sea horses
- Thread starter mcf6188
- Start date
RiverRat
Non-member
Hi.......I love seahorses! While I won't be making a trip down to Foxboro anytime soon, feel free to ask any questions you have in the forum (it will surely help others too).
To get you started I will re-post something I have posted a few times in the past......
"A 10 gallon tank will be suitable for dwarf seahorses, but not larger seahorses (also, dwarf seahorses require live food). A good guideline to follow is 10 gallons per pair of seahorses with a 30 gallon minimum, so a well established 30 gallon tank can successfully house 1-6 seahorses (seahorses in this case being something like H. erectus). Though I should note, a well established and excellently maintained 20 gallon tank could probably keep 1-2 seahorses successfully (but do you really want the added stress in what could be a relaxing hobby?).
On to your filtration......
This will all depend on the size of your tank; keeping in mind seahorses do not love a ton of flow. It is recommended to have filtration with a turnover rate of 5-8 times per hour. This can be calculated by dividing your filter rating by the gallons in your tank, so for you it could be 350gph diveded by 10 gallons, which is 35 (too high).
Again, I should note, I have added some additional flow to my tank in the form of small Aquatop pumps (for macro algae health and dead zones) and have not seen any negative effects on my seahorses. These are guidelines, but you are going to know your tank best.
Other things to think about.....
You are going to want places for your seahorses to comfortably hitch. I have many types of macro algae and some nice tall fake sponges.
If you decide to add more water movement; do not use a powerhead with a visible propeller (imagine a seahorse hitching their tail in there).
Seahorses are more vertical animals than horizontal; they will appreciate a taller tank (think 18 inches).
Seahorses like their tank to be cooler than what your reef tank may be (mine is set to 74 degrees).
Are you considering a species only tank or perhaps some tank mates? You will want to choose from the more docile and peaceful fish (gobies, etc.). I have kept mine with a pair of clown fish and a watchman goby.
Seahorses are messy eaters. A good clean up crew is necessary; I have opted for just snails (I don't trust the crabs) with nassarius snails being the heavy lifters.
My seahorses are bright orange and yellow. Seahorses will adapt to their environment, so I included orange and yellow fake sponges (as mentioned above) in the tank and I painted the background blue (a black background will lead to a darker seahorse......and usually brown and/or black in color.
If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Hope this helps."
oh, and Love the Reef is great too
To get you started I will re-post something I have posted a few times in the past......
"A 10 gallon tank will be suitable for dwarf seahorses, but not larger seahorses (also, dwarf seahorses require live food). A good guideline to follow is 10 gallons per pair of seahorses with a 30 gallon minimum, so a well established 30 gallon tank can successfully house 1-6 seahorses (seahorses in this case being something like H. erectus). Though I should note, a well established and excellently maintained 20 gallon tank could probably keep 1-2 seahorses successfully (but do you really want the added stress in what could be a relaxing hobby?).
On to your filtration......
This will all depend on the size of your tank; keeping in mind seahorses do not love a ton of flow. It is recommended to have filtration with a turnover rate of 5-8 times per hour. This can be calculated by dividing your filter rating by the gallons in your tank, so for you it could be 350gph diveded by 10 gallons, which is 35 (too high).
Again, I should note, I have added some additional flow to my tank in the form of small Aquatop pumps (for macro algae health and dead zones) and have not seen any negative effects on my seahorses. These are guidelines, but you are going to know your tank best.
Other things to think about.....
You are going to want places for your seahorses to comfortably hitch. I have many types of macro algae and some nice tall fake sponges.
If you decide to add more water movement; do not use a powerhead with a visible propeller (imagine a seahorse hitching their tail in there).
Seahorses are more vertical animals than horizontal; they will appreciate a taller tank (think 18 inches).
Seahorses like their tank to be cooler than what your reef tank may be (mine is set to 74 degrees).
Are you considering a species only tank or perhaps some tank mates? You will want to choose from the more docile and peaceful fish (gobies, etc.). I have kept mine with a pair of clown fish and a watchman goby.
Seahorses are messy eaters. A good clean up crew is necessary; I have opted for just snails (I don't trust the crabs) with nassarius snails being the heavy lifters.
My seahorses are bright orange and yellow. Seahorses will adapt to their environment, so I included orange and yellow fake sponges (as mentioned above) in the tank and I painted the background blue (a black background will lead to a darker seahorse......and usually brown and/or black in color.
If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Hope this helps."
oh, and Love the Reef is great too
wow that is a world of info mr. river rat. [can i call you that MR] . i will be going to love the reef .i ma going to Nashville and to see Elvis place Graceland. in 2 weeks. when i get back i will head up there. i thank you very much with the great info. hope to see you at a meeting. i am new to the reefing world and to this web sight, chris
