Seahorse Carousel

[New&no clue]

The Cycle Begins…​

After a "long" break, the salty pull of the ocean (and the shimmer of LEDs) has drawn me back in. This will be my fifth saltwater tank—but my first cylinder. I'm calling it the Seahorse Carousel—because who doesn't want a tank that spins with whimsy and elegance?
I've been in the hobby for 6+ years, but after a job promotion and a big move, I took a step back. Thought I'd wait until the kids were older… but here I am, testing ammonia again like it's my first rodeo.

Excited for the challenge, the cleanup crew, the gorgonians, and, of course—those majestic little ponies. Would love your guidance, feedback, and moral support as I bring this tank to life.

Let the cycle begin!

 

[New&no clue]

Introduction​

Hey everyone! While I'm waiting for my new tank to arrive, I thought I'd introduce myself and share a bit about my reefing journey.

I'm currently living in West Virginia and got into the saltwater aquarium hobby during a very challenging time in my life — when my second-born was diagnosed with cancer. I needed something positive to focus on during all the waiting room hours, and what started as a distraction quickly turned into a full-blown passion.

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My Tank Journey

55 Gallon — My First Step into Saltwater​

I started with a 55-gallon tank equipped with a classic HOB (hang-on-back) filter. It was simple but full of heart — a mix of inverts and a few hardy fish. Like many first tanks, it taught me the basics: patience, water chemistry, and that no matter what, salt creep is unavoidable!

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75 Gallon Red Sea Reefer — Leveling Up
After gaining some confidence, I upgraded to a 75-gallon Red Sea Reefer. This was my introduction to a sump system, automated dosing, and more sensitive corals. I dove into the world of LPS and SPS, learning about stability and fine-tuning parameters. This tank taught me what it really meant to balance beauty with biology.

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30 Gallon AIO Office Tank — Reefing at Work
Because reefing was never far from my mind, I set up a 30-gallon all-in-one (AIO) system in my office. It was a nano mixed reef that kept my workdays a little more colorful and my stress levels a little lower. Plus, it became a great conversation starter with coworkers!

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180 Gallon Mixed Reef — The Dream Build
My largest and most ambitious project was a 180-gallon mixed reef. It became a thriving ecosystem with everything from peaceful softies to vibrant SPS colonies, tangs cruising the open water, and wrasses weaving through the rocks. This tank was a labor of love, combining all the lessons I learned over the years into one stunning setup.

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Other Members of the Household-While my tanks are a huge part of my life, they're not my only animal companions

• Two Dogs — Partners in crime who think they’re supervisors during tank maintenance.
  
  
• Bearded Dragon — A relaxed little dinosaur who loves basking in the sun (or under his UV lamp).
  
• Hedgehog — A shy but curious ball of spikes who adds a lot of character to the house.
  

 

[New&no clue]

Equipment Breakdown​

Tank:

• ProClear Cylinder 80

Filtration & Circulation:

• Curve 5 Elite Protein Skimmer (Bubble Magus)
• Jump Gyre Flow Pump MJ-GF316 (Maxspect)
• Osmolator 3 Nano ATO (Tunze)

Water Management:

• 4 Stage Value Plus 75GPD RO/DI (BRS)
• BRS Water Change Bundle
• Red Sea Salt Mix - 175 Gallon Bucket

Aquascaping:

• LifeRock Reef Tree + Reef Forest Extension (CaribSea)
• Maxi-Cure Extra Thick Cyanoacrylate
• Microbacter Dry Rock Bacteria Starter (Brightwell Aquatics)

Heater & Controller:

• 150W Eheim JAGER
• Ink Bird WiFi Heater Controller

Cleaning & Maintenance:

• 28" Flipper Platinum Hand Scraper
• Mag-Float 360 Large Acrylic Cleaner
• Coral Gripper + Tweezers (Maxspect)

Lighting:

• ReefLED G2 170 (Red Sea)

Let's talk ProClear Cylinder 80 — through the seahorse lens :

Positives for Seahorses​

Tall, Vertical Space:
Gentle, Circular Flow Potential:
360° Hitching Post Options:
Great for Observation:
Limited Aggressive Tankmate Options:
Aesthetically Perfect for Their Pace:

Negatives / Challenges for Seahorses​

Flow Management is Tricky:
Feeding Station Placement: Seahorses are messy and picky eaters, and setting up a seahorse feeding station in a curved tank can be tricky
Height vs. Temperature Stratification: Cylindrical tanks sometimes exhibit slight temperature differences between the top and bottom layers, especially in the summer.
Acrylic Scratching:
Limited Equipment Space: Seahorses are messy, and cylindrical tanks usually have smaller sumps — fitting a solid skimmer, heater, return, and maybe even a UV sterilizer could be a game of Tetris.
Lighting Needs Different:

 

[exnisstech]

Welcome back. Following as I've been tempted to try seahorses several times but for one reason or another I've never followed through.

 

[New&no clue]

 

[Gumbies R Us]

That aquascape is crazy looking!

 

[samcob]

Following. I'll be on the lookout for future updates. Good luck with your new project; it looks very interesting.

 

[Goaway]

Awe sweet! Welcome back.

 

[Skywater]

Equipment Breakdown​

Tank:

• ProClear Cylinder 80

Filtration & Circulation:

• Curve 5 Elite Protein Skimmer (Bubble Magus)
• Jump Gyre Flow Pump MJ-GF316 (Maxspect)
• Osmolator 3 Nano ATO (Tunze)

Water Management:

• 4 Stage Value Plus 75GPD RO/DI (BRS)
• BRS Water Change Bundle
• Red Sea Salt Mix - 175 Gallon Bucket

Aquascaping:

• LifeRock Reef Tree + Reef Forest Extension (CaribSea)
• Maxi-Cure Extra Thick Cyanoacrylate
• Microbacter Dry Rock Bacteria Starter (Brightwell Aquatics)

Heater & Controller:

• 150W Eheim JAGER
• Ink Bird WiFi Heater Controller

Cleaning & Maintenance:

• 28" Flipper Platinum Hand Scraper
• Mag-Float 360 Large Acrylic Cleaner
• Coral Gripper + Tweezers (Maxspect)

Lighting:

• ReefLED G2 170 (Red Sea)

Let's talk ProClear Cylinder 80 — through the seahorse lens :

Positives for Seahorses​

Tall, Vertical Space:
Gentle, Circular Flow Potential:
360° Hitching Post Options:
Great for Observation:
Limited Aggressive Tankmate Options:
Aesthetically Perfect for Their Pace:

Negatives / Challenges for Seahorses​

Flow Management is Tricky:
Feeding Station Placement: Seahorses are messy and picky eaters, and setting up a seahorse feeding station in a curved tank can be tricky
Height vs. Temperature Stratification: Cylindrical tanks sometimes exhibit slight temperature differences between the top and bottom layers, especially in the summer.
Acrylic Scratching:
Limited Equipment Space: Seahorses are messy, and cylindrical tanks usually have smaller sumps — fitting a solid skimmer, heater, return, and maybe even a UV sterilizer could be a game of Tetris.
Lighting Needs Different:

Your seahorse tank is very interesting! Seahorses brought me into adding a saltwater tank in 1984. I do not currently keep Seahorses, however the fish I keep enjoy the same live food. So I culture copepods and amphipods. In addition to the culture containers, amphipods thrive in my Surf2X Santa Monica Algae scrubber. I keep this in the back corner of my display. It is quietly air driven and floats, keeps my phosphates and nitrates undetectably low; and most importantly my small Florida Tiger gobies and Masked gobies have live food occasionally drop down to them as amphipods can freely swim out the exit port after eating from the algae in the scrubber.

 

[Stang67]

@F i s h y .... tagging for possible jelly tank?

 

[Goaway]

@F i s h y .... tagging for possible jelly tank?

I wanted to ask if that is her seahorse carousel.

But, waiting in suspense.

 

[Goaway]

I want me edit button back...

I think jellies might do ok in there.

 

[New&no clue]

No Manual, No Problem: Tank Setup Like a (Mostly) Professional

So the tank finally arrived — you know, the big, shiny, glass cylinder of dreams. I was ready to dive into setup mode. I opened the stand; the sump was full of PVC, unions, and flex tubing, and I thought, Alright, let's do this.

Except… there were no instructions. None. Not even a cartoon diagram with a confused-looking fish holding a wrench.

For a split second, I panicked. Flashbacks of IKEA furniture disasters filled my mind. But, thanks to my many past experiences (and all the trial and error that came with them), I'm essentially a part-time, unpaid, slightly underappreciated expert plumber.

So, armed with my questionable confidence and a healthy disregard for the laws of physics, I got to work. Pipes were flying, unions were twisting, and PVC glue fumes were flowing.

A couple of hours later — and only one minor incident involving a mystery gasket — the plumbing was done. No leaks, leftover parts (that I'll admit to, anyway), and no instructional manual needed.

The moral of the story: Who needs instructions when you've got stubbornness, past trauma from leaky sumps, and the knowledge that every seasoned reefer has cried over plumbing at least once?

 

[New&no clue]

I want me edit button back...

I think jellies might do ok in there.

If you could get the flow right, I think so. Also would probably have to do something with the overflow

 

[Goaway]

If you could get the flow right, I think so. Also would probably have to do something with the overflow

I am no jelly expert or even beginner. But, I do love to see those tanks in action!

Another amazing flow type animal that's taking over oceans, but so very sensitive in our own home.

 

[New&no clue]

That aquascape is crazy looking!

I wanted a lot of spots for gorgonian, and I only plan to have one or two fish, so I didn't need a lot of hidy holes

 

[Goaway]

I do love gorgs! I just have too many stingy coral to protect them. And tangs who love to eat em :*(

 

[New&no clue]

1 Week In – The Cycle Spins On

One week down, the water's holding strong—no leaks, floods, or last-minute plumbing disasters! (I even impressed myself.) The equipment is up and running… a little too well. The tank is running hot despite the heater not even being plugged in. I think it's trying to be a hot tub.

So what's going on?

It's not:

• The heater (still sitting unplugged like a lazy employee)
• Room temp (a comfy 68–70°F)
• Lighting (they're off during the cycle)

So the current suspects are:

• Return pump putting off more heat than expected?
• Heat buildup from all the tightly packed equipment?
• Constant runtime from everything working overtime?

I'm still sleuthing that one out, but thankfully, this is why we don't rush the cycle. Let it roll slowly so you can work out the bugs, iron out the quirks, tweak the setup, and get ahead of any issues before the ponies trot in.

The sump, meanwhile, is cozy (aka crammed). The heater, skimmer, and return pump are playing bumper cars. Who needs elbow room anyway? I'm playing a mental game of Tetris to figure out how to incorporate a refugium.

 

[Skywater]

1 Week In – The Cycle Spins On

One week down, the water's holding strong—no leaks, floods, or last-minute plumbing disasters! (I even impressed myself.) The equipment is up and running… a little too well. The tank is running hot despite the heater not even being plugged in. I think it's trying to be a hot tub.

So what's going on?

It's not:

• The heater (still sitting unplugged like a lazy employee)
• Room temp (a comfy 68–70°F)
• Lighting (they're off during the cycle)

So the current suspects are:

• Return pump putting off more heat than expected?
• Heat buildup from all the tightly packed equipment?
• Constant runtime from everything working overtime?

I'm still sleuthing that one out, but thankfully, this is why we don't rush the cycle. Let it roll slowly so you can work out the bugs, iron out the quirks, tweak the setup, and get ahead of any issues before the ponies trot in.

The sump, meanwhile, is cozy (aka crammed). The heater, skimmer, and return pump are playing bumper cars. Who needs elbow room anyway? I'm playing a mental game of Tetris to figure out how to incorporate a refugium.

Stray heat would be produced by all electrical pumps. Your protein skimmer's motor, any circulating pumps and as you mentioned, your return pump. Small fans, moving air across the surface water of both your display and your sump could help. As a side note: when I'm thinking about small clip-on fans; you probably have a ground fault interupter at the electrical receptacle for your setup?

 

[New&no clue]

Stray heat would be produced by all electrical pumps. Your protein skimmer's motor, any circulating pumps and as you mentioned, your return pump. Small fans, moving air across the surface water of both your display and your sump could help. As a side note: when I'm thinking about small clip-on fans; you probably have a ground fault interupter at the electrical receptacle for your setup?

I always use these

https://a.co/d/egrtbCB