Living things only or artificial decorations?

[SueAndHerZoo]

Now that the sand has been ordered, I need to decide on an aquascaping theme / layout. NORMALLY I would never consider putting anything plastic or artificial in one of my saltwater aquariums, but I have seen photos of some seahorse tanks that look amazing filled with decorations and artificial plants, corals, and cute items.

I'm cringing at the thought of it because it's always been a "no no" in a reef tank, but if this is exclusively a pony tank, would it be terrible to decorate it with non-living items? If anyone wants to share photos, I'm ready and eager to see them!
Sue

 

[Peace River]

Everyone has their own way and approach to aquascaping. My recommendation is to focus on the livestock and what is best for them. Good luck with the seahorses!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Everyone has their own way and approach to aquascaping. My recommendation is to focus on the livestock and what is best for them. Good luck with the seahorses!

Funny you said that....when I was asking my husband his opinion about an hour ago, he asked me "what do you consider your highest priority in this tank build? Visually appealing? Ease of maintenance? Bright colors versus living organisms?" My answer: "The healthiest environment for the ponies."
Sue

 

[ndrwater]

I have seen some awesome seahorse tanks done with brightly colored plastic chain and live rock.
I agree that a reef should be about the animals and less about the asthetics.
I had a frogfish tank that IMO was ugly, but it was all about the fish and not what I thought about what it looked like

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Thanks. I'm searching for photos of seahorse tanks for inspiration. I have always wanted a frogfish - maybe the next time I have an empty tank.

I'll probably set up my reef rock in a way that looks nice and offers lots of hitching posts, and then I'll "color it up" with some plastic. That way if I really can't get comfortable with the plastic I can pluck it out of there and replace it with some safe corals.
Sue

 

[matchmakersmagic]

Go with whatever you like! I personally dont like the chain look but instead I plan on lots of gorges and macro. I used liferock branch to make bouquets, if you will, so I have added height that will function as hitches. I plan to use these for GSP or xenia "islands" to keep them off the other rock.

Cant wait to see your build progression!

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

Go with whatever you like! I personally dont like the chain look but instead I plan on lots of gorges and macro. I used liferock branch to make bouquets, if you will, so I have added height that will function as hitches. I plan to use these for GSP or xenia "islands" to keep them off the other rock.

Cant wait to see your build progression!

Thanks for the support - and you're all right: it's MY tank and I should create it in a way that makes ME happy! Lord knows we put enough time, energy and effort into these vessels of water - we deserve to express ourselves in whatever way makes us happy, as long as it's keeping the ponies happy.

I've never done a build thread - do I just start a normal thread in this forum and update it regularly or is there a designated section for build threads?
Sue

 

[Peace River]

Thanks for the support - and you're all right: it's MY tank and I should create it in a way that makes ME happy! Lord knows we put enough time, energy and effort into these vessels of water - we deserve to express ourselves in whatever way makes us happy, as long as it's keeping the ponies happy.

I've never done a build thread - do I just start a normal thread in this forum and update it regularly or is there a designated section for build threads?
Sue

There is a “members tanks” section (and subsections for cubes, etc if applicable).

 

[Lucie]

There are no rules for seahorse tanks. Some have only artificial(usually breeders have only artificial stuff for ease of clening/sterilizing), some only swear by all natural, some do a mix of both... I belong to the third category.
If you search in the seahorse and piupefish section you will find an article about fake corals in seahorse tanks.
It s really up to what you like, what you will be able to maintain.
I would recommand at first to have fast growing macro algaes that will help you a lot with nutrient export, and so, with the water quality, as seahorse produce a lot of waste.
Oversize your skimmer and biomedia volume.
I like the fake urethane corals, because they are easy to clean, soft to the touch and bendable, and seahorse do really love them because of that. Much more than resin ones, or plastic ones.
If yousearch, you will be able to find my tread with a lot of pictures.

 

[SueAndHerZoo]

There are no rules for seahorse tanks. Some have only artificial(usually breeders have only artificial stuff for ease of clening/sterilizing), some only swear by all natural, some do a mix of both... I belong to the third category.
If you search in the seahorse and piupefish section you will find an article about fake corals in seahorse tanks.
It s really up to what you like, what you will be able to maintain.
I would recommand at first to have fast growing macro algaes that will help you a lot with nutrient export, and so, with the water quality, as seahorse produce a lot of waste.
Oversize your skimmer and biomedia volume.
I like the fake urethane corals, because they are easy to clean, soft to the touch and bendable, and seahorse do really love them because of that. Much more than resin ones, or plastic ones.
If yousearch, you will be able to find my tread with a lot of pictures.

Thanks, I will definitely go look for some pictures in your threads. I really like my tanks to be all living stuff (rock, sand, macro algaes, corals, etc.) and always cringe when I see a reef tank with something plastic in it, but I think I will probably bend that rule when it comes to the pony tank. I need color and magic and fantasy in there (since I think seahorses are magical) and if I can find some urethane ones they like to hitch on that add a few pops of color, then it will be the best of both worlds.

I'm going to do a shallow sand bed in the display tank and a deep sand bed in the refugium/sump since I can't decide between a deep sand bed or a shallow one. There are good arguments for both.
Sue

 

[Lucie]

This is the thread i was talking about (not the build up thread) https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/lucies-seahorses.323626/

And one about artificial corals in seahorse tanks https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/artificial-decorations-in-a-seahorse-tank.510301/

I wouldn t personally to a deep sand bed to be able to keep a pretty strong water flow in the tank

 

[Daniel@R2R]

@Lucie is definitely an expert on seahorses. Definitely check out the threads linked above. Another expert who can give some great tips is @vlangel. She wrote a bunch of articles in this forum on seahorse care, and her build thread is worth checking out as well.