3x Brazilian Seahorse - Hippocampus reidi in 29g - Pics included

[mjstech]

Hey guys, I am thinking of getting 2 females, but I want to make sure a 29g tank will be ok for them.

There are 2 large pieces of fiji live rock that I will put in it. There is a huge devils hand on one, and the other has a ton of cabbage coral on it. There may be a small bristleworm on it, which I will remove before getting anything. There is a few pieces of macro also, but I will of course add more. There will be 30lbs of fiji live sand.

Clean-up will be some blue leg hermits, and a mix of snails and maybe a blennie.

I need to figure out what filtration to run. I have a CPR bakpak 2r to put on it, and I will also have a hang on filter too, something like a AC 300/500 or penguin 125/170.

Lighting will be 2x 65w PC. Heat will be a 200w.

The horses come from ORA Farms based in FL. They have been at my work for over 2 weeks and have had no issue with feeding them. They love brine and mysis. There are also pods in the tanks.

If anyone can chime in, please do.

Thanks,

mark

[jcatblum]

A 29 is usually about 18 inches high, which is suppose to be ok for most horses. I use a 37 gal, it is 3 or 4 inches taller, therefore, I can have a DSB. in the 29 if you were to add a 6 inch subtrate--so you could grow grasses for your horses, it would be WAY to shallow. If you currently have a 29 setup I am sure they would be ok, I would try looking for a taller tank--just for their happiness.....

[mjstech]

what filtration/flow do you use in your tank?
do you have any pics?

mark

[jcatblum]

Each fish has their own personality, so there are no promises!!! I have had a manderan in my tank, until I caught it eating SH fry!!! I do have a variety of snails, crabs, and a pair of pipes. If I was to start from scratch I would have only female horses, I don't like dealing with pouch evacs....

[pledosophy]

29 gallon is just fine. I would use scarlet reef hermits as opposed to the blue legged. They get to aggresive IME and your seahorse or snails for that matter won't be safe.

I had a 29 eclipse and used it minus the carbon pad for about a year. Some lr couple inches of LS. Theing was just fine for seahorses.

Now I have a 65g with 110 lbs of lr, 2" sand bed, 20g under tank refugium. I have 5 species of macro algaes mixed in the system. Mechanical filtration is a fluval 304 connected to an 18w aquaclear.

Good Luck

[mjstech]

And are the leather's ok for use with seahorses?

mark

[leheath]

I think the leather should be fine with the seahorses, although they may initially irritate it if they hitch too it! :)

[pledosophy]

I've had a star polyp leather for years with my seahorse. All is well.

[mjstech]

I will be setting it up soon. I would like to keep a bunch of macros. I am wondering if 2x 55w pc will be enough.

I am unsure what movement/filtration to use.

I have a CPR BakPak 2r to use, but I don't know if I should use an Aquaclear or just a small powerhead/pump, or all 3.
Or I have a fluval 104 with endless supply of filterpads(for cleaning)


mark

[pledosophy]

I think that your lighting is more than ample for most macro algaes, but not for seagrasses.

For macro's look into chaetomorpha, prolifera, and maybe some red grape caulphera. I think you will find these not only decorative but also easy to raise.

Use an aquaclear what? They make a few products. If you mean a UV connected to your cannister sounds great to me.

You want to keep your flow on the lower side and break up the reutrns as much as you can so there is not one source of current that would blow the seahorses around.

Sorry but I have no experience with the other filter types you mentioned. I have had good luck with my Fuval 304, and my aquaclear UV.

[leheath]

I use an Aquaclear HOB filter and a small powerhead, along with my return pump (mag 3 with a split return), on my 60g tank and it provides plenty of flow (no dead spots) yet the seahorses can still swim around. When I had them in a 20g tank I had just the HOB filter, and the very slow return (didn't really contribute to the flow and it didn't even make macro move!) from a side-by-side fuge, which provided plenty of flow.

[mjstech]

I put the tank together.
here are some sandstorm pics.
http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/3193/htank17mn.jpg

[mjstech]

and here is the huge leather.
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7180/htank29iy.jpg

[mjstech]

I hope the tank will clear-up by thursday afternoon. I will then add my clean-up crew to rid the hair algea the night. And on friday afternoon I will add the horses. The water is RO/DI, the rocks have been sitting in another 29g with light for more than 3 months so there is no die off. I am wet skimming, and I will do a water change on Saturday too.

mark

[mjstech]

Here is a full tank shot today. It cleans up pretty well I think. Don't mind the spots on the glass.

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/7386/htank30qt.jpg

[mjstech]

here is a clean close-up of the leather which i hope won't mind a few horses grabbing on.
http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/415/htank46nv.jpg gotta love hair algea

[mjstech]

and here is a show peice of rock, i think it weighed 25lbs. and it has a bunch of cabbage coral on it, along with more hair algea.
http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/9389/htank52xf.jpg

[mjstech]

I think I am going to go with 3x girls for now. maybe a black goby too.

[pledosophy]

If you are going with a single sex tank I would recommend males over females.

Females can develop infections from theinability to reabsorb the proteins in there eggs.

Just a thought.

[mjstech]

here is a shot of 2 of them looking at thier reflections in the back of my tank.
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/2249/htank61dq.jpg

[mjstech]

and another, good shot of one but the other girl was too fast
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4105/htank71lf.jpg

[mjstech]

and one last one for the night, with spots on the glass still
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/904/htank87pz.jpg

[mjstech]

here are some more pics, i was going to build a 'horse feeding station' but have found the cabbage coral to work very well.
http://img362.imageshack.us/img362/2074/htank98vn.jpg

[mjstech]

here is another one, my camera is an old 1.1mp so macros don't come out all that well.
http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/1587/htank102cq.jpg

[LisaD]

looks great! I love your aquascaping! I do have to respectfully disagree with pledosophy on same sex tanks. I think females have fewer problems. IME males, whether kept with females or not, tend to develop pouch problems. at least two females can court and shed eggs into the sand. :)

seriously, in a well-maintained tank, with CB seahorses, you will probably do fine with the girls.

[mjstech]

thanks lisa, i am still working on getting some more macros for the display. i still don't have names for the girls, maybe you guys can help me pick some out.

mark

[mjstech]

also i forgot to ask this, but for my feedings i turn off the hob filter and the powerhead for 20-30mins for feeding. i leave the skimmer running. does anyone else do this?

[leheath]

I used to turn everything off to feed in my 20g. In the 60g, that is a bit too difficult, so everything stays on. I probably have a bit more waste, but my clean up crew seem to take care of it and the movement of the mysis seems to induce a stronger feeding response in my ponies. Eventually, I want to set up a feeding station, but haven't had time yet....

[mjstech]

ygpm

[mjstech]

can someone help me id this macro. or maybe I should post in the macro/algea forum.

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6879/htank117qz.jpg

mark

[leheath]

I don't know what it is, but I have tons of it....if you find out what it is, let me know! :)

[seahorsedreams]

Caulerpa serrulata I believe.

[LisaD]

yes. aka razor caulerpa.

[mjstech]

ding ding ding, thanks for the id guys.
mark

[mjstech]

I just put on one of those surface skimmers for HOB filters on Friday. I got the one for the aquaclear filters, I have a marineland 170 so I cut the downtube a little bit, and hooked it up. They really work awsome, and they are like $10-$15. The CPR still throws a few microbubbles into the tank and may get the bubble trap for it still.

mark

[mjstech]

Here is a pic of my surface skimmer. If you have surface gunk and have a HOB filter I would recommend you get one of these. They are very adjustable and don't make a sound.
http://img430.imageshack.us/img430/471/htank129ug.jpg

[mjstech]

Here are some more random pics, I still need to get a background, and I will get that bubble trap for the CPR.
http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/5568/htank137qk.jpg

[mjstech]

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6987/htank143bb.jpg

[mjstech]

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7153/htank152xh.jpg

[mjstech]

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/9861/htank168yj.jpg

[mjstech]

I have a whole lotta hair algea. I am wondering if a Lawnmower Blenny is ok in the horse tank. I also will be getting a ton of blue leg hermits.

mark

[LisaD]

I would be very cautious with a lawnmower blenny. I like scarlet reef hermits. I have a large turbo snail that is a hair algae mower.

[mjstech]

Uggg, I have slacked on my tank, and have not gotten anything for the hair algea, it's starting to take over my rock. the Macros are all doing well though. I will need to get a bunch of turbos/crabs. I'm just going to get a large load and when they are doing cleaning I'll move some over to my 80g.

mark