Just casually thinking.... (wink wink)

[Lolipop0912]

I think my freshwater days are slowly coming to an end. I’ve loved my 10 gallon saltwater and that tank’s thriving so I think that I’ll actually be brave and after testing perameters like a hawk since December 2018 put some corals in there!
Anyhow, I have a 29 gallon tall tank that after 5 years is slowly winding down... I’d love to make it into a seahorse tank. I’ve tried dwarf Seahorses in the past and they did well for a few months... but they eventually passed on because I suspect they were wild caught. So, in essence, I’m saying NOT dwarf seahorses. Past that, I really don’t know what type of seahorse I want to keep. The main thing for me is that I can keep it/them happy and healthy. If I’m not confident I can do that, then I won’t keep them! I really do want to create a happy home for them/it so it can not only survive but thrive. Please read over my equipment list and tell me if anything seems slightly off.
1. Refugium (maybe about 5 gallons ish?
2. Some kind of filtration with a spray bar. Not really sure.. I do have a HOB but I worry about the flow
3. Heater??? (Depends on the type of seahorse)
4. Nice low heat light (I have an aqua knight hingepro I’d swear by)
5. Live Rock
6. Coral
7. Powerhead
8. Macro alge (and LOTS of it...)
Does it sound like I need anything else?
Also, in terms of stocking, I could use some recommendations. I definitely want seahorses. I hear they’re best in male/female pairs??? What type of seahorse would be wisest? What temperature should I keep the tank at? Some nertile snails and peppermint shrimp as well?

Also, with food, can Imsafely feed frozen Mysis 2 times per day? Do I really need to supplement that?

Finally, honestly, does this sound like a good home for a lovely pair of seahorses? If not, how can I improve it?
Thanks for reading through that wall of text....

 

[rayjay]

My usual recommendation is for any new seahorse keepers is to start with a SPECIES ONLY tank, started up sterile, NO other tankmates or corals to start. Temperature 68° to 74°F and with flows at LEAST 10x by preferably in the 20X tank volume. Chillers are more commonly needed than heaters, but if heater is needed it must be protected from seahorse hitching. Power heads must be protected from probing tails.
Starting in this manner, first of all reduces chances of failures, and, if a failure DOES occur then there is a much narrower field of possibilities that could have caused it. You can add other stuff much later once you've determined that you are likely to be successful.
As for feeding, some have succeeded with two times a day feeding but the seahorses fare MUCH better with AT LEAST 3-4 times a day.
Over my 17 years in seahorse keeping, I've found that more feedings equated to healthier, more disease resistant seahorses and I feed 4 times a day. Seahorses have NO stomach and normally graze throughout the day to get sufficient food for them to keep their immune systems as healthy as possible.
As for the dwarfs you tried, it probably had nothing to do with being wildcaught that they died. Almost ALL attempts keeping them either fail or the hobbyist will quit before they reach a year. It's labour intensive, hatching, ENRICHING, feeding, removing uneaten food before new feedings (nutrient depletion occurs rapidly) and doing the frequent water changes. I lasted only 2 years before I quit, and this is after and while I'm doing much the same thing raising reidi and erectus fry numbering in MANY hundreds compared to the approximate 50 dwarfs I had.
Have you read through all of the "stickies" at the top of this forum? A lot of great information can be had there, as well as differing opinions.

 

[Lolipop0912]

I have read through the stickies. For a 29 tall, do you have recommendations for a good filtration system? Also, what type of seahorse pair would you keep in one?

 

[rayjay]

As for filtration system, someone else will have to chime in on that. I've NEVER used a "system" as such.
From my many years of reefing, I used hagen 802 power heads (now renamed A570 AquaClear Powerhead 70 ). I added the "quick filter attachment to them for particulate matter removal as well as a low micron sock at the sump.
I also use the same power heads to return water from sump to display as well as more of them in the display to get higher water movement helping to keep the crap in suspension until picked up by the quick filter, or vacuumed out with water change.
Of the seven species I've had over the years, dwarfs were the hardest and the abdomialis were the easiest except you need for those to keep water at 68°F or below. I find as far as keeping is concerned, most of the others are about the same, angustus, barbouri, reidi and erectus but I had trouble keeping coombs.
As for raising fry, the hardest are the ones like reidi or kuda that produce pelagic fry and the easiest are ones like erectus that produce benthic fry.

 

[Lolipop0912]

So, I’m getting the vibe that Erectus would be a good pick?

 

[Lolipop0912]

In terms of sterile, would you use rock that had previously been in a freshwater setup and may have been exposed to panceur? (The sand I had was treated and the rocks were on them.)

 

[Lolipop0912]

One more question, @rayjay have you ever used a sump to raise fry? Is there an easy tell that a male seahorse is about to give birth? (This may/may not ever happen, but It’d be great!)

 

[rayjay]

Erectus is a good pick if you want an easier task to raise the fry.
I've never used rock that wasn't meant for salt water tanks but panacur may limit you in the way of snails etc if you want them as it can be a lasting product from what I've read.
Fry need their OWN specific setup with conditions appropriate for their size.
Erectus will give birth usually about 17 days give or take, after egg transfer. Often a few warning babies are ejected about a day before the main batch comes out.
If you join Seahorse Source's Group on Facebook, click on "Files" on the left side column and you will have a great wealth of information available to you.