new year, new seahorse build!!!!!!(many pictuers)

WRONG! Sea Horses need cooler water between 68 and 74 degrees but not because of their Immune system but becasue almost all Parasites and Bacterias that can cause problems with seahorses cannot live in waters at that temperature.

Actually no need to purchase a chiller, Basically you will want to go with T5 lighting and a couple of fans, I have 50 gallon tank that I kept 8 Seahorses in and kept it between 72 or 74 degrees using a couple of fans.

Unfortunately seahorses require lots of attention and time and I could not give then enough so I gave mine away to a good friend who could and she now gets several broods a year out of them.

And out of curiosity why would you raise brine shrimp? If they are eating frozen Mysis you sure don't want to feed them Brine shrimp, keep them on the frozen. I used PE mysis becasue it is enriched and give them every thing they need to be healthy.

If your going to keep a pair forget the BIO cube, those are not suitable tanks for seahorses. You going to want to get a 29 gallon tank, or even a 20 gallon tall tank if you can find one. Either one will give you the height that seahorses need. Seahorses are vertical or up and down swimmers, which means they need more height in a tank them horizontal space.

 

ya i got the basics down good. i got tons of tests still left from my reef. so im good to go most likely ill b buying the tank in a few days. pics will come then

 

im good on the heat thing. but that was good to know about the Parasites. i dident know that. the thing is i dont have a lot of money. i have about 30 cent right now. haha. all of my money will be coming form cristmas. and a few uncal and annuts lost their jobs. so im gessing ill get around 150 dollers. im almost thinking of building my tank my shelf to add the high.how much do you think that would cost to do. also im limited on space. i have a little table im using as a stand. and its not big enough for a 29

 

thier u guy listen to the guy that has kept them

 

btw a 50g tank is way bigger than 10-20g tank and the temp. is going to flux way more in a smaller tank and if he used a couple of fans the water evap is probably going to be a great amount and the salt is going to swing a lot through out the day with fans blasting on it for at least a good portion of the day.

 

No actully I only lose about 1/4 gallon or even less a day with 3 fans blowing on it. The only time the fans come on are when the lights come on. Even though I have not had my seahorses for almost 7 months not the tank is still running.

And you CANNOT keep seahorses in a tank less than a 20 gallon. And even if you lose a gallon of water a day there will not be that much a swing.

And adding a 1/2 gallon of water at feeding time is allot better than spending a couple of hundred on a chiller and a bunch of money a year to keep it running.

 

Here is a link to my seahorse tank post. I actually had them for almost a year and a half. I then lost one due to my own stupidity and becasue I could not give them the attention that they require so I gave the 6 that I had left away like I said.

The tank is actually still going strong and being overtaken by Kenya tree and Couplera Mexicana, literally taken over...LOL I will see if I can post some pictures later. What amazes me is I have done nothing but add water to this tank in over 6 months now, Nothing!

My 56 gallon Seahorse build

And here are a couple of pictures a little later in the year, at this time I had 4 adults and 3 of the fry that I raise, who were in another tank.








Here are the three fry that I raised

 

You cannot say seahorses can't be kept in a 20g because they can. Do I recommend that size tank for a beginner, no, but I keep my 3 in an 18g tall that has the footprint of a 10.

So, it shouldn't be done in this situation, but for an experienced keeper, it's adequate.

Once you get their tank stable, they can be a hardy and easy fish IME. But they have to be nice and healthy in the first place. If you buy tank raised ones, you could be looking at trouble in that regard.

 

IMO keeping more than 2 seahorses in anything less than a 29 gallon is like having a couple of tangs in a 40 breeder! Sure it can be done but should it? Seahorses need room to move and a tank that is only 10" wide is not enough. It might be tall enough but that is not the only issue.

And I disagree, tank raised are the only way to go especially for the beginner, they are usually free of all the various issues like worms and parasites that wild caught commonly have. Wild caught are not for the beginner nor even for some well seasoned people.

But I guess that the hundreds of people over at seahorse.org haven't a clue as to what they are doing do they.

 

Yeah temperature is very important; does your temperature fluctuate a lot in your reef? Get your temperature at 75-78 and you have a pretty good chance of your seahorses catching vibrio. I'd recommend 68-72 range