I might get a seahorse tank!!!!! =)

[fishygurl]

Ok we are going to go look at a 24 gallon nano cube-aquapod (with 150w metal halides or something)
So i was wondering what are some really good types of seahorses and how many of those would i be able to have in there, how big do they get, etc, etc.
I think i am prob gonna stick with captive bred ones, i know i like the yellow the best then the orangy/red, then the black.
If we get it i cant wait to start filling it and waiting for it to cycle!

 

[zeke92]

24 is kinda small for seahorses. you would have to get like 1 pair, if not just 1, of a small speices for them to be too happy.
a small nano cube with metal halide would wokr better as a nano reef. seahorses don't ened lighting and alot of corals aren't too save with them.

 

[grabbitt]

You're gonna want to know a lot more than that before you're ready to get a seahorse tank...
I recommend asking rykna about this so you get the best idea possible about what it is you're getting into and how to prepare for it best.
Seahorses require a lot of time and maintenance..

 

[grabbitt]

Originally Posted by zeke92
24 is kinda small for seahorses. you would have to get like 1 pair, if not just 1, of a small speices for them to be too happy.
a small nano cube with metal halide would wokr better as a nano reef. seahorses don't ened lighting and alot of corals aren't too save with them.
And that's not necessarily true. Seahorses require a lot of height in their tanks, but the dwarves need to be in a smaller tank or they will not do as well as they could.

 

[zeke92]

dwarves are to smalll for a 24 gallon. the most i would put a dwarf iin is a 15. she is gonna need a smaller species but nto a dwarf.
and not all horses HAVE to have alot of hieght. height is for bgiger horses, and if your wanting to breed.
rykna knows mostly about dwarves, i've been sutdying the big kind for around 8 months

 

[nybutterfly03]

Just my 2cents but I happen to disagree, all horses need height. The taller the tank the better in some cases. I happen to have my lil girl in a 14g hex and it is plenty tall for her now b/c she is still small but when she is bigger she will be moved to something bigger....regular horses need to be in a tank 3x their height to be happy

 

[rykna]

Yeah, 24 is too big for ponies(to hard for them to get enough to eat), and not big enough for horses.

 

[rykna]

But the 24 would be a great starter tank for a pair of horses

 

[kanicky]

I agree, any seahorse needs a lot of vertical room, with the standard guideline being "three times (3x) their height." (The Dwarf seahorses are obviously the exception, because if you put them in a big tank, you'll never know who is eating or who is sick or who is missing, etc.)
I had two small h. kuda in a 12G Aquapod for a couple weeks while their 35G, tall, hexagon tank was being built (in hindsight, this wasn't the best idea, but I didn't want to leave them at the LFS.) Despite their small-ish size, I could see that they weren't happy with the lack of vertical swimming room. The only thing they really enjoyed was playing in the flow. I would watch them rise to the top of the tank and then sink back down, almost as if saying, "That's it?"
Now that they're in their nice, new, tall tank, their colors have changed, they are displaying courting behavior, and they are enjoying every inch of vertical height the tank has.
Speaking of colors, just so you're aware, seahorses can change colors on a whim, so be careful when buying a seahorse based on color. Mine changes from a medium brown with spots to a light yellow...
Anyway, good luck in preparing for seahorses. We're all here to help!