need some ideas
- Thread starter meb99
- Start date
gypsybrat
New Member
Meb
Just a lit'l advice here - the more details you give out about your tank (such as the questions Ophi asked) the better
Most people here are a bit hesitant reccommending anything without knowing exactly what they are dealing with, and rightly so.
Best of luck with the tank :happyfish and smart that your asking questions first!!
James
Just a lit'l advice here - the more details you give out about your tank (such as the questions Ophi asked) the better
Most people here are a bit hesitant reccommending anything without knowing exactly what they are dealing with, and rightly so.
Best of luck with the tank :happyfish and smart that your asking questions first!!
James
ophiura
Active Member
Standard 55g appropriate fish (but by NO MEANS should these all go in there)....
a dwarf angel
chromis
damsels
clowns
firefish
basslet/gramma (couple of kinds)
dottybacks
sixline or other similar wrasses - flasher, velvet
gobies
blennies
cardinalfish
hawkfish
IMO, tangs are not the best choice for this tank size unless you plan to upgrade. The only one IMO, that is not a terrible choice is a Kole (yellow eye) tang. With tangs and angels especially, more LR may help...and many of these fish are territorial so again, more structure helps.
What may help is to find a "key" fish that you really like, so that people have more of an idea. What people find attractive is often relative. People who like predatory fish may not like little colorful fish.
a dwarf angel
chromis
damsels
clowns
firefish
basslet/gramma (couple of kinds)
dottybacks
sixline or other similar wrasses - flasher, velvet
gobies
blennies
cardinalfish
hawkfish
IMO, tangs are not the best choice for this tank size unless you plan to upgrade. The only one IMO, that is not a terrible choice is a Kole (yellow eye) tang. With tangs and angels especially, more LR may help...and many of these fish are territorial so again, more structure helps.
What may help is to find a "key" fish that you really like, so that people have more of an idea. What people find attractive is often relative. People who like predatory fish may not like little colorful fish.
ophiura
Active Member
Unfortunately, seahorses are not suitable for community tanks. If you keep them, you should only keep them by themeselves....and a smaller tank actually wouldn't hurt. Seahorses are not difficult to keep, but require HUGE amounts of LIVE FOOD (typically 3 times a day!!!!!). So they do not generally eat frozen or prepared foods. It is a big commitment to keep them. Other fish tend to beat them too the food, so again, they should not be put in with other more active community fish. I don't think that is a good choice for the tank.
darth tang
Active Member
Ophiura, I have to disagree. A 55 gal. for one pair of seahorses would be ideal if this is where this individual wishes to start. More water to allow for error. I will say ONLY GET TANK-RAISED seahorses. If you can't get these I would say don't it as a beginner. Make sure the tank-raised seahorses are already on frozen food and the food is supplemented with vitamins. Ask the fish store to feed the horses in front of you. This way you can see them eat. Be patient though as they are slow movers and sometimes take a while to even notice the food.
Do not have to much current in your tank either.
However as a beginner.......I would say start with something else as seahorses are difficult and have a lot more problems to watch for besides the normal fish problems.
Do not have to much current in your tank either.
However as a beginner.......I would say start with something else as seahorses are difficult and have a lot more problems to watch for besides the normal fish problems.
darth tang
Active Member
Uh crap, I missed that........sorry was scanning real fast here at work. Thanks for catching that DSkid.. I was mainly disagreeing with Ophiura's comment on using a smaller tank for seahorses. But not with a cinamon clown or two damsels......ignore m,y post if you plan on keeping those fish in the 55.
ophiura
Active Member
I only believe in a smaller tank as it is often more efficient to get food to the seahorses without waste. It is not impossible to do in a 55g by any means, but it is often a bit easier in smaller tanks with low flow...though still watching out for fluctuations in water quality. IMO, a 30g would be quite nice.
ophiura
Active Member
IMO, not to the extent that seahorses need it...they need almost a constant supply of lots of food, within their immediate area as they are not extremely fast/active. I suppose if you were going to provide in a way similar to mandarins then larger tank = more lr. But since seahorses really are not reef but seagrass sort of animals it is not entirely natural, nor do many (except dwarf seahorses) feed on copepods to a great extent (though other "pods" such as amphipods or things like mysis are a main part of the diet of larger horses).
Seahorses as they are not extremely active, strong swimmers, need low flow (which in a large tank may mean not a lot of turnover), and a relatively high concentration of food in the tank...and possibly lower temps than our reefs. Easier to do in a smaller tank when you are adding food like brine and ghost shrimp and mysis, so, IMO, smaller tanks are more suitable....depending on the species of course. Also whether they are tank bred (and so used to frozen food) versus wild caught (generally need live food) makes a big difference, but they still require a lot of food relative to other fish (very very short digestive system). I am not saying a 55g is BAD in any way, I'm just saying that for many seahorses it might not be the best way to go....and certainly not with other aggressive fast fish. For dwarf seahorses, I've even read that a 10g is far too large!
Seahorses as they are not extremely active, strong swimmers, need low flow (which in a large tank may mean not a lot of turnover), and a relatively high concentration of food in the tank...and possibly lower temps than our reefs. Easier to do in a smaller tank when you are adding food like brine and ghost shrimp and mysis, so, IMO, smaller tanks are more suitable....depending on the species of course. Also whether they are tank bred (and so used to frozen food) versus wild caught (generally need live food) makes a big difference, but they still require a lot of food relative to other fish (very very short digestive system). I am not saying a 55g is BAD in any way, I'm just saying that for many seahorses it might not be the best way to go....and certainly not with other aggressive fast fish. For dwarf seahorses, I've even read that a 10g is far too large!