biocube and seahorses

[matt b]

i want to start a seahorse tank with my 29gal biocube i no NOTHING about them so any help is wanted what kind do u think i should get for that size tank and will i need any mods on the tank or what
thanks

 

[teresaq]

A 29 would be fine for a pair of kuda or erectus. be sure to cover all intakes with sponges. I have never seen the inside of a biocube, is it like a nano cube. Could you post pictures of the inside of tank. not sure how much flow is in that type of tank.Be sure to research the species you are interested in.
I have to go will write more later.

 

[matt b]

i havent added any lr yet i wanted to see what u guys thought

 

[matt b]

i think ima go with erectus so how should i cycle just with lr for a few months and them add them or what

 

[matt b]

what do u think about doing a pair of Mustangs

 

[mcbdz]

They should do good in a 29g. Cycle like you would a marine tank, but you want to let it establish about 4 months. Make sure it has leveled out well and you are getting a good population of pods. Some live rock and things that they will beable to hitch onto. You can get lots of ideas by looking at all the pics on here and if you haven't already, then go over to seahorse dot org. They have really good info and most everyone on here that has horses also goes there.

 

[teresaq]

Looks good. you might try adding a spray bar to the out put. thay would give nice gental flow throughout the whole tank. You will either have to move your heater to the back of tank, or cover it. It can cause burns to horses that like to hitch to them.
some live rock, (not as much as a reef tank) and some micros or fake plants and let it cycle good and mature. You can add your clean up crew after your cycle.

 

[zeke92]

i highly suggest taking liek a month to just research them and get ready to have them. know everything you possibly can, food habits, hwo to raise babies, diseases. seahorse.org is great.

 

[rykna]

Sorry matt, totally missed you post
Set up looks great so far. Did you say the LS is cycled?

 

[matt b]

no its only ben in there for like less then a week and how much lr should i use?

 

[rykna]

The current bed looks fine for the size of the tank. I'm up loading videos of the food dish as I type. The only thing I'd change is the size of your tank photo so it's easier to look at

 

[teresaq]

Originally Posted by MaTT B
no its only ben in there for like less then a week and how much lr should i use?
I know for a reef its 1 to 1.5 lbs per gal, but with horses, I would try and leave some of the bottom open. Maybe start with 20 to 25lbs, smaller pieces either in the middle, or split into two groups with the middlde open.

 

[rykna]

Here ya go. The food dish is a simple plastic container secure by a flat fresh water rock(so bristles worms and other unwanted things do not have a place to hide and take advantage of the seahorses' dinner

 

[matt b]

ok cool and do u think i can have like maybe a pair of clowns in the tank with the seahorses or is that pushing it?

 

[rykna]

Clowns are pushing it. They would out compete the horses when it comes to dinner time. I had to remove my 2 false percs from my horse tanks. My fire goby worked out fine. But still you would need to feed the horses and any other fish on opposite sides of the tanks.
So before you start planning on what to move in with the horses, lets get your seahorse tank up and running

 

[matt b]

ok so i need like 20 lbs of lr and should i get sum micro algee or no?

 

[rykna]

Macro Algae definitely!!! You pod population will love these, and your horses will love the pod snacks.
LR does help with the pod population, but after the disater with Valiant and my pony tank, I bleached all my LS and live rock. They only live things I place into my tanks for now, are food, mini star fish, pods, and macro algae. Each I give a fresh water dip to before placing in the tanks. Introducing LR and LS can also invite many unwanted and devistating pests.