Seahorse Newbie Questions?

windlasher

windlasher

Member
OK, so I am considering a seahorse tank and I have been reading lots on the subject but would love it if you guys would help me out by answering some questions.
I keep finding information on tanks but everyone seems to be setting up smaller tanks in the 10 to 20 gallon range. Is there a reason for this and if so why? I was thinking of a larger setup, say 90 or 100 gallons.
I was thinking of plumbing the tank into my current system whish is about 550 gallons. IS there a reason not to do this as long as I select seahorses that do well around the same temp, which is 75/76 degrees? I really don’t want to manage more than one system.
Are all of the normal reef parameters ok for seahorses. Calcium, ALK, salinity, etc?
Do dwarf seahorses really only live about a year or so?
How many could I successfully put in a 90 gallon tank knowing that the little buggers will breed like bunnies. Assuming they live only for about a year what happens then. Do they just up and die one day?
Do you have any other peaceful tank mates, corals, or other in with yours?
Lighting?
Thanks guys and gals. I really appreciate it.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
I posted a bunch of stuff, but I am confused, are you looking at lrg species horses or Dwarfs????
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
if you are looking at dwarfs, then a 90 gal is wayyyyyy to big. You can keep about 40 in a 10 gal tank. They need a steril invironment as even something as small as a hydroid can kill them.
T
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3059527
if you are looking at dwarfs, then a 90 gal is wayyyyyy to big. You can keep about 40 in a 10 gal tank. They need a steril invironment as even something as small as a hydroid can kill them.
T
Hi: The Dwarf question was just out of curiosity. One of the articles I was reading on seahorse.org said they only live about a year. That would be tough.
But of the larger breeds, the rest of the questions still stand. Thanks
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by windlasher
http:///forum/post/3059548
One article stated that a pair is good or small groups. What is a group?
well if a pair is 2....3 or more would be a group

I have 2 reidis in a 54g corner bow...I have mushrooms, polyps, xenia, you do not want any type of coral that stings
You do not need special lighting for horses
You DO NEED good water parameters....light to medium flow
Temp 74 degrees....salinity 1.024....
DO NOT get horses if you do not plan on spending half your life caring for them
they need to eat 2x a day....and if one gets sick (believe me) it is A LOT of work
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
ok, let me try and answer are few of these.
first, in a 90 you could have about 3 pairs. I would assume by group they mean all one s e x. say 4 to 6 females.
most do not suggest plumbing to a reef tank. Not only are horses messy with thier eatting, they can pick up bacteria transfered from your reef.
Also horse tank must be kept at 74 degrees or below. They can get baterial and vibro infections at higher temps.
There is a compatability chart pined at the top of this forum for tank mates and corals.
Lighting is what ever if good for your corals, but most have pcs or t5s because of heat.
T
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member

Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3059571
ok, let me try and answer are few of these.
first, in a 90 you could have about 3 pairs. I would assume by group they mean all one s e x. say 4 to 6 females.
most do not suggest plumbing to a reef tank. Not only are horses messy with thier eatting, they can pick up bacteria transfered from your reef.
Also horse tank must be kept at 74 degrees or below. They can get baterial and vibro infections at higher temps.
There is a compatability chart pined at the top of this forum for tank mates and corals.
Lighting is what ever if good for your corals, but most have pcs or t5s because of heat.
T
Can you order them while specifying the ---? Most of the site I see do not have them separated.
I have plenty of capacity as far as filtration as I designed the system knowing that I was going to add 2 more tanks. Are the specific bacteria always present in reef tanks that seahorses do not tolerate well?
Thanks for the help.
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3059567
well if a pair is 2....3 or more would be a group

I have 2 reidis in a 54g corner bow...I have mushrooms, polyps, xenia, you do not want any type of coral that stings
You do not need special lighting for horses
You DO NEED good water parameters....light to medium flow
Temp 74 degrees....salinity 1.024....
DO NOT get horses if you do not plan on spending half your life caring for them
they need to eat 2x a day....and if one gets sick (believe me) it is A LOT of work
Feeding I can do and I have great water. Seahorse disease is something I have been wondering about. Why do they get sick and why is it such a pain in the butt if they do? Thanks
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by windlasher
http:///forum/post/3059618
Feeding I can do and I have great water. Seahorse disease is something I have been wondering about. Why do they get sick and why is it such a pain in the butt if they do? Thanks
They get infections and other diseases real easy..I have no clue why...I have a thread in the seahorse forum "BIGUN has a booboo" read that....also if you read a lot of the threads in the forum you will see that once a seahorse gets sick the recovery in lengthy...IF at all
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
They are just suseptible to bacterial infections. This is why tanks are kept at lower temps and with seperate filteration systems.
Yes you can order a specific ---, at least at the places I would order from.
You need to decide on a species. I would go with either Erectus or Reidi.
Also, only buy captive bred horses. Not wild caught or tank raised. These tend to have more illnesses.
T
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by TeresaQ
http:///forum/post/3059772
They are just suseptible to bacterial infections. This is why tanks are kept at lower temps and with seperate filteration systems.
Yes you can order a specific ---, at least at the places I would order from.
You need to decide on a species. I would go with either Erectus or Reidi.
Also, only buy captive bred horses. Not wild caught or tank raised. These tend to have more illnesses.
T
I don't know. I have spent the entire day reading up on them and asking questions. I really don't want to set up a new system. I have spent thousands getting the system perfect so If I cant plumb it to my current system it probably isn't worth it. They do look like fun though. thanks for the help.
 
reefnutpa

reefnutpa

Member
The main reason not to plumb a seahorse tank into a reef is, at least for me, the fact that the seahorses will degrade the water quality significantly and cause havoc for your pristine reef tank. Seahorse tanks historically have high nitrates at times, and phosphate/algae issues are the norm. Not to mention the temperature issue.
If you have equipment/filtration on your reef to remove heavy phosphate levels and nitrates, and can lower your reef to 74F, then it would be a possibility. However, most reefs run best at 78F-82F, which is way too warm for seahorses.
Personally, I keep my 3 reefs seperate from the seahorse tanks. I don't even share equipment because I don't want any phosphate-laden water creeping into my reefs :)
Tom
 
ann83

ann83

Member
With the amount of dilution that you will have in that system. And the fact that you're only running it at 75-76 (as opposed to the upper 70's and low 80's that seems so common), I don't see too much of a problem with plumbing your seahorse tank into the system.
However, keep in mind, depending on how many seahorses you end up keeping (you could keep 6-10 in a 90 gallon), they can put a pretty heavy bioload on a tank for their size, so they're not exactly going to help your reef (although, I doubt they'll hurt it much, being 550 gallons and all).
Also, keep in mind that if the seahorses do get sick, they will need to be put in a seperate hospital tank system where the temperature can be dropped to 68* and where antibiotics can be administered if needed. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (like Diamox) are also needed relatively frequently when treating sick seahorses for gas-related problems, and that needs to be aquired ahead of time, since it needs to be obtained through a vet or doctor, or ordered from overseas; which takes time you won't have.
 
windlasher

windlasher

Member
Originally Posted by ann83
http:///forum/post/3059974
With the amount of dilution that you will have in that system. And the fact that you're only running it at 75-76 (as opposed to the upper 70's and low 80's that seems so common), I don't see too much of a problem with plumbing your seahorse tank into the system.
However, keep in mind, depending on how many seahorses you end up keeping (you could keep 6-10 in a 90 gallon), they can put a pretty heavy bioload on a tank for their size, so they're not exactly going to help your reef (although, I doubt they'll hurt it much, being 550 gallons and all).
Also, keep in mind that if the seahorses do get sick, they will need to be put in a seperate hospital tank system where the temperature can be dropped to 68* and where antibiotics can be administered if needed. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (like Diamox) are also needed relatively frequently when treating sick seahorses for gas-related problems, and that needs to be aquired ahead of time, since it needs to be obtained through a vet or doctor, or ordered from overseas; which takes time you won't have.

Thanks for the info. Let me think about it. I would rather do it right so I'll give it some thought.
 
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