First Seahorse tank....

Not new to saltwater reef tanks by any means but I have plans to start my first seahorse tank. I am researching and finding good information but figured some fellow reefers could provide some first hand experience and share some important do's and dont's


So my dad came across a free 55 gallon set up. I currently have a 110 gallon mixed reef/fish tank but I am turning the 55 gallon into a seahorse/pipefish tank.... Would I need to run a sump on a seahorse tank? Or could i simply run a carbon filter and small protein skimmer on it? I really like the look of a seahorse tank and thought it would be a nice piece to add to the house aside from my 110 due to the fact that i have all the coral/fish that i really want to have in that tank.

Any opinions or input would be greatly appreciated as to the type of care or any requirements needed for a seahorse tank!

Thank you!

 

Well, it would be very difficult to explain all you need to know in one thread on a forum.
There are different ways to set up for a seahorse tank so opinions are quite varied for some aspects.
First though, forget "small" skimmer and go a way oversized. Seahorse tanks have quite "dirty" water due to their eating habits.
Probably most seahorse losses are due to bacterial problems stemming from water quality issues combined with temperatures above 74°F.
Also, forget about mixing pipe fish with seahorses because it seldom works out, loosing either one or both species.
Even mixing the same species of seahorse from different breeding sources can be deadly.
Seahorses don't often tolerate pathogens they haven't grown up with, and, they get exposed to from other fish, including other seahorses, unless they come from the same breeding source so pathogens are going to be the same.
Most seahorses are "tank raised" in water that has not been sufficiently filtered and treated for pathogens, so the only advantage they have over wild caught is they have been trained to eat frozen foods.
Best to buy True Captive Bred seahorses, that while they cost more, give MUCH better odds of success.
You are lucky enough to have the best source right there in Florida, seahorsesource.com.
A sump is NOT needed, especially if you only have up to two pairs of standard sized seahorses in that tank, but it can be an asset to put skimmers or other equipment in as well as it increases water volume making it more forgiving if something goes wrong.
Also, please realize that to succeed in the seahorse keeping hobby, you will have to do more water changes and better husbandry than a reef tank requires. Many successful reef tank owners experience woes when trying to keep seahorses.
Check out the links at the BOTTOM of my page linked in my signature below, "My Thoughts.......".

 

rayjay knows his stuff when it comes to SH, and I agree that your best bets are to keep the temp below 74*F and get TRUE CB stock. Besides being born/raised in closed systems, they will come to you happily eating frozen mysis, so know weaning is involved.

I do, however, advocate the use of a sandbed and live macro algae in the SH DT, which is probably where rayjay and I differ most in opinion.

 

Wow, awesome replies! Thanks so much for the comments and experience! I am looking forward to setting it all up but I won't be jumping I'm until I am educated and feel comfortable to do so. The last thing I want to do is rush into things...because as we all know, this never works out! Again, thank you!

 

Actually Greg, I don't recommend NOT using sand beds and macro, I just prefer not to use sand beds as I find it so much easier cleaning tanks without it.
It isn't anything to do with seahorse tanks, but all my salt water tanks.
I have gone through pre-filtered, reverse flow undergravel systems, deep sand beds, shallow sand beds, and plenums, but I always came back to my basic Berlin systems, live rock, bare bottom and heavy protein skimming.
I do have one seahorse tank with a macro but it has not been fruitful finding macro's I like around here in South Western Ontario, Canada.

 

yeh. the wholesalers in the LA area house their tank bred seahorses in the same systems as wild caught fish...like dduuuuuhhhhhh. then they wonder why i stopped buying them lol

 

IME, tank bred seahorses are usually raised in large cement vats/tanks and ocean water that is not sufficiently treated or filtered gets used.
However, housing them with other wild caught fish can expose them to still more pathogens than they already have.
Tank raised are popular because they are plentiful and cheaper to buy.
True Captive Bred seahorses would be those raised by hobbyists, or by a commercial breeder that DOES sufficiently treat and filter the ocean water they use, or use a commercial salt like I.O..
Cost more initially but don't usually have to be replaced as often.
You can't totally eradicate pathogens but you can certainly minimize them IMO.

 

I think I mentioned that that was where we differ in opinion...