seahorse questions

hi there gals and guys, greeting from across the pond,
I am setting up a seahorse tank and have read as much as i can find so far, well the setup is settling down i have a skimmer and sump working away and the live rock also gonna get some capuela in there as an anchor, all I need know is a few questions answered

1) i have an external filter going with a spraybar, are bubbles a NO NO in a specimen tank??

2) how much flow is too much? I have a filter pumping in and the return from the sump which dont make to much flow, how far can i take it?

all answers gratfully recieved,
"Let the gods of knoledge begin";D

p.s if you canthink of anything else i need to know please let me know
thanks in advance

 

I have a question for you to start. Have you kept saltwater fish before? Seahorses are a very very difficult issue even for seasoned hobbyists, and a near impossible jumping off point. Are they microbubbles or bigger bubbles? Microbubbles are a bigger concern as they have been linked with gas bubble disease. That is why I hesitate to run a skimmer on a Seahorse tank. Larger bubbles are not as bad, but I would try to eliminate them. Seahorses enjoy moderate flow, but they need a sanctuary area with very low flow to escape to and rest. Always get captive bred. Also, if they tank is cycling you shouldn't be running a skimmer yet. It will delay the process and keep the tank from stabilizing as soon. Turn the skimmer on once the tank is cycled and there is livestock in there.

Good luck and keep asking questions.

 

i have been into marine for about 3years and fish for about 20
i have 4 tanks now, one 8foot reef tank, one 5foot tank with sps eating fish and a tank i breed mysis in for my fish,now i have this horse tank,

i thought so about the bubbles they are micro bubbles but only a small amount, i dont have the skimmer working yet, just thought about getting air in the water, i know the skimmer will but just thought i'd ask first, i can stop all the bubles with v2 bubble stops so all fine there

 

As long as there are NO microbubbles in your display it will be fine. I always make sure people have kept marine fish before Seahorses, so it was nothing personal. What species are you thinking about keeping in what size tank?

 

i have a two foot wide by two foot tall tank and it has a sump with (as of last night a two micro stoppers) my skimmer and heaters and such like,i have not thought yet what species to keep, I am thinking dwarf,
i am not rushing this so i am waiting fo the tank to settle and mature a bit, then going to have a look aaround and see what there is
if I start looking now, i stand the hance of buying and ruining the whole thing so just trying to et the tank sorted ready first!
no offence taken matey, I know how these creatures need so much care, and would do the same to any amature taking it on.
thanks for your imput
p.s i have been told to lower temp to 70-72 and salt higher at.025, is this ok?

 

anyone else anything they wanna add

 

For a tank that size I would think more along the lines of a smaller species like H. fuscus or even H. kuda, but not dwarfs. Most people that keep dwarfs keep them in around a 10 gallon tank. Larger you can cause yourself problems. Also, if your going to do dwarfs you add a whole new measure of complication in that you have to set up a baby brine shrimp hatching operation and you have to hatch them on a daily basis. Unlike all other species, they need live food. You have to decapsulate, hatch, and gut load brine shrimp every day. You need to do a lot more research on dwarfs specifically before deciding on them and going into them. Temperature should be mid to low 70s, definitely not as warm as a reef tank would be. SG should be about the same as a reef, in the 1.023-1.025 range. Please ask more questions. Its important to know all possible about Seahorses before diving in. Sounds like you are in good shape so far and you really know your stuff about keeping Seahorses.

 

I think my knowledge of the horses is still way to low to even attempt to have one yet, the tank is ready i checked this morning, but I think that there is a long way to having them, I need to find a local breeder because there is no way i'm taking of the ocean and especially someone else's bit ;D;D

I have not really thought on a species yet, i want as small as poss really because of the size of the tank, the feeding should not be a problem as i have a hachery already that i use for my fish,

what algey/plants should i use in the substrate for them to anchor too??

is there anything else i can put in there to help them? i have live rock, skimmer, heater, low lighting (24w daylight, i was told to keep it low??)
i need to add plants for chemical ballance/hanging area.

many thanks for your help, i really appreciate this

atb simon

 

While I really like this forum, it does not have enough qualified knowledgeable hobbyists seahorses. With the spread of the seahorse hobby really multiplying now with so many captive bred (as opposed to wild caught, or net pen raised that are fraudulently passed off as captive bred) available, this forum may have to start a "seahorse" forum that will specialize. Even RC with their seahorse forum, cannot replicate the information timely enough when there are problems to compare with seahorse.org.
There is so much misinformation about 'horses that one needs to sort the wheat from the chafe so to speak.
Like the basic reef hobby, there are differences of opinions on seahorse keeping as well, but not anywhere near as many. The org has many well informed hobbyists that can respond quite quickly and in much detail that can possibly mean the difference in life or death for your seahorses when trouble strikes.
Because the seahorses are much more susceptible to bacteria infections, there are many preparations that one needs to do to limit the severity of such infections when they happen.
Unfortunately, while I have been a member there for many years, I've only had horses now for 3 1/2 yrs, and, I did the "won't happen to me" thing and I never bothered to prepare myself properly and it cost me the lives of some horses.
Now, I read all posts related to seahorse problems, just in case mine come down with infections or infestations, so I don't have to learn before I act to save them.
I neglected advice to have on hand the medications commonly used to save seahorses, and as time is critical, I lost my horses while I tried to find the meds.
Now, I have a dispensary with most of the recommended meds available around here, and am trying to find a vet willing to get me ones prescriptions are needed for.
I don't know what it is like in the UK, but here in Canada, the government has stopped sales of some of the meds.
I don't know yet if it is possible to get those meds across the border from the US where they are still available.
The seahorse.org site has an excellent library and article section, and the search function can be your friend when troubles arise so hopefully you are already a member there and have availed yourself of some of that information already.

 

can i ask what chem you keep and what for, if you list the ones you cannot get in a diffrent font or colour , i can see if i can get them over here and maybe send you some as a way of thanks for your help