Starting A 29 Biocube Seahorse Tank

Jason4ste · 09/21/2011, 04:59 PM

So my wife and I have decided to do a seahorse tank. I have expericence in reef tanks which currently running a 120 reef. So now we are trying seahorses. We have been during the research and yet still have some questions. Ive found a few sites that has helped and has also went through "My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping''. Have also visited a local members tank that has seahorses.

We purchased a 29 biocube because of some limited space where we put the tank. Found a great deal on craigslist. Cleaned and now set up. I decided to do a watcher change on my 120 to cut jump start on cycling time and used that water. Pulled some live rock out of my current tank and also bought new rock. The rock is mostly against the back with a few caves. Also was able to find some small pieces of Tonga branch for them to hitch on too. So the aquascaping is pretty much done. I am also planning on adding corals and turtle grass to also hitch too.

So now for my first question is with the flow. The tank i bought is using a maxi-jet 404 I believe for the return. Knowing that I dont want a lot of flow it still doesnt see that there is that much flow at all. Should I add a Koralia Nano for more flow or will that be too much?

So now for the second question is with a fuge. I am wanting to use the second chamber for cheato so I can start getting a good amount of copepods. I have read some builds on here and Im still not sure on how to make this happen. I guess my biggest question would be on how to light that area?

Now as far as temperture goes my tank stays between 74-75 degrees. I am not running a chiller. I thought that I would have to but the temp is staying steady without. The tank is in our bedroom which I try to keep cooler for me sleeping. I see a lot of people run theres around 72. But according to seahorse source the say temps between 69 to 77 is suitable. Is my current temp going to be ok or should I get it a degree or two cooler?

So for my stocking ive been thinking about the follow:

A pair of H. Erectus seahorses
A yellow watchman goby
A red scooter blenny
Wanting a pair of black and white clowns. Im really not sure on this but is a consideration.
A catilina goby. I know these require cooler temps. Does anyone know much about these?

For a Clean up Crew:

2 pepermint
20 white leg hermits
20 nassarius snails
5 bumble bee snails

And for corals:

sun coral
pagoda cup
ricordia and yumas
zoas
GSP
yellow fiji leather
sea fans
feather duster

Does my stocking seem suitable for my setup?

Thank you very much for any input.

rayjay · 09/21/2011, 07:39 PM

First of all forget the notion that you cannot have much flow. You DO need to have hitching in areas of low, medium and high flow so that the seahorses can choose to hitch in the area they choose at any given time.
I have a lot of seahorses that like to "play" in the higher flow so you don't want flow that can blast them against rocks or something where they get damaged.
Make sure any power heads have protection from tails getting chopped.
While the recommendation is 29g JUST for two seahorses, you CAN add more fish but sometimes at a cost.
First, you have to clean the tank more often, and secondly, you stand a chance of transferring pathogens the seahorses are not capable of handling and they perish. This even happens with the same species of seahorse but different breeding source added to a tank with seahorses in it.
Water quality IMO has to be better than any of my reef tanks to lessen the chances of the bacteria getting out of hand and costing lives of seahorses.
At that temperature you should be OK but just water around rocks and decor where detritus accumulates and creates bacteria farms.
I think you are wanting too many fish in that size tank anyway, especially the clowns which most times don't work out.
I suggest you set up only for seahorses for the first year because placing anything else in there only increases the numbers of possibilities of what has gone wrong when a seahorse develops an affliction. It's much easier to narrow down without anything else introducing unknowns.

Jason4ste · 09/22/2011, 12:43 AM

Ok.... So do you think a koralia nano will do the job as far as flow?

As far as the stocking I figured the clowns weren't a good idea. I've see mixed reviews on it.

JDK · 09/22/2011, 01:22 AM

To light the fuge area there are a couple ways. You can scrape the paint off the back of the BC behind the second chamber and either DIY a light fixture or buy a JBJ magnetic LED fuge light and mount it in the back where you scraped. InTank also makes submersible halogen bulbs which can be put directly into the chamber although I have heard some mixed reviews about them in terms of effectiveness.

Jason4ste · 09/22/2011, 02:14 AM

I've seen posts where they were scraping off the back. Didn't know of any other methods besides that. Also seen another where they added LEDs but I didn't understand all that well.

Thanks to everyone with there inputs. I really do appreciate it.

NyReefNoob · 09/22/2011, 08:16 AM

skip the red scooter blenny and catalina goby, the blenny will hunt down and demolish pods as well, my tank stays around 75 degree's. i do have a pair of yellow watchmen gobies that are great at getting the food from lower levels and tank is filled with macro algea which i preffer for a more natural look and breeding ground for pods, in 3 years ive done 3 or 4 water changes and maybe once a month have to clean the glass due to the macro algea, i use a mj 600 for return and a koralia nano for flow and this is on a aquapod 24g system

Jason4ste · 09/23/2011, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NyReefNoob

skip the red scooter blenny and catalina goby, the blenny will hunt down and demolish pods as well, my tank stays around 75 degree's. i do have a pair of yellow watchmen gobies that are great at getting the food from lower levels and tank is filled with macro algea which i preffer for a more natural look and breeding ground for pods, in 3 years ive done 3 or 4 water changes and maybe once a month have to clean the glass due to the macro algea, i use a mj 600 for return and a koralia nano for flow and this is on a aquapod 24g system

Thank you very much!! This helps a lot.

09/21/2011, 04:59 PM	#1
Jason4ste Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 8	Starting A 29 Biocube Seahorse Tank So my wife and I have decided to do a seahorse tank. I have expericence in reef tanks which currently running a 120 reef. So now we are trying seahorses. We have been during the research and yet still have some questions. Ive found a few sites that has helped and has also went through "My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping''. Have also visited a local members tank that has seahorses. We purchased a 29 biocube because of some limited space where we put the tank. Found a great deal on craigslist. Cleaned and now set up. I decided to do a watcher change on my 120 to cut jump start on cycling time and used that water. Pulled some live rock out of my current tank and also bought new rock. The rock is mostly against the back with a few caves. Also was able to find some small pieces of Tonga branch for them to hitch on too. So the aquascaping is pretty much done. I am also planning on adding corals and turtle grass to also hitch too. So now for my first question is with the flow. The tank i bought is using a maxi-jet 404 I believe for the return. Knowing that I dont want a lot of flow it still doesnt see that there is that much flow at all. Should I add a Koralia Nano for more flow or will that be too much? So now for the second question is with a fuge. I am wanting to use the second chamber for cheato so I can start getting a good amount of copepods. I have read some builds on here and Im still not sure on how to make this happen. I guess my biggest question would be on how to light that area? Now as far as temperture goes my tank stays between 74-75 degrees. I am not running a chiller. I thought that I would have to but the temp is staying steady without. The tank is in our bedroom which I try to keep cooler for me sleeping. I see a lot of people run theres around 72. But according to seahorse source the say temps between 69 to 77 is suitable. Is my current temp going to be ok or should I get it a degree or two cooler? So for my stocking ive been thinking about the follow: A pair of H. Erectus seahorses A yellow watchman goby A red scooter blenny Wanting a pair of black and white clowns. Im really not sure on this but is a consideration. A catilina goby. I know these require cooler temps. Does anyone know much about these? For a Clean up Crew: 2 pepermint 20 white leg hermits 20 nassarius snails 5 bumble bee snails And for corals: sun coral pagoda cup ricordia and yumas zoas GSP yellow fiji leather sea fans feather duster Does my stocking seem suitable for my setup? Thank you very much for any input.

09/21/2011, 07:39 PM	#2
rayjay Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 3,969	First of all forget the notion that you cannot have much flow. You DO need to have hitching in areas of low, medium and high flow so that the seahorses can choose to hitch in the area they choose at any given time. I have a lot of seahorses that like to "play" in the higher flow so you don't want flow that can blast them against rocks or something where they get damaged. Make sure any power heads have protection from tails getting chopped. While the recommendation is 29g JUST for two seahorses, you CAN add more fish but sometimes at a cost. First, you have to clean the tank more often, and secondly, you stand a chance of transferring pathogens the seahorses are not capable of handling and they perish. This even happens with the same species of seahorse but different breeding source added to a tank with seahorses in it. Water quality IMO has to be better than any of my reef tanks to lessen the chances of the bacteria getting out of hand and costing lives of seahorses. At that temperature you should be OK but just water around rocks and decor where detritus accumulates and creates bacteria farms. I think you are wanting too many fish in that size tank anyway, especially the clowns which most times don't work out. I suggest you set up only for seahorses for the first year because placing anything else in there only increases the numbers of possibilities of what has gone wrong when a seahorse develops an affliction. It's much easier to narrow down without anything else introducing unknowns. __________________ Seahorses. Culture nanno, rotifers and brine shrimp. Current Tank Info: Seahorses

09/22/2011, 08:16 AM	#6
NyReefNoob skimmer freak Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: peekskill, ny Posts: 1,209	skip the red scooter blenny and catalina goby, the blenny will hunt down and demolish pods as well, my tank stays around 75 degree's. i do have a pair of yellow watchmen gobies that are great at getting the food from lower levels and tank is filled with macro algea which i preffer for a more natural look and breeding ground for pods, in 3 years ive done 3 or 4 water changes and maybe once a month have to clean the glass due to the macro algea, i use a mj 600 for return and a koralia nano for flow and this is on a aquapod 24g system __________________ custom 45g cube all in one, ai hydra 26, 2 mp10w, ac jr. ,bubble magnus triple doser, bm nac5 hob skimmer My dad always said the only stupid questions are the ones not asked Current Tank Info: custom 45g cube AIO

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09/22/2011, 12:43 AM	#3
Jason4ste Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 8	Ok.... So do you think a koralia nano will do the job as far as flow? As far as the stocking I figured the clowns weren't a good idea. I've see mixed reviews on it.

09/22/2011, 01:22 AM	#4
JDK Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 357	To light the fuge area there are a couple ways. You can scrape the paint off the back of the BC behind the second chamber and either DIY a light fixture or buy a JBJ magnetic LED fuge light and mount it in the back where you scraped. InTank also makes submersible halogen bulbs which can be put directly into the chamber although I have heard some mixed reviews about them in terms of effectiveness.

09/22/2011, 02:14 AM	#5
Jason4ste Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 8	I've seen posts where they were scraping off the back. Didn't know of any other methods besides that. Also seen another where they added LEDs but I didn't understand all that well. Thanks to everyone with there inputs. I really do appreciate it.