Tech 70 seahorse tank

[iLLwiLL]

To keep the girlfriend happy I recently setup a nice oceanic tech 70 gallon for seahorses, macro and softies. Saw a trio of colorful errectus at a LFS and put them on hold while I got everything together.

Still have a lot of work to be done on this little side project, but it's coming along nicely. This is my first time with seahorses so please bring on any comments, questions and/or concerns.

 

[Armydogracing]

Very cool!

I had a friend that has seahorses and pipe fish he feeds live brine shrimp from a diy hatchery

 

[vlangel]

Ha ha, my hubby to keep me happy let me set up a seahorse tank! Actually he loves them too.

Your tank is beautiful and they look nicely settled.

Ocean Rider provides a free online seahorse training course that is very comprehensive. Just go to seahorse.com and click on forum. The first sticky is on the training course. I found it very informative.

 

[iLLwiLL]

I'll have to look into that online course. What kind of macros do you have in your tank?

 

[Lionfish Lair]

That's a beautiful setup!

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Cool tank!

 

[vlangel]

I'll have to look into that online course. What kind of macros do you have in your tank?

Mostly in the display I have red grape caulerpa and halimeda. In my sump I have feather caulerpa, cheato, ulva, dragon's breath, gracilaria and rose petal. I hope to attach at least the dragon's breath and ulva to something and keep some in the display. I have found that the macros take up a lot of nutrients. Be sure to keep magnesium on hand though because the macros suck it up. Iron also helps them flourish.

 

[iLLwiLL]

That's a beautiful setup!

Cool tank!

Thanks so much guys! It was either this and a happy girlfriend, or a new apex for my grow out build in progress ... I'm pretty happy with the decision!

Can't wait to swap out the plastic chain for some macros and corkscrew gorgs.

 

[iLLwiLL]

Mostly in the display I have red grape caulerpa and halimeda. In my sump I have feather caulerpa, cheato, ulva, dragon's breath, gracilaria and rose petal. I hope to attach at least the dragon's breath and ulva to something and keep some in the display. I have found that the macros take up a lot of nutrients. Be sure to keep magnesium on hand though because the macros suck it up. Iron also helps them flourish.

Thanks for the tip on iron and mag. What's a good iron test kit?

I'm not planning on having a fuge of any kind (no room) so I'd like the display to serve that purpose along with giving the ponys plenty of hitching posts. Is there any other macros you can recommend?

 

[drawman]

Sounds like you need to put a ring on it

 

[iLLwiLL]

Nah, this bought me at least another year.

 

[vlangel]

Thanks for the tip on iron and mag. What's a good iron test kit?

I'm not planning on having a fuge of any kind (no room) so I'd like the display to serve that purpose along with giving the ponys plenty of hitching posts. Is there any other macros you can recommend?

I have a test kit for magnesium but I do not have one for iron. I add a capful if the macro algae just doesn't look up to par, either pale-ish or ragged.

I did not have a fuge in my sump when it was under the cabinet and I handled it the same as you plan...put the macro algae in the display. That worked well too. Just watch caulerpa if you get it. If it is on a photophase it will go sexual unless it is pruned regularly. It does not go sexual when its under 24/7 lighting.

I really like the red grape caulerpa, (which is not a caulerpa at all except in name). It adds a nice splash of vibrant red color and its easy to grow, (at least under t5s) and my seahorses love to hitch to it. Also even though it grows well I have not found it invasive.

Dragon's breath is another vibrant, easy, and controllable macro. Its not as hitchable to however.

There are lots of varieties of halimeda and I like it too although I have found it a bit harder to get to flourish. It is calcareous and needs calcium. It makes nice hitches and it spreads and will grow out of your rock as well as sand but it is also easily controlled.

I have always wanted to try blue octotode for its attractive color but have not gotten any as of yet.

One last advise on macros. If they are lush and flourishing, be sure to baste, shake or otherwise remove the accumulated detrtus as they can become a bed of dangerous bacteria if they are not kept free of old food and detritus.

 

[shornik]

Beautiful tank. How do you like the Salt Critters feeder? I never could get my ponies to eat from one, but my shrimp loved it :mad:.
I've got Flame Algae, and Red Grape Algae in my tank and the sea horse's love hitching and hunting in them for bugs. But +1 for what @vlangel said, you need to keep them clean because they accumulated a lot of old food if you don't.

 

[iLLwiLL]

I can handle a cap full of iron and a basting every now and again. planning on adding a half dose of Kalk to the ATO to get the coraline back so calcium shouldn't be an issue either.

I have a small piece of dragons breath and whatever that red macro is in the bottom left so far. I was thinking about getting a few sampler packs from live-plants along with whatever else they have in stock at the time.

 

[iLLwiLL]

Beautiful tank. How do you like the Salt Critters feeder? I never could get my ponies to eat from one, but my shrimp loved it :mad:.
I've got Flame Algae, and Red Grape Algae in my tank and the sea horse's love hitching and hunting in them for bugs. But +1 for what @vlangel said, you need to keep them clean because they accumulated a lot of old food if you don't.

The feeder is working out pretty awesome so far. the seahorses were already trained on it when I got them. I was hanging out at a friend's shop when one of his employees brought these seahorses in from a tank he was breaking down so I got pretty lucky. put a deposit on them before they went into his tanks and started putting this tank together as fast as I could.

 

[lauryn225]

To keep the girlfriend happy I recently setup a nice oceanic tech 70 gallon for seahorses, macro and softies. Saw a trio of colorful errectus at a LFS and put them on hold while I got everything together.

Still have a lot of work to be done on this little side project, but it's coming along nicely. This is my first time with seahorses so please bring on any comments, questions and/or concerns.

Where do u get the yellow chain for the tank can’t seem to buy them anywhere

 

[lauryn225]

Thanks so much guys! It was either this and a happy girlfriend, or a new apex for my grow out build in progress ... I'm pretty happy with the decision!

Can't wait to swap out the plastic chain for some macros and corkscrew gorgs.

Where do u get the yellow chain from can’t seem to get them anywhere !