Wanting to start a seahorse tank

[LSKreefer]

Hi I've have a 47gal tall aquarium that I would like to start as a seahorse only aquarium. So got some question on how and what is the best way to go. Im doing a lot of research on the net to get the best info but it can vary on what I read. I'm wanting to use pretty much what I have I just need to get a light for the tank. Here are my spec and question for this venture

Tank: 47g tall
Filtration: 565g FPG with a uv light - I have a sponge for the intake
Sand bed: Fiji pink live sand
Looking at the maineland LED low light
30lb of live rock
1 stalk of orange Gorgonian
I do have a power head but I think its too much for this tank 750 I'm thinking that the filtration will give enough flow

Questions:
1. I would like to put marcoalge in the tank but do not want to put the one that proliferate because the tank is so tall and hard to get to trim so what would be a good one to put in
2. I want to put some soft coral like the zoos and Xenia so will this be ok or do you all have any other suggestion.
3. I would like to put some Gorgonian in as well.
4. What are other things I could put in that they can hitch to.
5. Where is the place place to purchase Seahorses and also cultures of copepods and the kind that would be best for the horses.
6. What is the best type of seahorse should i get - I want to get captive raised, so what species
7. What would be the best cleaner crew to put in there and also is it is wise to put in a mandarain fish in there

I like to keep things natural so I don't put plastic plants or other artificial stuff.
I plan to let the tank cycle for a month or too before I add any horses, but would like to put the culture of copepods in before I get them so how long should I wait

Appreciate any info for me to get started.
Thank you
Linda

 

[Dixie_reefer]

I have a 240 gph hydor koralia powerhead in the tank with my small h. erectus and have had no problems. (Amazon has them for cheap) She can easily get away from it and she often plays in the current. Gorgonians need high flow so i would get 1 of them for your tank. Also the slits on the powerhead are small enough that a 3" seahorse cant get its tail in it to hitch. I would get hippocampus erectus for your fist seahorse, they are hardier than most and fairly easy to get. Check out southwatchseahorse.com and seahorse source. I know live aquaria has pods and so does reefs2go. Reefs2go has a lot of macros and gorgs too.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Hi I've have a 47gal tall aquarium that I would like to start as a seahorse only aquarium. So got some question on how and what is the best way to go. Im doing a lot of research on the net to get the best info but it can vary on what I read. I'm wanting to use pretty much what I have I just need to get a light for the tank. Here are my spec and question for this venture

Tank: 47g tall
Filtration: 565g FPG with a uv light - I have a sponge for the intake
Sand bed: Fiji pink live sand
Looking at the maineland LED low light
30lb of live rock
1 stalk of orange Gorgonian
I do have a power head but I think its too much for this tank 750 I'm thinking that the filtration will give enough flow

Questions:
1. I would like to put marcoalge in the tank but do not want to put the one that proliferate because the tank is so tall and hard to get to trim so what would be a good one to put in
2. I want to put some soft coral like the zoos and Xenia so will this be ok or do you all have any other suggestion.
3. I would like to put some Gorgonian in as well.
4. What are other things I could put in that they can hitch to.
5. Where is the place place to purchase Seahorses and also cultures of copepods and the kind that would be best for the horses.
6. What is the best type of seahorse should i get - I want to get captive raised, so what species
7. What would be the best cleaner crew to put in there and also is it is wise to put in a mandarain fish in there

I like to keep things natural so I don't put plastic plants or other artificial stuff.
I plan to let the tank cycle for a month or too before I add any horses, but would like to put the culture of copepods in before I get them so how long should I wait

Appreciate any info for me to get started.
Thank you
Linda

1. I also have a tall tank and I opted for the red macroalgae. I have red graciallara and dragon's breath. Pretty much once any macroalgae gets in the tank and begins to thrive, it will need to be trimmed back. You could invest in a pair of grabbers to help you trim the macroalgae down low.
2. Zoas, xenia, anthallia, mushrooms, and leather corals would be great additions. Pretty much, you will want to get corals that are not aggressive and have powerful stinging tentacles.
3. Gorgonians would be a perfect addition. You will just need to research the type that you get and the care for them. There are some that are non-photosynthetic and some that are. They make great hitches.
4. Other hitches, well this is up to you. The corals, gorgonians and macroalgae are all awesome hitches. You could add aquarium ornaments to give the tank a theme, but that would detract from the naturalness of the tank.
5. There are a couple of sponsors (Live Aquaria and Saltwaterfish.com) that sell ORA captive bred seahorses. I have ordered from seahorsesource and purchased locally from a trusted LFS to know exactly where my seahorses are coming from. Reefs2go is pretty good for copepods. Also, look for amphipods. These are the pods that seahorses eat.
6. I would go with h. erectus. They are fairly hardy and eat frozen with ease. They also readily take to eating from a feeding station. Be sure to get captive bred. Captive bred means they were bred in captivity. Captive raised means that they caught in the wild and raised in captivity. These seahorses can carry pathogens and will need to be dewormed.
7. I prefer to keep a CUC with snails and a couple of peppermint shrimp.

I would add the macroalgae first, even while the tank is cycling. Then, a couple weeks into the cycle I would add the copepods and amphipods. Ghost feed the tank over a period of two weeks and if the tank does not show signs of still cycling, I would the first pair of seahorses.

Good luck!!

 

[RacinRevo0818]

What's the thoughts on chillers? I've heard they like colder water.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

I forgot about that. I strongly recommend using a chiller. Seahorses should be kept in tanks that are kept stable under 75 degrees. Some need even cooler temps. The environments that we keep seahorses are a breeding ground for bacteria such as vibrio if kept at higher temps. To help keep vibrio at bay, it is best to keep the temp lower. This will help enable them to thrive.

 

[LSKreefer]

Thank you everyone for the valuable information you gave me. I'm a little concern about getting a chiller for such a small tank 47g tall. So I guess I need to see if the tank stay cool on me while cycling before I decide thats the way i want to go.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

What are your concerns about the chiller? I run one on my 30 gallon tank.

 

[LSKreefer]

What are your concerns about the chiller? I run one on my 30 gallon tank.

I guess paying such a big cost for the chillers and also the space that I don't have with the tank.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

Got it! You could try to put clip on fans on the top of the tank and keep the room cooler, if possible. The real test of temp stability will come in the summer.