Fish
1x Yasha Goby
1x Bangai Cardinal (probably going to my DT soon)

Inverts
1x small fire shrimp
3x Astrea snails
1x tiger conch
1x Nassarius Snail

Corals
A few different zoas
Two groups of palys
1x sinularia
2x branching gorgonia
1x purple ribbon gorgonia
A rock of GSP


Macros
Gracil. Hayi
Caulerpa Mexicana
Green dot caulerpa
Branching String of pearls

 

[Ron Reefman]

Good luck. Dwarf sea horses are very difficult to keep. They can't compete with fish for food. And even without fish, you'll need to feed kind of heavy, filter a lot and maybe do water changes more than normal. Mote marine keeps a small (like 75g to 90g) tank for sea horses. They do a 50% water change twice a day some time after feeding. Now their tank has a lot of them, but it gives you the idea.

 

[SlasherZ]

Good luck. Dwarf sea horses are very difficult to keep. They can't compete with fish for food. And even without fish, you'll need to feed kind of heavy, filter a lot and maybe do water changes more than normal. Mote marine keeps a small (like 75g to 90g) tank for sea horses. They do a 50% water change twice a day some time after feeding. Now their tank has a lot of them, but it gives you the idea.

Woah! That's a lot of water changes...

Are you talking about mote marine down in Sarasota/Bradenton? I'm not too far out from there, used to go as a kid! Maybe I'll make a weekend trip out with the kid and talk to them about their seahorses.

Thanks Ron!

 

[kevgib67]

Excited to see this come together.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Good luck. Dwarf sea horses are very difficult to keep. They can't compete with fish for food. And even without fish, you'll need to feed kind of heavy, filter a lot and maybe do water changes more than normal. Mote marine keeps a small (like 75g to 90g) tank for sea horses. They do a 50% water change twice a day some time after feeding. Now their tank has a lot of them, but it gives you the idea.

To add to this they do best in cooler temperatures lower than a reef and less flow.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Woah! That's a lot of water changes...

Are you talking about mote marine down in Sarasota/Bradenton? I'm not too far out from there, used to go as a kid! Maybe I'll make a weekend trip out with the kid and talk to them about their seahorses.

Thanks Ron!

Last time I was there, about 6 years ago, I got the 'Back Room Tour' and the seahorse tank was flushed once or twice a day with water directly from the Gulf of Mexico (with some filtration I believe).

 

[MissMolly]

Your halymenia looks great!

(Not related) Do you mind me asking if your yasha goby digs?

 

[SlasherZ]

To add to this they do best in cooler temperatures lower than a reef and less flow.

That's good to know! Right now I've got the tank sitting at about 77f.

Flow is super chill, just using the default return pump of the Evo which is pretty light.

 

[SlasherZ]

Last time I was there, about 6 years ago, I got the 'Back Room Tour' and the seahorse tank was flushed once or twice a day with water directly from the Gulf of Mexico (with some filtration I believe).

That's sweet! I wouldn't mind doing water changes near as often if I could just suck it out of the gulf too

 

[SlasherZ]

Your halymenia looks great!

(Not related) Do you mind me asking if your yasha goby digs?

Thank you! I wasn't sure if I wanted to add it, since I was looking more for things with stems/stalks the seahorses could attach to, but I had a bunch in my main tank to help with nutrient export and it's so pretty, I couldn't help it!

I don't mind at all! My Goby doesn't really dig much tbh. He actually acts a lot like a blenny, chilling in the live rock holes... I'd imagine he'd live more in the sand if I had a pistol shrimp for him but I'm worried the shrimp would blast the seahorses away...

 

[SlasherZ]

Some updated pics of the tank, we've moved away from the idea of seahorses mainly because we're scared they'll start breeding and we won't be ready for that....Don't want to cull a bunch of fry every month. So the tank will be home to a pair of bonded blue lined pipefish instead.