so i had four seahorse and learned the hard way despite all the reading and help learned so so much but not enough looking for all advice thinking of trying 2 more but wanting to start fresh new smaller tank no coaral (had soft before) i learned to do 10-12% water changes blow rocks scrub everything 3 times a week i am scared of live rock thinking of using over sized hang on filter and skimmer and doing no live rock or sand so i can scrub everyday if needed change a bit if water ever day if needed fake hitching posts vac after every meal i miss them this is what it must feel like in a detox treatment but i cant loose them again the depression and heart ach there is not a time frame just need info gathering and to get it right i dont mind working my but off it will stop what happedned last time and yes the temp was 72 so should it be lower next time i have read all posts from seahorse souce fused jaw on line but dont fell its enough still scared to do them injustice any and all food for thought welcome please thank you
new seahorse set up
- Thread starter mere
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vlangel
Seahorse whisperer
I am sorry for your losses mere. Its really painful to lose seahorses. I feel really bad when I have lost any of my fish (and some have been 15 years old) but somehow seahorses are extra special and it hurts even worse.
Most of us have gone through that hard learning curve and have experienced losses in our early experience with seahorses.
A sandless system with artificial decor is definitely the easiest system to keep clean and free of uneatten food and detritus. You can use a powerhead to blow everything into the water column to be filtered out and what does settle on the floor can be syphoned out.
I would not get rid of all live rock however because of the biofilter it provides. The biofilter benefits outweigh the risks. You can place the live rock in your sump.
I would not go any smaller than a 30 gallon aquarium for 2 seahorses and a little bigger is better. Now that your aquarium is smaller, you should up the percentage of your weekly water change. I do not think that 10-12% a week is enough for seahorses. I do 25-30% a week and sometimes even more if my ponies have been especially messy and wasteful. If you can design a water change system that you do not have to carry and lift water, that is really really helpful with seahorses and you will be less likely to skip or skimp on water changes.
Hopefully @rayjay shares because he keeps seahorses in systems with artificial decor. He is very experienced and has seahorses that are quite long lived.
thank you for the advise its not a drilled tank so i was not sure if i was going to get a sump you dont think the bio balls in the hang on filter is enough for good bacteria once again thank you
vlangel
Seahorse whisperer
I personally would feel better about live rock where you can see stuff that is stuck to it than I would about bioballs where you can not see if stuff like excess food is stuck to it.
With a sandless tank and artificial decor you can have a lot of flow in the tank as long as the seahorses has some hitches that are in slower flow if they want that. A lot of flow will help keep excess food and detritus in suspension longer and from settling on the live rock as much.
rayjay
Well-Known Member
How small of a tank are you planning? Hopefully not less than 30g for one pair.
As for using HOB even oversized you still need to clean the pads that trap the detritus every 3 days or so, before the detritus has a chance to decay, producing food for the nasty bacteria. For skimmers, I don't think that even 3-4 times rating is sufficient so go as big as you can.
Many of my tanks are not drilled so I have DIY PVC overflows I made as well as a couple of commercial overflows as I feel a sump is a big aid to success. I keep my live rock in this. (rock started out sterile and was cycled with ammonia to make live)
IMO, 10-12% water changes per week is usually insufficient for seahorses unless you have some advanced overkill filtration system coupled with an extremely oversized skimmer and even then I don't recommend trying it unless you have successfully gone at least a year with extremes and then gradually slide back into it. (I change about 40% per week for most of my tanks)
Temperatures in the range of 68-74°F are usually fine so you shouldn't have to go below 72° other than for a hospital tank.
A big part of success is realizing just what you are going to be capable consistently and for the long term regarding the workload. It seems not to bad in the short term to have to do the husbandry required, but many, like me when I started, drifted a bit, skipping a cleaning or water change here or there, not realizing the cumulative effect at some point down the road when it was too late. It took me some time to accept that I was going to just HAVE to do things at the time already established for my systems and NOT chance any skipping.
As for using HOB even oversized you still need to clean the pads that trap the detritus every 3 days or so, before the detritus has a chance to decay, producing food for the nasty bacteria. For skimmers, I don't think that even 3-4 times rating is sufficient so go as big as you can.
Many of my tanks are not drilled so I have DIY PVC overflows I made as well as a couple of commercial overflows as I feel a sump is a big aid to success. I keep my live rock in this. (rock started out sterile and was cycled with ammonia to make live)
IMO, 10-12% water changes per week is usually insufficient for seahorses unless you have some advanced overkill filtration system coupled with an extremely oversized skimmer and even then I don't recommend trying it unless you have successfully gone at least a year with extremes and then gradually slide back into it. (I change about 40% per week for most of my tanks)
Temperatures in the range of 68-74°F are usually fine so you shouldn't have to go below 72° other than for a hospital tank.
A big part of success is realizing just what you are going to be capable consistently and for the long term regarding the workload. It seems not to bad in the short term to have to do the husbandry required, but many, like me when I started, drifted a bit, skipping a cleaning or water change here or there, not realizing the cumulative effect at some point down the road when it was too late. It took me some time to accept that I was going to just HAVE to do things at the time already established for my systems and NOT chance any skipping.
vlangel
Seahorse whisperer
My tank also is not drilled and I use a hob overflow box. Just match the flow leaving the return nozzle with the flow of the return pump. It is very easy with the new DC pumps since they are adjustable. If air bubbles build up in the U tube then the flow is too slow. If the flow causes the drain to create a syphon and flushing sound, then the flow is too fast. It should be fairly quiet and no air bubble accumulation. My overflow is very reliable and never floods since the siphon is never lost.
rayjay
Well-Known Member
Three times a week should work for most systems. There really is not a definitive time/volume framework as each system is different with differing filtration methods as well as feeding protocols, so experience for each system is the determining factor. I prefer to recommend extremes for WC and husbandry because many times, gaining that experience means it is done at the expense of seahorses.
As for HOB usage, I have limited experience with these but like any filtration method, the MAIN factor is to very frequently clean out the part of the filter that traps all the uneaten food/detritus BEFORE it starts to decay and provide food and bedding for the nasty bacteria. Size of the HOB could be a factor also if that is your only source of biological filtration.
For my systems, I use live rock in the sumps for my biological, and use Hagen Powerheads with and without quickfilter attachments for removal of the crap in the tank.
On systems without a protein skimmer, I have to have more extreme WC to compensate for than I do for the systems WITH skimmers. I clean the quickfilters and filter socks on the overflows every 3 days.
I utilize two timers for each system. One for a powerhead without QF attachment that I turn on at feeding time for about 1 1/2 hrs so it runs for a followup time AFTER feeding to keep the uneaten foods in suspension so that most can be trapped by the quickfilters. The second timer I turn OFF and it powers the return and the QF powerheads so that the food doesn't go down the overflow or isn't caught by the filter for about 45 minutes. Using these timers means I don't have to go back and turn things on again after feeding as well as leaving less crap to siphon out at the end of day.
As I don't like the uneaten foods to remain in a state of decay (which starts immediately upon thawing) I use a 3/8" diameter poly line to siphon out the crap that usually settles in one spot in each system, directing it through a mesh net with the water returning to the sump. It's about a minute each night to do this.
As for HOB usage, I have limited experience with these but like any filtration method, the MAIN factor is to very frequently clean out the part of the filter that traps all the uneaten food/detritus BEFORE it starts to decay and provide food and bedding for the nasty bacteria. Size of the HOB could be a factor also if that is your only source of biological filtration.
For my systems, I use live rock in the sumps for my biological, and use Hagen Powerheads with and without quickfilter attachments for removal of the crap in the tank.
On systems without a protein skimmer, I have to have more extreme WC to compensate for than I do for the systems WITH skimmers. I clean the quickfilters and filter socks on the overflows every 3 days.
I utilize two timers for each system. One for a powerhead without QF attachment that I turn on at feeding time for about 1 1/2 hrs so it runs for a followup time AFTER feeding to keep the uneaten foods in suspension so that most can be trapped by the quickfilters. The second timer I turn OFF and it powers the return and the QF powerheads so that the food doesn't go down the overflow or isn't caught by the filter for about 45 minutes. Using these timers means I don't have to go back and turn things on again after feeding as well as leaving less crap to siphon out at the end of day.
As I don't like the uneaten foods to remain in a state of decay (which starts immediately upon thawing) I use a 3/8" diameter poly line to siphon out the crap that usually settles in one spot in each system, directing it through a mesh net with the water returning to the sump. It's about a minute each night to do this.
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