so thinking of doing seahorses...

Dtackett · Nov 10, 2015

so ive got a full setup laying around in the garage with nothing happening. my son loves seahorses and so do I. im thinking that's what im going to do.

setup
29 gallon drilled with a herbie setup
sca-301 skimmer
ato
mag 5 return (will be replaced with a jabeo dc6000)
20 long sump

I've been doing a bit of research for months but really just started getting into more research today. I understand a few things...

they do like flow and the tank should have areas of low, moderate and strong flow so long as each area has a place to hitch and they can get to the low flow areas to rest.
they need lower of 74 degrees.

most coral can sting and hurt the seahorses.

they eat a lot as they have no stomach and need to be fed every day, preferably twice a day.

they can be trained to eat frozen (hopefully they eat frozen at the lfs)

they have relatively weak immune systems and different medicines should be kept on hand for quick treatment.

so here are my questions. I would like 2-4 seahorses and 2 pipefish in the 29, but I understand the most common seahorses most lfs get can get to by 8 inches tall, that seems a bit big for 4 in a 29. is there a smaller species that only get to 4-6 inches that are readily available? would dwarf seahorses be ok in a group of 6-10 in a tank this size with 2 pipefish? I know the pipefisha re much more aggressive feeders and I wont be feeding live baby brine daily so whatever I get will have to be able to survive on frozen (I will test them at the lfs)

what about types of macro? im not planning any coral in the tank except for maybe some sinularia or something like that but I am planning lots of macro. I was thinkings dragons breath, blue ochtodes, dragons tongue, mermaids fan and neon green sea fern (if I can find it) along with some other more common macros.

vlangel · Nov 10, 2015

Your research is paying off and most of what you want to do is good. The main exception would be keeping 4 seahorses in a 29 gallon tank. It's not so much how big they are as how much bioload they put on the tank. Especially until you become experienced with seahorses, I would stick with the recommended 2 seahorses for a 29 gallon tank. They are extremely messy eaters and you already know that their digestive system is not very efficient. Then with their poor immune systems and them putting a heavy bioload on the tank's filtration the probability of them contracting a bacterial infection if you exceed the recommended number of ponies greatly increases.

There are a lot of cool macro algaes that work with seahorses, like the ones you mentioned and more. I have macro algae in my seahorse tank. I also have some seahorse safe coral.

If you have any other questions, I or perhaps seahorsekeeper could help you.

I would suggest getting captive bred seahorses as they are more adapted to aquarium life and come to you trained to eat frozen mysis. Seahorse Source or Ocean Rider both can provide very healthy seahorses that are captive bred. Ocean Rider actually offers a very extensive online training course for free.

Dtackett · Nov 10, 2015

my filtration is setup for a 75 gallon tank, then with the amount of macro I want to do in the tank I should be good on filtration for pretty much whatever I want. however, I haven't made my mind up on exactly what I want. 4 big seahorses just might be too much for the tank just based on their full size with all filtration set aside. perhabs I will do 2 horses, 2 pipefish and a couple clown gobies (I love those little fish) I think that will give plenty of swimming room for all the fish and help keep parameters in check. I am also looking to do feeding through a feeding dish with a slotted top big enough for the horses and pipe fish to feed out of without making such a mess and without them having to compete for food throughout the tank. im also hoping the amount of macro and rubble I plan in the tank will mean my pod population will stay strong enough for them to feed throughout the day. I probably wont even set the tank up for a month or 2 while I do more research, source my horses (not sure if ill buy from my lfs or not, depends on if they'll tell me who the breeder is or where they came from), and source my macro as my lfs only carries the basic macro and some of the stuff I want is far from basic lol

vlangel · Nov 10, 2015

To give you an idea just how messy seahorses are I will tell you about my tank. It is a 36g bowfront with an SCA 302 skimmer in a 10 gallon sump. I have lots of macros, Nassarius snails, a small crab, and 2 cucumbers for a cuc. I have 2 erectus seahorses and 1 pipefish and 1 royal gramma. My seahorses and pipe eat from a feeding dish and the royal gramma eats what gets kicked out and floats around. I do at least 15 gallons water change every week and wipe down every surface including the back wall. Even at that the past month and a half my male has developed a stubborn bacterial infection that I am struggling to get under control. I have treated him twice with antibiotics. Take my word for it...an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

Dtackett · Nov 10, 2015

lol wow. surprised that 302 fit in a 10 gallon sump lol ill take your word for it. luckily water changes are easy for me and ive got plenty of time to do them. over the next month or 2 I will also be building a first aid kit for the seahorses. still have to research what I need to keep on hand specifically for the horses. now, something im not intending to happen, but apparently will... what do I do when they breed? im not trying to have a dozen horses in this little tank and I don't have a big enough tank to grow them out and sell them... will the adults eat them like most fish? or do I need to add something a little more predatory that will eat them?

vlangel · Nov 11, 2015

Dtackett said:
lol wow. surprised that 302 fit in a 10 gallon sump lol ill take your word for it. luckily water changes are easy for me and ive got plenty of time to do them. over the next month or 2 I will also be building a first aid kit for the seahorses. still have to research what I need to keep on hand specifically for the horses. now, something im not intending to happen, but apparently will... what do I do when they breed? im not trying to have a dozen horses in this little tank and I don't have a big enough tank to grow them out and sell them... will the adults eat them like most fish? or do I need to add something a little more predatory that will eat them?

LOL, I had checked the dimensions of the 302 before I ordered it but when that box showed up at my door I was worried. It fit but just barely!

Yes if you have a healthy pair you will have babies. Actually even though my male is not at peak healthy he is still pregnant. The parents do not eat them and nothing else in my tank does either. They just succumb in the tank by being skimmed out or caught in filter socks. I have a lfs owner who takes mine for free. I sold him 15 babies that I raised to maturity but it's a boatload of work and I only did it once. He liked how robust they were so he likes the bloodlines of my ponies. I never heard if he had success in raising any or not.

vlangel · Nov 11, 2015

Here is a pic of my sump in all its crowded glory!

Dtackett · Nov 11, 2015

wow that was a tight fit lol. that's one type of filtration ive never ran, but I think ill need to is filter socks. ive mostly had low bioload tanks so ive never had much of an issue. but this is going to be a bit different. so ill be making a bunch of filter socks before my horses go in.

vlangel · Nov 12, 2015

Actually most of the time I run my system without filter socks or filter pads. Both of those can trap detritus and be a haven for dangerous bacteria.

Dtackett · Nov 13, 2015

Yeah but if you swap often they're worth it right? I mean I can make 20 for about 15 bucks and change them every 3 days.

vlangel · Nov 14, 2015

Dtackett said:
Yeah but if you swap often they're worth it right? I mean I can make 20 for about 15 bucks and change them every 3 days.

Yes, that is right but I would change them every 3 days. If you are away or can't for some reason then I would skip the socks for those times.

Dtackett · Nov 14, 2015

dang. every 3 days almost makes it not worth it lol donno. we will see. still got a lot of research to do before I buy my ponies so I got time to figure it out. thanks for all the help bud. its always good to get advice from someone who has actual experience instead of a bunch of he said she said.

vlangel · Nov 15, 2015

Dtackett said:
****. every 3 days almost makes it not worth it lol donno. we will see. still got a lot of research to do before I buy my ponies so I got time to figure it out. thanks for all the help bud. its always good to get advice from someone who has actual experience instead of a bunch of he said she said.

I am glad to help. I remember what it was like when I was researching seahorses and i had several experienced folks help me. I am 'paying it forward'.☺

Dtackett · Nov 15, 2015

now if only I didn't work 60-80 hour weeks this time of year maybe id have time to set it up lol at least I can research while at work lol

vlangel · Nov 16, 2015

Dtackett said:
now if only I didn't work 60-80 hour weeks this time of year maybe id have time to set it up lol at least I can research while at work lol

That's a great way to look at it. I wished I had researched seahorses the very first time I tried them back in 2007. That pair of ponies sadly perished because I did not know what I was doing. It made me feel so bad that I did not consider seahorses again for years! Your research will pay off.

Devlin · Nov 25, 2015

I impulse bought the 2 I have 6 months ago. Have many fish and coral that should not be in the tank with them. However against all info that I have read they are doing great. They love hanging out on the torches, gorgs and frogspwans that I have. They eat twice a day with my fish. And graze the live rock eating pods all day. Glad I purchased before I read the forum because I would never have gotten them.

vlangel · Nov 25, 2015

Devlin said:
I impulse bought the 2 I have 6 months ago. Have many fish and coral that should not be in the tank with them. However against all info that I have read they are doing great. They love hanging out on the torches, gorgs and frogspwans that I have. They eat twice a day with my fish. And graze the live rock eating pods all day. Glad I purchased before I read the forum because I would never have gotten them.

I am glad that your seahorses are doing well and I sincerely hope they continue to do so. There are always exceptional cases but the info I shared is to give a new seahorse keeper the best chances for keeping healthy seahorses. Most seahorses do not thrive long term in a tank like yours.

Dtackett · Nov 25, 2015

did you see the other thread I tagged you in? think it was yesterday. I tagged you and seahorse keeper.

Devlin · Nov 25, 2015

I wasn't saying I knew better than anyone. When it comes to the hobby I feel I'm very much a beginner. I only have 10 months under my belt. I was just sharing my experience so far. Everyone I talk to can't believe I have seahorses in my tank. I would feel bad if they were stressed. But they are doing really well. So I kinda just feel lucky. Was not saying follow my lead by any means. LOL