Setup & questions

[Colton.]

I'm Going to get a seahorse tank but I have Lots & Lots of questions here my plan:
80 gallon tank 32x24x24 or
120 gallon tank 48x24x24
Both with built in overflow

Reef octopus 150int/200int or simplicity 240

80-120lbs dry base rock

60-120lbs live sand

As big as I can fit sump with large refugium

2-3 SW4 jebao wavemakers

4 1 gallon jugs phytoplankton cultures

4 5 gallon copepod cultures

Inhabitants:

Hippocampus erectus/kuda/ reidi/comes

1 Mandarinfish

1 diamond goby

Clean up crew:

12+Red/blue leg hermit crabs

Sand shifting starfish

Urchin

Shrimp

Questions:
How many seahorses can I keep?
What kind of starfish can I have?
What kind of urchin can I
have?
Will this be a good home for the inhabitants? If not what needs to change?

All advice is appreciated
In advance Thanks

 

[redfishbluefish]

First off, welcome to R2R.

I am by no means an expert, or even a novice with seahorses, but do know a couple things. They prefer cooler temperatures than other fish we usually keep. They also are slow eaters, so other faster fish will steal their food before they can eat. They also can't handle powerful currents from powerheads. What I'm saying is that it's best to house seahorses by themselves. But that said, let's see if we can get some others who know more about keeping seahorses.... @SeahorseKeeper , #reefsquad

 

[Jekyl]

If only keeping seahorses and others with like feeding and temperatures you may not even need a sump. I would grow macro algae in the tank for them to hide out in. I'm also no where near an expert on this subject

 

[Pistondog]

Consider starting with some real live rock for more biodiversity.
Reef Octopus great, but get a model with the varios for speed adjustment and quiet.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I just discovered we have a number of threads by @vlangel on the subject:

Keeping Seahorses in Aquaria #1 - Introduction and Setting Up Your Seahorse Tank​

Keeping Seahorses in Aquaria #2 - Aquascaping and Providing Excellent Water Quality​

This series continues by either finding the post is the current thread that leads you to the next in the series OR searching Keeping Seahorses in Aquaria and clicking on the next one you're interested in.

 

[vetteguy53081]

You mentioned the powerheads. One may be sufficient as they cannot tolerate current and are very slow and weak swimmers and current would make it impossible for them to reach food. A taller tank is favorable for them and as mentioned, water temp range is 47-76 degrees with Ph of 8.1-8.3 and salinity of 1.022-1.024.
If you live in a warmer climate, you may need to invest in a fan or a cooler to keep it cold enough for your seahorses.
Also make sure that your filter has a lower water flow. Because they also have weak gills, you need to make sure that the water is properly oxygenated, and they also have such quick digestive systems that they produce a lot of waste.
Seahorses need something to wrap their prehensile tails around to keep themselves anchored, and to feel safe and secure. These are sometimes referred to as hitching posts for your horses.
Gorgonias are ideal for hitching posts, as well as corals (faux or otherwise) and kelp. You could also add macroalgae or seagrasses. Basic lighting is fine for seahorses, and they don’t like as much light as a normal reef tank would have, so be careful if you plan on adding live coral which would need this stronger lighting.
Once a week, take out the filter and clean it, and change the tank water at least once a week. Replace 10-25% of the tank’s water each week, and make sure you check the temperature, specific gravity, and pH afterwards to maintain the healthy environment.
KEEP AN EYE ON WATER TEMP DAILY !!
Because seahorses have such a primitive digestive system, they go through food quickly. They should be fed at least twice a day. Despite their small size, they are carnivores, and can eat live and frozen brine shrimp or krill. Place 1 cube of krill or six to eight mysis shrimp in the tank per seahorse, and then siphon off whatever they do not eat.
Because of the seahorse’s odd skin, they are more prone to bacterial or viral infections. Keep an eye out for sores on their skin, or white, gray, or inflamed growths, as this is a sign of a problem.
Also look for other signs of disease, such as cloudy eyes, heavy breathing, panting or coughing, and bloating. If you see any of these symptoms in your horses, confer with your local vet or aquatics expert for treatment.
The sooner you catch problems, the more likely your seahorse will recover promptly.

 

[Colton.]

Thanks for the advice here my planed water pramaders:
Ph 8.1-8.3
Sg 1.023
Temp 73°-74°F
dKH 8-12°
Alkalinity 8.2-8.4
Calcium 350-400
Magnesium 1350-1400
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate under 10
Flow 10-20 turnover rate
Light just enough for macroalgae/coral/gorgonians
Which seahorse species to get I like the H. Comes. & how many seahorses can i keep?

 

[Colton.]

My planed macro/coral/gorgs
Are:
Acan coral
Blasto coral
Sun coral
Gorgonians (I dont know what ones are beginner & seahorse safe)

 

[Colton.]

Also going to culture phyto & copepods for Mandarinfish
4 1 gallon jugs for phyto
4 5 gallon buckets for copepods

 

[Colton.]

Will filter socks & filter sponge kill my copepods?
Can I keep feather dusters too?

 

[vetteguy53081]

My planed macro/coral/gorgs
Are:
Acan coral
Blasto coral
Sun coral
Gorgonians (I dont know what ones are beginner & seahorse safe)

These all require moderate light and good choices

 

[Colton.]

And what is a good online place to buy the seahorses/coral/macro/gorgs?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Will filter socks & filter sponge kill my copepods?
Can I keep feather dusters too?

I actually use filter socks on all my tanks and pods get into socks, but I have a cup of tank water waiting and put them in the cup by hand as im cleaning socks. mesh socks are best for salvaging pods and easy cleaning

 

[Seabiscuit]

From my experience, if I could do it all over again, I'd get two to three seahorses altogether for a tank as small as 45 gallons to one as big as 150 gallons. For me, the most stressful thing was feeding time. I always make sure that each seahorse eats enough and with the four that I have now it is difficult for me to make sure they all get fed enough. It very hard for me to watch them all at the same time during feeding. I used to have 2 sand sifting Diamond Gobies. They really out-did themselves with the sand sifting. At times, they would get in the seahorses' faces at feeding time which was sooo stressful for me. I traded them in for one Yellow Watchman Goby. I love that fish so much! I really wanted to get urchins and starfish, but they eat macroalgae and sponges. I didn't want that to happen so I got snails instead. Your parameters look good. From experience I'd test ammonia daily after you add the seahorses and the nitrates every other day just until you get a good feel for your tank.

 

[Shorething]

No stinging corals.
No red leg hermits just blue
I would not add an urchin
I would not add a starfish. Unless they were micro stars.
Do not mix seahorse species. Possible only mix erectus and reidi. Some people are successful with these two species together.
My erectus love flow. I have two mp40's that run pretty hard at different times of the day and they are always playing in the flow.
I keep 6 erectus in a 110 gallon tall and a twenty gallon sump.
My clean up crew is
Astrea snails
Trochus snails
Blue leg hermits
Mexican snails
Nassarius snails
Diamond goby
And myself

 

[vlangel]

I just discovered we have a number of threads by @vlangel on the subject:

Keeping Seahorses in Aquaria #1 - Introduction and Setting Up Your Seahorse Tank​

Keeping Seahorses in Aquaria #2 - Aquascaping and Providing Excellent Water Quality​

This series continues by either finding the post is the current thread that leads you to the next in the series OR searching Keeping Seahorses in Aquaria and clicking on the next one you're interested in.

Thank you redfishbluefish. My articles in the stickies of the seahorse/pipe fish topic is pretty comprehensive and has a lot of good info on keeping ponies. I learned from a seahorse online course that I took from a recognized seahorse expert so it is reliable info.

 

[Colton.]

Thank you for the info so 6 SH in the 120? And I've read the seahorses in aquaria that have lots of grate info. So how much flow should my sump have?

 

[Colton.]

Is it possible to keep H. Comes aka tigertail seahorses as my first seahorses?

 

[Shorething]

I run a cor 20 on my 110 gallon. That's 2000 gph and I have it on a manifold with some of the flow going to a uv sterilizer. So I. Probably pushing 1200 to 1300 through my display with two mp40's at various flow throughout the day

 

[Colton.]

So 1300gph flow for my sump?