fishy dilemma

hi there again,
I have posted a thread on here about my frag tank, but i have not been able to get the idea of a seahorse tank out my head, the tank is great and looks nice enough to be a show piece, but i want a frag tank too so i dont spoil the look of my reef with elastic bands and frags everywhere, plus i have a nasty clown who wont let me in the tank

i am stuck in the middle of a decision on what to do,
do I make it seahorse or just keep my reef tank and make it a frag tank??

any ideas or comments GRATEFULLY accepted

 

Keep seahorses in your frag tank

 

but i thought coral and seahorses dont mix as of tenticles and flow rates

 

Seahorses are very hard to keep, even if you can breed them. I would go with the frag tank. Seahorses do need very slow current and some corals may not like that.

 

Seahorses do not have scales, so they are very sensitive to the nematocysts (stinging cells) of most corals, and Seahorses don't care what they grab onto with their prehensile tails. This combination can cause skin problems if a Seahorse is kept with most corals. If you are fragging SPS/LPS, you are out of luck on doing both. The stings of stoney corals are too much Seahorses (exception being the species, I believe H. barbouri or H. breviceps, not sure which one, that lives in SPS reefs). It is not a good idea to have too many soft corals in a tank with Seahorses either, as while their stings are less potent, they can still be harmful. The majority of a Seahorse's hitching posts should consist of macroalgae, fake coral, and fake grass.

Another problem with keeping Seahorses in a frag tank is that the temperature that most corals are kept at is a few degrees higher than what is safe for Seahorses. As to flow rates, Seahorses do enjoy good flow. There is a common misconception that 'horses need very low flow. However, the truth is that they just need a low flow sanctuary area or time of day where they can go to get rest.

All told, I would pick one or the other. I can't really tell you witch one, but I vote a frag tank. I am not trying to be mean or offensive, but you said, "I thought". Any "I thoughts" will likely cause problems with these delicate and intricate animals. All I am saying is that before you dive into Seahorses, do EXTENSIVE research.

All the best and good luck,

LCP