Need some start up help

23fabe23 · Oct 17, 2013

I have an established 55 reef tank so not a newbie but I have just picked up a 29 gallon bio with the purpose of a very tranquil tank. I would like to set it up and get it well established before adding livestock. I want to have some dwarf horses and maybe a couple of mandarins. Obviously will need cleanup crew etc but want it to be about the horses. I am very patient and want to get it set up correctly. The 29 was my parents tank that they decided to get rid of once they upgraded so tank is not new out of package. I want to add some rock but not overdo it and will need some grass etc for horses. However my question is should I add pods, brine shrimp, HI red shrimp or anything else to get a good food source established? Has anyone done this before? Please help direct me if you have any advice.

revhtree · Oct 17, 2013

Bump!

SeahorseKeeper · Oct 17, 2013

23fabe23 said:
I have an established 55 reef tank so not a newbie but I have just picked up a 29 gallon bio with the purpose of a very tranquil tank. I would like to set it up and get it well established before adding livestock. I want to have some dwarf horses and maybe a couple of mandarins. Obviously will need cleanup crew etc but want it to be about the horses. I am very patient and want to get it set up correctly. The 29 was my parents tank that they decided to get rid of once they upgraded so tank is not new out of package. I want to add some rock but not overdo it and will need some grass etc for horses. However my question is should I add pods, brine shrimp, HI red shrimp or anything else to get a good food source established? Has anyone done this before? Please help direct me if you have any advice.

I would not recommend going with dwarf seahorses. They do best in smaller tanks (5-10 gallons). I would recommend a pair of h. erectus or h. kuda. If you get captive bred, they will readily eat frozen mysis shrimp.

I am going to assume that you are referring to the 29 gallon biocube. These are great nano cubes, but there are some modifications that are needed for seahorse tanks. First, I would highly recommend to run a chiller. Most seahorses need to be kept in tanks that are 70-74 degrees. Other seahorses need to be kept in cooler tanks. The main reason for this is to help inhibit the growth of certain bacteria, especially vibrio. Vibrio can easily kill a seahorse, but in a cooler tank it can not multiply as quickly.

I would also recommend only adding a single mandarin. You would need to be constantly stocking the tank with copepods to be able to support a pair of mandarins.

I would recommend to ensure that all the equipment is covered with mesh or foam to protect the seahorses' tails from getting injured. Seahorses will try to hitch to anything they can get their tail around.

Macroalgaes would be a great addition to the tank. They will help with nutrient export and provide natural hitches for them.

Now, the answer to your question. I would add copepods and amphipods after the tank is cycled and shortly before adding the seahorses. I had great results doing this.

BTW, welcome to R2R!!! Feel free to ask any questions that you have!!