Seahorse Tank Substrate

cassilyn · May 11, 2020

Hi All!

I am looking at a 1/2" sand bed in my new tank. Is oolite too find? What is the best particle size for the ponies? I know large is bad (or so I've heard), but what are your thoughts on this?

Oolite Ocean Direct Live Reef Sand

Caribsea's Ocean Direct Caribbean Live Sand is a great choice for aquarists who are wanting a reef tank set up in minutes. Oolite Ocean Direct Live Reef Sand uses "Sea Breathe" technology to preserve the live sand in its own original ocean bacteria. Features Contains live ocean bacteria...

www.marinedepot.com

Thanks for the help!
Cassi

rayjay · May 11, 2020

Can't help on substrate as all my seahorse tanks are bare bottom by preference.

cassilyn · May 11, 2020

rayjay said:
Can't help on substrate as all my seahorse tanks are bare bottom by preference.

I'm considering bare bottom, but I really like the look of the sand. Can you share pics of your tank so I can get an idea of what it would look like should I choose to go that route?
Thanks
Cassi

rayjay · May 11, 2020

I don't really have anything current but what I do have is on my website. I'm unlike your normal seahorse hobbyist as I don't care a lot about the overall looks of the tank but really only the seahorses themselves.

My Seahorse Page

www.angelfire.com

cassilyn · May 11, 2020

rayjay said:
I don't really have anything current but what I do have is on my website. I'm unlike your normal seahorse hobbyist as I don't care a lot about the overall looks of the tank but really only the seahorses themselves.

My Seahorse Page

www.angelfire.com

Thanks for the link. They look like seahorse playgrounds. I am most concerned with the happiness and health of my seahorses, too. I have a while to wait until I can fund my build, so I am asking all the questions I can think of to give them the best possible home I can. If bare bottom is better for them, then I will definitely go that route. It also looks much easier to keep clean. Thanks again!
Cassi

rayjay · May 11, 2020

It's not that bare bottom is BETTER for seahorses than a substrate, it's just much easier kept for me as I'm 77 years old with numerous health problems but just can't give up the hobby that I've spent the last 18 years learning.

cassilyn · May 11, 2020

rayjay said:
It's not that bare bottom is BETTER for seahorses than a substrate, it's just much easier kept for me as I'm 77 years old with numerous health problems but just can't give up the hobby that I've spent the last 18 years learning.

I understand. You are just giving me options I hadn't considered much before. Thanks

deetu · May 13, 2020

I used this when I had my big seahorses.

NATURE'S OCEAN Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Saltwater Aquarium Sand, Natural White #0, 10-lb bag - Chewy.com

Buy Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Saltwater Aquarium Sand, Natural White #0, 10-lb bag at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

I tried to use it for the dwarf seahorses but couldn't keep the nitrates down...Those little boogers are harder to keep then the big ones... so went bare bottom.

Miller535 · May 13, 2020

Personally since flow is generally so low in a seahorse tank, I would go bare bottom just to mitigate detritus and algae issues. And I'd paint the underside of the bottom of the tank.

I personally do not like oolite at all as it gets everywhere, even when you are just cleaning the glass. If sand I would just go with the standard grade.

cassilyn · May 13, 2020

deetu said:
I used this when I had my big seahorses.

NATURE'S OCEAN Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Saltwater Aquarium Sand, Natural White #0, 10-lb bag - Chewy.com

Buy Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Saltwater Aquarium Sand, Natural White #0, 10-lb bag at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

I tried to use it for the dwarf seahorses but couldn't keep the nitrates down...Those little boogers are harder to keep then the big ones... so went bare bottom.

Thanks for the tip! I really like the look of sand.

cassilyn · May 13, 2020

Miller535 said:
Personally since flow is generally so low in a seahorse tank, I would go bare bottom just to mitigate detritus and algae issues. And I'd paint the underside of the bottom of the tank.

I personally do not like oolite at all as it gets everywhere, even when you are just cleaning the glass. If sand I would just go with the standard grade.

I plan on having decent flow, but am still considering bare bottom just to make housekeeping easier. Thanks!

deetu · May 13, 2020

cassilyn said:
Thanks for the tip! I really like the look of sand.

I like having Nassarius snails and they need sand

rayjay · May 14, 2020

Miller535 said:
Personally since flow is generally so low in a seahorse tank,

Low flow seahorse tanks are/should be YEARS in the past. In fact, you want a MINIMUM of ten times flow but many of us long term keepers are closer to 20X or higher.

cassilyn · May 14, 2020

rayjay said:
Low flow seahorse tanks are/should be YEARS in the past. In fact, you want a MINIMUM of ten times flow but many of us long term keepers are closer to 20X or higher.

That's what I thought. The pump I picked out is 660gp, so about 12X. Do you think I should go higher? I haven't committed to anything yet. That's why I'm on here asking so many questions

rayjay · May 14, 2020

I wouldn't go bigger at this time. As you set up the system and adjust flow so as to try to keep ALL areas in motion you may find a need for more flow. IMO however it is better to have MULTIPLE flow sources when trying to accomplish no dead zones, so you can add something at a later time and of a flow lever you feel will work best for you based on your particular setup. Remember, the higher an individual source is, the more consideration you need to apply to keeping seahorses from being damaged by being thrust against something due to flow they may not be able to handle in some areas.

cassilyn · May 14, 2020

rayjay said:
I wouldn't go bigger at this time. As you set up the system and adjust flow so as to try to keep ALL areas in motion you may find a need for more flow. IMO however it is better to have MULTIPLE flow sources when trying to accomplish no dead zones, so you can add something at a later time and of a flow lever you feel will work best for you based on your particular setup. Remember, the higher an individual source is, the more consideration you need to apply to keeping seahorses from being damaged by being thrust against something due to flow they may not be able to handle in some areas.

Thank you. The more I learn, the more I think I have the setup together that I want to get. All of your help is greatly appreciated.

deetu · May 15, 2020

rayjay said:
I wouldn't go bigger at this time. As you set up the system and adjust flow so as to try to keep ALL areas in motion you may find a need for more flow. IMO however it is better to have MULTIPLE flow sources when trying to accomplish no dead zones, so you can add something at a later time and of a flow lever you feel will work best for you based on your particular setup. Remember, the higher an individual source is, the more consideration you need to apply to keeping seahorses from being damaged by being thrust against something due to flow they may not be able to handle in some areas.

I was wondering how you felt about this system I did to help reach more dead spots. The return has a elbow to agitate surface and tube with many holes going down to get the whole back. I painted it black and added a second since

rayjay · May 15, 2020

Unfortunately there is NO way to tell if it is going to be sufficient until you have it set up with everything in place. Every thing you put in the tank, and, where you put each item, is all going to affect the flow throughout the tank.
Is this going to be a dwarf tank? What size is it and what is the return pump flow rate?

deetu · May 16, 2020

[Re="rayjay, post: 7471333, member: 87077"]
Unfortunately there is NO way to tell if it is going to be sufficient until you have it set up with everything in place. Every thing you put in the tank, and, where you put each item, is all going to affect the flow throughout the tank.
Is this going to be a dwarf tank? What size is it and what is the return pump flow rate?
[/QUOTE]
This is my FOWLR that l put picture to show you what l meant. It has the same pvc pipe return that l was asking about in my erectus tank.

rayjay · May 17, 2020

OK, if it's for the erectus tank, is the return pump rated for AT LEAST ten times tank volume? I'm assuming too that the tank is at least about 30g for a pair of erectus.
However based on my personal experiences, this will NOT provide sufficient movement throughout the tank to keep detritus in motion long enough for it to be picked up by mechanical filtration.
Another thing I experienced with multiple holes drilled in a tube/pipe is that unless you calculate the size AND number of holes to match the ACTUAL output flow AND output pressure capability of the pump, some holes will put out most of the flow while others will have little or none. The holes that the flow is naturally trying to exit (like at a capped end of tube) need to restrict flow enough so flow is backed up to provide pressure to have more flow exiting the other holes, especially ones furthest from where the pipe is capped, even though they may be closest to pump source.