Seahorses & flow

[meowzer]

OK, I do not have seahorses yet, but with all the reading I have been doing it seems they need low flow. I have a cascade 700 filter with the spray bar that moves the water across the top of tank. Can I put in a Koralia 1 (or any other suggestions) towards the bottom to add flow?
(I have gorgonians, and some corals that they claim require medium flow, but they suggested them with seahorses)

 

[novahobbies]

I've been doing some research on this exactly! The short answer is, yes. I had the same thought about koralias...they have a good flow rate but their design keeps them from having too much suction in any one specific spot, so they don't run the risk of trapping the horses.
Nobody has tried this and posted, so I pulled one out of my reef tank and set it up in the seahorse tank. It's been two days so far. My H. erectus hangs on the back of it regularly, but the intake slats are too narrow for her to get her tail into, so she doesn't get hurt. I've never seen her act like she was stuck to the powerhead. On the other hand, the added flow is a bonus. This will be esp. helpful if you have gorgonians; they like a mild flow to help prevent algae buildup on their branches.

 

[meowzer]

What size is the pump you put in there?

 

[novahobbies]

Meowzer, it's a K-one. Too strong for this tank. I just started another thread that deals directly with this question, you can read the whole "mini-report" if you're interested!

 

[meowzer]

OK, I read your other thread...Are you saying the K-1 is too strong?? My tank is a 54g bowfront...What would you suggest for that size....a K-1 or maybe the K-nano???

 

[novahobbies]

what is the width of your tank? If its 36 inches, I'd say you should do either one K-1 near the bottom rear to eliminate dead spots, or possibly two K-nanos on either side of the tank. That may not seem like a lot of flow, but you'll understand that I'm trying deliberately to err on the side of caution! If the tank is longer than 36 inches, than definitely the K-1 will be fine, and maybe even two K-1's
My seahorse tank is 20 inches to any side, and 24 inches tall. You can imagine why I say the K-1 I'm experimenting with is pretty high flow for them. I want to go and get a nano or two myself now, seeing how much they like the current....it's just a little too much in this sized tank.

 

[meowzer]

It's a corner bow...front is 42" (BOW) corners are 27"....So what would you recommend for that??

 

[novahobbies]

Hmm....that's a tough one. If I had to hazard a guess, I would go with a single Koralia-one near the back corner or the tank, angled so it's heading towards the front of the glass. If a K-1 isn't enough, you can supplement it with a K-nano. I just don't know if two nanos will be enough, which is why I'm leaning toward the single K-1.
Again, though, this is at best an educated guess.

 

[meowzer]

Well thanks for at least trying to answer. I feel good getting an answer fromsomeone who has experience with seahorses. Like I said I don't have them yet, but I am just about ready....I am going to start with 2 (male & female) do you recommend the Kelloggi, or the Reidi....(to start) It looks to me like you have more than one type, so I am guessing you can mix breeds.

 

[dingus890]

It's really a myth about seahorses and low flow.They like High flow but then like to retreat to a calmer area of the tank.Mine plays in the flow.
I use Marine labs Penguin powerhead and I cover the intake with sponges.

 

[novahobbies]

Dingus, I agree with you 100%. Unless the horse is sick or injured, they can tolerate quite a lot of flow. I just worry that someone would read that and put them in an SPS coral style environment...then the horse might feel like it's in a hurricane!

Making an environment with areas of flow and areas of calmer water is really the ideal solution. Mine have really taken to the extra flow in the tank, but when I put this powerhead back where it belongs I'll replace it with a pair of slightly smaller ones.

 

[dingus890]

HAHA...no Hurricanes for horses...lol..but to anyone that is reading this that gets the impression that horses need very low flow,horses do like current and also need current so bacteria doesn't start building in the sand from no flow.
Pete Giwojna(IMO the king of seahorses..lol) wrote an article about seahorses and flow needs on his site seahorse.com
Mine swims up to the power head,braces herself and rides the current to the other side of the tank then attaches to a plant...lol
I moved the powerhead's nozzle slightly but it was enough for her to notice.She kept swimming up to where she used to waiting for the current and nothing....she looked very puzzled.Then she just kept searching and finally found the current and went back to playing and was happy...lol
They are funny little creatures.

 

[novahobbies]

I've had the pleasure of corresponding with Pete on his website and thru email. Probably the smartest seahorse guy I've met.....though I WISH he could get his frakking book published!! I'd snap that up in a heartbeat.
...actually, I've posted the initial results of this little koralia experiment on his forum page too.....he had never experimented with koralia powerheads.

 

[dingus890]

I've corresponded with Pete many times in the past and just got an email from him last week.I love his emails as he sends you pages of helpful info!

I know, I can't wait for his new book to get published either.There is such a shortage of good seahorse books out there.

 

[alexa11]

I use a koralia 1 in my tank. I was weary when I put the horses in, so i had it pointing to one side and tried to shelter the other 'front' side for the horses. But I have so much rockwork in the tank and a huge clump of chaeto that there are plenty of hiding places and very calm nooks and crannys. Around 4 30 in the afternoon they are swimming around the front of the tank, and the koralia is not too strong for them. they swim against the current and ride the waves. I have also seen them go right behind it and sort of sit on it, but the suction isnt too strong and they can swim right away again with ease due to its construction. They have been in the tank for about 2 weeks now.