A couple of ?'s....

[spw4949]

So I am planning on setting up a 39 gallon hexagon seahorse only(maybe some pipefish down the road) tank. It will be going in my bedroom which is on the 2nd floor in my apartment, my 1st question is, do I need a chiller? In the summer time I have the a/c on constantly and I am assuming(that being the keyword) that the temp in the tank wo't go above 75 deg. F. Is that too high? Also, how many seahorses(& I know it somewhat depends on the species I go with) will I be able to keep in an aquarium that size? Any help would be appreciated.

[Seeker1]

hello in a 39 hex you would be safe with 3 horses as for the chiller as long as it doesnt go higher than 77 you should not need one good luck

[laurarca]

I have 2 breeding pair of H. Reidi in a 30g flatback hex...they deliver babies at least once a month!! There is no need for a chiller as long as the water temp does not go above 76...I do run a protein skimmer and have them in the tank with a superb cleanup crew. They are from ORA and eat frozen mysis daily, skipping one day a week...Good Luck!!

[David123]

Sorry folk, I disagree.

A chiller will add stability to your tank, and as seahorses come from a very stable environment, they love stability.

We have the ability to put on warm clothes, take them off, go into the shade, go out into the sun, put on a fan, aircon etc when ever things change for us, your tanks inhabitants do not have this luxury.

Warm water lessens 02, so the big pic is, stress, and also of course, faster bacterial growth.

Keep an eye out for a chiller.

[Elysia]

And the recommendation is 74 degrees, maximum, because (as David points out), bacteria growth and mutation is greatly increased at higher temps. Temps also depend on the light and equipment in your tank.

spw, it would help to know the dimensions of the tank. In the US, we have easy access to one "medium" size seahorse, the H. fuscus, and you could probably house 4 in your tank. I'll hold off recommending a number for the larger horses until I know the dimensions of the tank, as it could influence my suggestion.