New Seahorse tank

[Jason B]

Hey guys,

My wife really wanted sea horses but i cant put them in my 175. I went out to Petco and got a little 10 gallon tank which i thought would be big enough. after doing some research it looks like i was wrong.

What is a good size tank for seahorses and maybe some small fish and coral? Is 20 enough or would you suggest larger?

[amazo]

First you should decide what type of S.H. youd like to keep

[Allmost]

what kind of seahorses are you planning to keep ?

if Reidis or kudos, which are available more than other species, go with a 20-30 G tank. Tall tank preferably, they will use the whole height.

if going with dwarfs, 10G is just fine for a bunch of them.

[rayjay]

Normal recommendation for standard sized seahorses like reidi or erectus would be 29g for the first pair and 15g for each additional pair.
It can be done in somewhat smaller tanks but makes it more important to keep husbandry levels up and many fail to do so as it's human nature for many of us to slack off now and then.
For dwarfs, I put 20 in my 5g and could use more.
Check the links at the bottom of "My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping".
While occasionally people have luck putting other fish in with seahorses, you need additional size plus a lot of luck to do so as the pathogens introduced by other fish may kill your seahorses.

[Jason B]

Thanks for the help guys.

I would like to keep a few of the standard size sea horses so i think im going to get a 29 or 40b tomorrow. I especially like the erectus. I would like to have at least 2 pairs so ill probably end up getting the 40. Ill probly use the tank for some of the tiny fish from my 175 since i just added a XL snowflake eel.

It seems that there is a little more to keeping sea horses than i originally thought so im going to do a bit more research and make sure i do this right.

Thanks again,
Jason

[barbouri02]

The 40 would be good for most species at two pair. Except maybe Ingens.

[ssantac]

Your 10g sounds like a lil sump tank to me!

[Jason B]

Hey, Just wanted to update. I ended up getting the 29 gal tank. I set it up with new live sand and live rock from my 175. It has been up and running for a little over a month and has 2 cromis in it. I added a little microbacter when i first started it. The water params are perfect and i think its ready to start adding.

Here it is...


I was not going to put a light fixture over it, just use ambient light but i changed my mind. I want to put a few corals in. Yellow and Red finger gorgonians and maybe a few others for them to grab on to. I am hanging the fixture tomorrow so ill send an updated picture.

Let me know what you guys think.

[rayjay]

Hopefully there will be a subtraction of chromis before the seahorse addition.
Are you going to buy true captive bred from seahorsesource.com, pekasponies.com, or from seahorsecorral.com?

[Jason B]

Yes, both of the cromis are going to the 175. I haven't figured out where im going to get them yet.

A local guy posted a thread about his black H. Erectus having babies and i was going to take 2 of them i they make it to the juvi stage. Would you suggest not buying from a local wholesaler?

[Gandolfe]

I want seahorses but I'm afraid to because of the extra care needed for them, there is a LFS that has about 20 of them all kinds near Me, it's in New Port Richey,fl. I also would have to sell the idea to my wife to have aother tank going. If i did it'd have to beit's own system instead of plumbing it all together with my 125, wouldn't it

[Jason B]

I know that there is a big breeder over in that area too.

My setup as you see is very simple. A tank $29 at petco, Tetra hang on filter $15, and a $22 bag of sand. I have left over lights from my 175 so im building an enclosure around that.

I dont think the cost of the system is the hard part but the extra care as you said. Luckily my wife was begging me to set up a seahorse tank.

[rayjay]

Originally Posted by Jason B

Yes, both of the cromis are going to the 175. I haven't figured out where im going to get them yet.

A local guy posted a thread about his black H. Erectus having babies and i was going to take 2 of them i they make it to the juvi stage. Would you suggest not buying from a local wholesaler?

Nothing wrong with buying from another hobbyist but I would prefer not buying until they can be sexed. Mortality rates improve with age so buying younger means you decrease the odds of success IMO.
If the wholesaler can tell you the breeding source of the seahorses and you are able to independently confirm that they are true captive bred, then I would have no problem with that. Same goes for the LFS. There are VERY few LFS's that carry true captive bred. Most carry tank raised that they often call captive bred.
While it's true that tank raised have been raised in captivity, I reserve the true captive bred tag for the seahorses raised in ocean water that has been properly treated and filtered for pathogens, or those raised in water made from commercial salts.
Tank raised are raised in ocean water that has not been properly filtered and treated for the pathogens.
At the moment I know of no offshore true captive bred other than those that are sourced from Aquamarine International who are shipping H. reidi and H. comes to North America.
For U.S. bred, the best ones I know of I've already mentioned, but there aren't many more other than the expensive ones that OR sells, and the ones that ORA sells to stores. I've read but don't actually know that some that ORA is selling are seahorses they don't actually breed and raise themselves.
I wouldn't therefore, trust that they all are actually true captive bred unless it could be confirmed in some way.

[Jason B]

Thanks for all the info. Ill take your advice and order from one of the websites you listed.

I was not sure if i was going to be able to add any small fish in the tank with them. What species of fish would you suggest if any?

[Jason B]

So the fixture is finished except for the stain. Using a dark mahogany color that matches the cabinets. Still have to hang it and run the wires through.

Its my first attempt real attempt at carpentry so im pretty proud even though its a simple design.

[angieg1123]

Hello. I have kept and bred seahorses for about 6 years. You are going to need a chiller to keep the tank at about 72F. I would suggest H. Erectus as your first seahorses. Keep in mind that ALL seahorses are prolific breeders. Unless you want to deal with a batch of a few hundred fry every 2 weeks, try to get 2 females or 2 males. It is heartbreaking to watch them die. I personally would not put more then 2 in a 29g tank. Seahorses are messy and create much more waste them you would think. Be sure you have a back up plan for when you want to go away. Seahorses require feedings 2+ times a day of frozen mysis shrimp..no auto feeders for them. They can and will find a hole to stick their tails in. Make sure all pumps are covered and no heaters in the tank (or cover with a heater guard). There are certain meds you should have on hand BEFORE you get seahorses...IF they get sick....it hits hard and fast. You may not have days to get the meds in the mail.

I am not trying to sound negative...I just want to make sure you are informed of all of the good and the bad. Seahorses have been my passion and addiction for years...and I had to learn things the hard way.

The BEST thing....once you get them, you will love them. Addiction is a poor excuse for how seahorse crazy some of us get

Good Luck and have fun. If you need any macros, let me know I have reds and Greens and can send them in the mail.

[Jason B]

Thanks for all the info angieg.

The temp of my tank remains at 72-73 degrees as i keep the AC at 72. Now that im thinking about it i could get a chiller as a backup in case the AC goes out.

I had no idea that the breed that often. If i get a pair of males or females will they still interact or will they ignore each other?

The feedings are not a problem for me. I feed frozen spirulina brine shrimp and 50/50 to the fish in my 175 in the morning and at night. I will just feed the seahorses at the same time. I also have my neighbors son who loves to watch my tank come over and feed when im gone.

As for the meds, what would you recommend keeping on hand at all times?

I would love some red macro. What kinds do you have and how much?

[TeresaQ]

Your tank looks very nice. Too bad you werent a little closer. I'm on the gulf side. I still have 15 or so juvis that need to find a home. lol
Good Luck.
T

[rayjay]

Nothing wrong with same sex pairs and females seem to be preferred over males but not exclusively.
There probably will still be some interaction but individual personalities dictate just how much.
As for meds to have on hand, I don't have a link to it and the search feature at the org is out of action at this time. I'll post it when I find it if someone else doesn't take care of it first.

[rayjay]

OK, I found my list but not the link to it on the org.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MEDICINE CABINET

You should have these medications on hand when you purchase your seahorse. As you become more knowledgeable about them, you may find that you prefer other medications; this is just a guideline. Most of these medications can be found at a well-stocked LFS.
Be sure to have on hand:

Formalin 3 and Neosporin (triple antibiotic ointment) as a topical solution.
(Betadine will do in a pinch.)
Kanacyn
Methylene blue
Furan-2 or Triple Sulfa
Tetracycline
Erythromycin
Metronidazole
Neomycin
Nitrofurazone

Optional:
Maracyn II
Furanase
Paragon II
Melafix
Malachite Green

Important meds that may be obtained through your veterinarian or MD:
Acetazolamide (Diamox)
Ceftazime (Fortran)
Praziquantel (Droncit)

Essential tools to have on hand:
Fine gauge IV catheter flexible tubing (without needle)
Tuberculin syringe with needle removed
Loose hairpin with soft plastic tip
Hospital tank and accessories
I don't have all of these but I researched what ailments were reasonable to expect to have to treat and bought what was needed for those specific ailments.

[Jason B]

Rayjay, you are a life saver.

Im going to do a little research on these medications and what they treat so that i know exactly what to look for and be able to act quickly to treat any symptoms.

Thank you so much for all of your help.

[Tucson Reef]

Interesting thread, be nice to know bad meds for seahorses

[rayjay]

copper is bad

[Jason B]

I have not hung the fixture yet but i set in on top of the tank with an egg crate in between to see how it will look.

I also picked up a mandarin goby today. The guy at my LFS gave him to me because he bought him for this kid who failed to mention he had a lionfish that would use the goby as an after diner mint. He had no room for him in the store. This guy should do well with my seahorses right?

[TeresaQ]

poor thing, your tank is really young for a mandarin. Have you seeded it with any pods. You should as soon as you can, and try some mysis to see if it will eat them. I would seed your tank with a few differant varieties. Madarins eat a lot of pods everyday.