New to Seahorses/Pipefish and need advice!

bandh0526 · 09/18/2008, 11:50 AM

Hey all,

I have been researching seahorses and pipefish for some time and I was wanting to start a seahorse tank. I was looking for some advice from people who have kept these before. How big should the tank be (height-wise) and what are the best types of seahorses to keep in your experience? How are your tanks set up? Filtration? Flow? I don't know anyone personally with a seahorse tank, so I don't have any firsthand advice. So please feel free to let me know of anything you can think of!

Thanks so much!

Any threads or websites are appreciated.

bandh0526 · 09/20/2008, 08:25 AM

No one has any advice or opinions?

JennyL · 09/20/2008, 11:19 AM

Perhaps if you tell us what species you are interested in keeping, we could go from there.

Not all species have the same keeping requirements and it would take all day to post on each and every species and what they need.

There is a lot of information posted in this forum that would be of benefit to you too.

greyim · 09/21/2008, 01:45 PM

Umm I have a 90 litre hex its about 800mm tall, 450 wide with 3 plain horses.
It pretty much looks after itself with a undergravel filter only and two slugs to eat algae.
I only change the water when it really needs it, about every 3 months more in summer less in winter.\Feed them one frozen brine shrimp each morning

pennylynn2 · 09/21/2008, 02:39 PM

Hello grayim,
Please do some research on seahorses.They need several frozen MYSIS shrimp each twice daily and require that the water be kept clean with frequent water changes(every week or two)They are messy eaters/poopers and need to be cleaned up after on a daily basis.Seahorses are very prone to bacterial disease.Their water temp needs to be kept below 75 degrees because of this.There is tons of good advice/sites on the net that can tell you everything you need to know.Seahorses do not survive long without proper diet and water conditions.I wish you luck with your horses.I love mine!!

Becky

greyim · 09/21/2008, 03:45 PM

Thanks Penny :-)
Mine are about 6-7 years on now so they must be a hardy breed down under

bandh0526 · 09/21/2008, 03:55 PM

So what type of species would one suggest for a beginner? I have a 46 gallon bowfront and I have a 75 gallon. I was wondering if I wanted a pair of seahorses and some pipefish if either of those would be good. THe 75 used to be a predator tank, but I would rather keep seahorses instead. THey're beautiful creatures. I'm not planning on any coral or anything, probably the "never dying" kind from Drs Foster and Smith. (Decor only)
I have a tank specifically for live brine shrimp that I feed my reef fish (with a mixture of other stuff, but they like the live brine).
So I guess a good question is, what type of species would be good for a beginner with those size tanks? I could research it from there. I have been reading on this forum, very useful information. Thanks to all who've responded.

pledosophy · 09/22/2008, 01:46 PM

Any CB species would be fine IMO. Reidi, Kuda, Erectus, or just about anything else you can buy that is CB will work out fine.

seahorsesource.com is a good place to look at CB seahorses.

Either of those tanks would be fine for seahorses. Depending on your filtration setup, you could keep a number of things in those tanks.

Flow is lower then a reef. Rule of thumb is 3 to 5x the tank voulme per hour. I like mine higher but I break it up with multiple returns and spraybars. It is the best thing I have found.

Cruise the forum and the old threads a bit and let us know if you have any more questions.

flamehawkfish · 09/23/2008, 11:53 AM

I'm also new to seahorses, and interested in them.

I have a spare 40g cube tank that I'm considering for a pipefish/seahorse tank. Do you necessarily need a chiller? I think I can keep temp at about 74 w/o one...

'Becky' mentioned that they're messy eaters, and need to be cleaned up after each feeding.

Would a handful of small blue-legged hermit crabs help 'clean the mess'? I'm reluctant to devote myself to a tank that requires daily cleanings (with a turkey-baister?)... I did that with my clownfish larvae tank, and it gets annoying...

Anyway, keep us posted. I like the idea of a Seahorse tank, but maybe the idea is more attractive than the actual practice.

Thanks,

Flamehawk

pledosophy · 09/23/2008, 12:19 PM

I don't clean my seahorse tank everyday. I really don't. I have it set up so it can handle the bioload and that's that. I haven't even done a water change in a few months. Nitrates are zero, phophates are zero. i do dose for Ca, alk, mg, iron, amino acids, and some other types of supplements.

pennylynn2 · 09/24/2008, 08:18 AM

Sorry Greyim,I thought you were the original poster asking for advice,my mistake!I would love to hear more more about your set-up.When I said above that seahorses need cleaning up after I meant that once a day,usually late evening after the last feeding I use a "sludge extractor"from drsfoster/smith to clean up leftover food and poop.It's the most useful tool I have.Pulls the crap out but not the water.I have a good clean up crew but I have 8 horses in a 55gal tank with a 30 gal sump and the extra cleaning is needed as my horses are large southern erectus,6-7 inches at least and EAT A LOT.If I had it to do over, I would probably only have 4 so the work load would be lighter!

Becky

bandh0526 · 10/20/2008, 11:12 PM

I bought 2 black seahorses for my 46 gallon. So far so good - day three and they seem to be doing well...

09/18/2008, 11:50 AM	#1
bandh0526 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Tennessee, USA Posts: 187	New to Seahorses/Pipefish and need advice! Hey all, I have been researching seahorses and pipefish for some time and I was wanting to start a seahorse tank. I was looking for some advice from people who have kept these before. How big should the tank be (height-wise) and what are the best types of seahorses to keep in your experience? How are your tanks set up? Filtration? Flow? I don't know anyone personally with a seahorse tank, so I don't have any firsthand advice. So please feel free to let me know of anything you can think of! Thanks so much! Any threads or websites are appreciated. __________________ I'm not a failure. I'm very successful in finding out what doesn't work. Current Tank Info: 240 gallon mixed reef, 120 gallon FOWLR (predator) tank, 46 gallon bowfront seahorse tank.

09/20/2008, 08:25 AM	#2
bandh0526 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Tennessee, USA Posts: 187	No one has any advice or opinions? __________________ I'm not a failure. I'm very successful in finding out what doesn't work. Current Tank Info: 240 gallon mixed reef, 120 gallon FOWLR (predator) tank, 46 gallon bowfront seahorse tank.

09/20/2008, 11:19 AM	#3
JennyL Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Texas Posts: 406	Perhaps if you tell us what species you are interested in keeping, we could go from there. Not all species have the same keeping requirements and it would take all day to post on each and every species and what they need. There is a lot of information posted in this forum that would be of benefit to you too. __________________ Janet Current Tank Info: 125 & 70 g Reefs- 9 Seahorse tanks

09/21/2008, 02:39 PM	#5
pennylynn2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: kentucky Posts: 19	horses Hello grayim, Please do some research on seahorses.They need several frozen MYSIS shrimp each twice daily and require that the water be kept clean with frequent water changes(every week or two)They are messy eaters/poopers and need to be cleaned up after on a daily basis.Seahorses are very prone to bacterial disease.Their water temp needs to be kept below 75 degrees because of this.There is tons of good advice/sites on the net that can tell you everything you need to know.Seahorses do not survive long without proper diet and water conditions.I wish you luck with your horses.I love mine!! Becky

09/21/2008, 03:55 PM	#7
bandh0526 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Tennessee, USA Posts: 187	So what type of species would one suggest for a beginner? I have a 46 gallon bowfront and I have a 75 gallon. I was wondering if I wanted a pair of seahorses and some pipefish if either of those would be good. THe 75 used to be a predator tank, but I would rather keep seahorses instead. THey're beautiful creatures. I'm not planning on any coral or anything, probably the "never dying" kind from Drs Foster and Smith. (Decor only) I have a tank specifically for live brine shrimp that I feed my reef fish (with a mixture of other stuff, but they like the live brine). So I guess a good question is, what type of species would be good for a beginner with those size tanks? I could research it from there. I have been reading on this forum, very useful information. Thanks to all who've responded. __________________ I'm not a failure. I'm very successful in finding out what doesn't work. Current Tank Info: 240 gallon mixed reef, 120 gallon FOWLR (predator) tank, 46 gallon bowfront seahorse tank.

09/21/2008, 01:45 PM	#4
greyim Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tasmania Posts: 9	Umm I have a 90 litre hex its about 800mm tall, 450 wide with 3 plain horses. It pretty much looks after itself with a undergravel filter only and two slugs to eat algae. I only change the water when it really needs it, about every 3 months more in summer less in winter.\Feed them one frozen brine shrimp each morning

09/21/2008, 03:45 PM	#6
greyim Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Tasmania Posts: 9	Thanks Penny :-) Mine are about 6-7 years on now so they must be a hardy breed down under

09/22/2008, 01:46 PM	#8
pledosophy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Beaverton Posts: 5,290	Any CB species would be fine IMO. Reidi, Kuda, Erectus, or just about anything else you can buy that is CB will work out fine. seahorsesource.com is a good place to look at CB seahorses. Either of those tanks would be fine for seahorses. Depending on your filtration setup, you could keep a number of things in those tanks. Flow is lower then a reef. Rule of thumb is 3 to 5x the tank voulme per hour. I like mine higher but I break it up with multiple returns and spraybars. It is the best thing I have found. Cruise the forum and the old threads a bit and let us know if you have any more questions. __________________ 120g mixed reef 90g QT

09/23/2008, 11:53 AM	#9
flamehawkfish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Marin County, CA Posts: 573	I'm also new to seahorses, and interested in them. I have a spare 40g cube tank that I'm considering for a pipefish/seahorse tank. Do you necessarily need a chiller? I think I can keep temp at about 74 w/o one... 'Becky' mentioned that they're messy eaters, and need to be cleaned up after each feeding. Would a handful of small blue-legged hermit crabs help 'clean the mess'? I'm reluctant to devote myself to a tank that requires daily cleanings (with a turkey-baister?)... I did that with my clownfish larvae tank, and it gets annoying... Anyway, keep us posted. I like the idea of a Seahorse tank, but maybe the idea is more attractive than the actual practice. Thanks, Flamehawk

09/23/2008, 12:19 PM	#10
pledosophy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Beaverton Posts: 5,290	I don't clean my seahorse tank everyday. I really don't. I have it set up so it can handle the bioload and that's that. I haven't even done a water change in a few months. Nitrates are zero, phophates are zero. i do dose for Ca, alk, mg, iron, amino acids, and some other types of supplements. __________________ 120g mixed reef 90g QT

09/24/2008, 08:18 AM	#11
pennylynn2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: kentucky Posts: 19	Sorry Greyim,I thought you were the original poster asking for advice,my mistake!I would love to hear more more about your set-up.When I said above that seahorses need cleaning up after I meant that once a day,usually late evening after the last feeding I use a "sludge extractor"from drsfoster/smith to clean up leftover food and poop.It's the most useful tool I have.Pulls the crap out but not the water.I have a good clean up crew but I have 8 horses in a 55gal tank with a 30 gal sump and the extra cleaning is needed as my horses are large southern erectus,6-7 inches at least and EAT A LOT.If I had it to do over, I would probably only have 4 so the work load would be lighter! Becky

10/20/2008, 11:12 PM	#12
bandh0526 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Tennessee, USA Posts: 187	I bought 2 black seahorses for my 46 gallon. So far so good - day three and they seem to be doing well... __________________ I'm not a failure. I'm very successful in finding out what doesn't work. Current Tank Info: 240 gallon mixed reef, 120 gallon FOWLR (predator) tank, 46 gallon bowfront seahorse tank.