JBJ 28g Nano Quad good for horsies?

[d2mini]

I won one of these in a raffle this weekend and want to do something different than my 130g reef cube. Would this setup make a good horse tank? If it would, any suggestions? I don't know the first thing about them other than they are best in a species tank which I now have the opportunity to do.
If you had this tank, and it is a good choice for seahorses, how would you set it up if money was no object?

If it's not a good choice for seahorses, tell me now.

Thanks! :thumbsup:

[luvabunny]

Dennis, did you win it at CRASE? Lucky you!

I'm not 100% sure on this specific tank whether it would be a good seahorse tank. Normally, 29g is the minimum for 1 pair of adult erectus sized seahorses, so the size should be OK, as long as you don't overstock. Depending on the lighting, many of these type tanks get too warm to be good seahorse tanks. Also, if it comes with some sort of circulation, the flow may need to be adjusted.

IF it was one of the tanks raffled off at CRASE this weekend, and IF I had won it, then yes, I probably would have set it up for a pair of seahorses, BUT I've been doing this a long time, so it may not be an ideal tank for a seahorse newbie to start with. Keep in mind that seahorses are very messy eaters, so a pair in a 28g tank will need considerable water changes.

[d2mini]

No, it was my LFS. They had an anniversary sale and raffle. I won the JBJ and a 5g Fluval Chi tank that I gave to the wife and she got a goldfish. :)

Thanks for the info!
The tank has two return outlets with an integrated adjustable wavemaker.
I also was reading this about flow....
http://www.seahorse.com/Frequently_Asked_Questions/Aquarium_Life/Filtration_-_Aeriation/
But until the tank gets set up, I really won't have a good idea of how much flow it really produces.

[ChadTheSpike]

It is a reasonable tank, although most of the AIO tanks like this run a bit warm without significant thoughts/testing to make sure that temperature is always less than 74F.

If I had the tank and money was no object, I would:

1) add a small chiller (I like TECO)
2) buy two sets of nice natural looking but fake decorations for cleaning and weekly swapout
3) put 1/2"-1" reef select size sand (easy to siphon)
4) install an auto water changer and swap out 2 gallons a day
5) increase hood ventilation and blow air across the top of the water
6) upgrade the skimmer and internal pump
7) Im not sure if the internal pump is enough (I dont have experience with the JBJ), but I may consider adding a MJ1200. Going for areas of both high and low velocity flow with a reasonable turnover.
8) only add ONE pair of truly captive bred seahorses from one source.
9) dont add other fish, only seahorses.
10) I think that is all I would do :)

[d2mini]

Thanks for the info, Chad!

Why the fake decorations? What about some live finger/tree sponges, finger leathers, gorgonians, etc?

[ChadTheSpike]

It makes it easier to keep things clean, happy, and the right temperature. The small AIO tanks tend to run a bit hot, if you dont need the extra lighting, it is much easier to keep temperatures low.

You certainly can go with live stuff, and if you want to go that way, I am more than happy to talk more about it. I tailored my answer to you because I know you already have a beautiful cube with all that stuff, this is the easiest and lowest maintenance way to keep the seahorses happy.

[namxas]

We're on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to decor...we use lots of live macro algae, and a mix of Tonga branch, Fiji, and Marshall Is. LR. The live macro aids in water quality, is a pod haven, and provides both hitching and hunting areas for the SH.

Softies are generally fine with SH (nothing with sweepers), however, gorgs need a lot of flow (which you can provide with directed "spot flow"), and are sometimes irritated by SH hitching to them.

HTH

[d2mini]

Arrrggghhh! Still can't decide.

I keep going back and forth between horses and an angler and with no experience with either, it's making the decision that much harder. lol

Chad, thanks for the clarification. I appreciate where you were coming from. Thinking about it, i would probably be sad if I didn't have other live stuff in the tank so I'd probably go with some of that stuff if possible. I ended up losing most of my sponges in the big cube, especially after the tank almost boiled when our AC went out while we were on vacation. So i need to restock on some of that stuff anyway.

[namxas]

I'd go with an angler, esp. in that NC 28 (unless you have it chilled or otherwise cooled to 74*F max).

SH are fun, but require a LOT more attention and have a longer list of special needs. What I usually tell folks is that they REALLY have to WANT to keep SH, because there's no quick, EZ way to care for them or cut corners with them.

Besides, anglers need love too! ;)