Thinking of setting up a 10-15 gl office Seahorse tank

bubblegurl

Member
I'm thinking of setting up a small office seahorse tank and have no idea where to start.
My thoughts are 10-15 gl max tank
canister filter
lights?
powerheads?
live rock
sand
2-4 ponies
soft corals
Is there a good place to look for this information or can someone help walk me through what is needed to get it going?
Thanks
 
S

saxman

Guest
OK...ponies aren't SH, and SH aren't ponies. Sorry it's a peeve of mine.
That being said, unless you plan on keeping zots (dwarf SH/H. zosterae), you're going to need a minimum of a std. 29 gallon tank for a single pair, and 15 gals for each pair thereafter (general rule of thumb).
A HOB power filter such as an Aqua Clear is fine as far as filtration goes. If you want a bit more flow, I'd use an airline as opposed to a PH (unless you're careful, SH can get their tails amputated by un guarded PH's, and non-nano models of Korallia are the worst...I've seen it happen to peeps.
The tank temp should be 74*F max to keep the bacterial count down to a reasonable level (SH are very prone to bacterial infections). This is one of the BIGGEST MISTAKES folks make.
If you use a heater, get one with a guard on it, as SH can be badly burned if they hitch to them.
LR is fine, as are any softies, however, you don't want any corals that can sting your SH if they try to hitch to them.
I like to run live macro algae in our SH setups, as it provides hitches, a place to grow, and hunting grounds for the SH to chase the pods.
Finally, I'd get my SH from a reputable breeder such as opposed to the LFS. You should INSIST on true captive bred (CB) specimens, as these will come to you happily eating frozen mysis.
On the subject of food, you'll need access to the SH every day...they lack a true stomach, and as such can't hold food for digestion. Therefore, they need to eat daily, or even better multiple times during the day. Without food, a SH's digestive system can shut down irreversibly in as little as 4 days, deending on the SH's condition.
Don't fall for the "tank raised" stock from the LFS...they've most likely been raised in net pens in the ocean and may or may not eat frozen mysis. You should expect to pay about $60 each for true CB stock. If the LFS can't ID the SH, they likely didn't come from a breeder.
Finally, never buy SH by color...SH can and will change color at will, so that pretty yellow or red SH may end up being brown in your tank.
Just wanted you to go nto this with both eyes open.
HTH
 

bubblegurl

Member
Thanks Saxman. Ok, will stick with calling them seahorses and drop the pony!
My thoughts with setting this tank up is part of a nano contest which is 20 gl max water volume.
First obvious concern is tank size, second is feedings. For an office tank, this may not be a realistic endeavor. I think feedings during the week are fine, but weekend trips to the office not likely. office temp would also be problematic as the building systems shut down in the eves weekends, so would need a chiller for sure.
I will give this more thought.
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bubblegurl http:///t/392820/thinking-of-setting-up-a-10-15-gl-office-seahorse-tank#post_3491092
Thanks Saxman. Ok, will stick with calling them seahorses and drop the pony!
My thoughts with setting this tank up is part of a nano contest which is 20 gl max water volume.
First obvious concern is tank size, second is feedings. For an office tank, this may not be a realistic endeavor. I think feedings during the week are fine, but weekend trips to the office not likely. office temp would also be problematic as the building systems shut down in the eves weekends, so would need a chiller for sure.
I will give this more thought.
Hi,
No, I wouldn't do an office thing ever. There are hoilidays and if you get sick...nobody will be there to keep them alive. At least if you get sick at home you can stumble out of bed and feed them, but getting to the office would be different.
You need a tall tank for seahorses. That nano contest is just not doable for me either.
 

bubblegurl

Member
Vacations and sickness I would not worry about as I'm sure I could train someone to look after things while I was away.
I tried to find some Canadian SH breeders but it looks like most come out of the US, then with cost of permits and CITES, might not make financial sense to bring them up. I've seen SH in the LFS stores here, claim they are tank raised but not CB.
My concern would be the weekends. I know loads of people that do have reef tanks in their offices, but fish are ok a couple of days or use an auto feeder, I know seahorses are much more sensitive. At home I check my tanks before I leave for work and when I get home, daily. An office tank would likely get more attention as it would be in a location I could watch all day long...well, while I work. I just don't think a SH tank is a good idea, a nano reef would make more sense, but I've already got 2 reef tanks on the go at home. I'll just stay focused on them for now.
Thanks
 
S

saxman

Guest
You could do a cool little setup with two or three leaf scorps, some live macro, and LR...even a few hardy softies like 'shrooms, polyps, etc.
The leaf scorps are cute, and definitely get to know you. The feeding would be OK in terms of frequency as these guys only need to be fed 2 or 3 times a week, and if it went a bit longer, say for vacation/long weekend, you'd still be fine. The only possible difficulty is that if you can't get the fish weaned onto dead foods, they'd need to have live ghost shrimp or guppies for life. The really cool thing is that they're easily trained to take food from a small net, which can be a great weaning/feeding aid.
The leaf fish come in several colors...yellow, red, pink, black, brown, and some are mottled.
 

bubblegurl

Member
I really like this idea and these fish are awesome looking! I'm going to do a lfs tour this weekend and try to see one in person. Then start pricing out equipment! Question on the live food tho, do I need to keep a separate tank for the foods? Obviously weaning them to frozen would be preferable. I'll also have to look for a source for live foods, my fave store has been closed for a few months due to a break in.
Thanks for the suggestion!!
 

sweatervest13

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by saxman http:///t/392820/thinking-of-setting-up-a-10-15-gl-office-seahorse-tank#post_3491559
You're welcome!
Here's a net-trained leaf:

I love the look of the leaf scorps!! BUT I can never find them at any of the LFS I visit. Is there a place to order online??
Bubblegurl. This might be a great fish for the office... IF you can get it to eat frozen. Maybe you could set it up at home and get it trained to eat frozen, THEN move it to the office. Just a thought!!
 

bubblegurl

Member
Thats an excellent suggestion. I have a 10 gl tank that I used last year to qt, could set up at home,,get the office tank going, while its cycling, work on the feeding at home, much easier to do! I used copper in this tank so not good for anything. Would be a great way to get this going!
The more I research these fish, the more I love them!
 
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