Seahorses in the Display...am I crazy?
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Forum Name: Fish
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about fish.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28071
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Topic: Seahorses in the Display...am I crazy?
Posted By: SWells
Subject: Seahorses in the Display...am I crazy?
Date Posted: September 14 2008 at 3:30pm
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So I am planning out my 210 gallon Aquarium and I am trying to get some feedback on whether or not I can swing this. I was thinking it would be really cool to have a lagoon type place in the tank with lots of Macro Algae and a feeder tube coming up right in the middle of the macro so I can spot feed the seahorses all sorts of goodies (live and frozen). I am looking for your feedback as to whether I will be able to pull this off (I know the initial reaction will be "no way" but maybe your brilliant ideas will help us come up with a way to make it work. Reasons I think this can be done:
------------- Steve & Stephanie Wells Riverton, UT |
Replies:
Posted By: bannshy
Date Posted: September 14 2008 at 3:37pm
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Suzy and Amie are probably one of the best sources of info,you can find them at.
http://www.utahbreedertalk.com/ - http://www.utahbreedertalk.com/
they do visit this board but they are not always given a warm welcome.
I am way interested in your question I have wondered the same thing. I have never heard of a feeder tube though. How would you set up a feeder tube?
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Posted By: SWells
Date Posted: September 14 2008 at 3:42pm
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The feeder tube would basically be airline tubing that would go down to the bottom of the tank through the overflow, under the sand to the desired location, then up into the macro. the feed end could just be loose at the top of the tank. I would use a big syringe to inject the food to its destination. Thanks for the heads up on Suzy and Amie. I know Suzy pretty well and was hoping she would chime in. Thanks ------------- Steve & Stephanie Wells Riverton, UT |
Posted By: Dion Richins
Date Posted: September 14 2008 at 5:59pm
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Seahorses do not put up with high flow at all. They will not chase the food and prefer to have it float lazily past. Ive had seahorses in tanks as big as a 75 but it was set up as a low flow softies tank. Something sps's will not survive in. There is also a study going on about metal halide bulbs causing the dreaded gas bubble disease in the horses. Just my 2cents. ------------- http://www.customaquariumfurniture.com" rel="nofollow - Bad "censored" Cabinets Best quality in the valley! He is one sexy bald guy, even with out a finger!(MAC) |
Posted By: SWells
Date Posted: September 14 2008 at 8:00pm
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Yeah, I definitely wouldn't be able to keep SPS and seahorses in the same vicinity...It is probably too much to ask for them to stay in the designated "low flow" section of the tank isn't it? Thanks for the feedback. I have never heard about the gas bubble disease being caused by halides, but I will look into it...I hated helping our little dwarfs expel the gas build up. Has anyone with seahorses in a large tank seen a tendency to stick close to a food source? or do they cruize all over the place regardless of food sources? ------------- Steve & Stephanie Wells Riverton, UT |
Posted By: Dion Richins
Date Posted: September 14 2008 at 10:52pm
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Blown away would be more like it. The flow necessary for sps can't be contained. If the flow is slow the horses will hitch to any sps that is in there and will damage them. Ive had them in a 12, 24, 29, 65, and a 75. They cruise every where hunting for food. Hi flow will catch them in overflows, against rocks and cause them to expel huge amounts of energy fighting the current. More energy expelled means more food needed to replace that energy.
The amount of food feed twice a day is tons, and in a higher flow environment it will be harder for the horses to catch the food. Which will increase the amount of food needed to get the horses enough nutrition for normal life and the increased food needed for survival in a high flow environment. A large tank with horses would be extremely cool but trying to keep them in a mixed reef environment with the flow requirements needed for sps would be very taxing on the little guys and result in sure death.
Horses come from grassy environments with slow lineral flow. Very little to no turbulence. And plenty of food at all times. I loved mine for the years that we kept them. We stopped housing them due to our expansion of breeding Bangaii's. Couple of things that were cons on the larger tanks that we had were cyna bacteria out breaks (due to low flow) and massive amounts of bristle worms. Once we hooked up the 75 into my 400g system then those issues went away with the increase water volume and a huge skimmer. ------------- http://www.customaquariumfurniture.com" rel="nofollow - Bad "censored" Cabinets Best quality in the valley! He is one sexy bald guy, even with out a finger!(MAC) |
Posted By: SWells
Date Posted: September 14 2008 at 11:04pm
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Yeah, I think you are right. DO pipefish do that much better with the high flow? I have seen several sps tanks with pipefish. They have a lot less surface area, so I would assume they do better. Maybe that would be a good middle ground. Thanks for the input. as cool as it would be, I don't want to throw any animal into an environment where its safety/survival would be compromised. ------------- Steve & Stephanie Wells Riverton, UT |
Posted By: Dion Richins
Date Posted: September 14 2008 at 11:11pm
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Ive had pipe fish in many different tanks. If they will eat they will hunt behind rocks and in corners were the flow is less. They like to glide in the higher flow areas. Cool stuff. ------------- http://www.customaquariumfurniture.com" rel="nofollow - Bad "censored" Cabinets Best quality in the valley! He is one sexy bald guy, even with out a finger!(MAC) |
Posted By: bbeck4x4
Date Posted: September 15 2008 at 11:14pm
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why not set up two tanks that share the same water, (gravity flow) that way you could have both.
------------- Family Portraits /Google trusted Photographer for Google Maps for Businesses |
Posted By: bannshy
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 12:11am
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check out this web site - look at "Marte's Reef" and the "Seahorse" Videos http://www.reefvideos.com/ - http://www.reefvideos.com/
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Posted By: Dion Richins
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 8:22am
Thats an awesome tank!!!! Very nice. ------------- http://www.customaquariumfurniture.com" rel="nofollow - Bad "censored" Cabinets Best quality in the valley! He is one sexy bald guy, even with out a finger!(MAC) |
bannshy wrote:Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 10:50am
| I like Brian's idea a lot for a tank for sea horses or frog fish or other inhabitants that require a specialized environment. |
Posted By: SWells
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 10:50am
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Thanks for that video link...I just may have to turn my 24 gallon nano into a seahorse/mangrove tank.
------------- Steve & Stephanie Wells Riverton, UT |
Posted By: bannshy
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 11:16am
| That is my plan. do you think a clown with an anenome in the tank with the seahorses would work or would the seahorses get eaton by the anemome? |
Posted By: Dion Richins
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 11:50am
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BAD IDEA. Your seahorses will get caught! ------------- http://www.customaquariumfurniture.com" rel="nofollow - Bad "censored" Cabinets Best quality in the valley! He is one sexy bald guy, even with out a finger!(MAC) |
Posted By: bannshy
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 12:16pm
| Just brainstorming I didn't think it would work I will try the anenome with the ray. |
Posted By: Dion Richins
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 12:25pm
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That would work ...... unless the anenome sticks to the rays tail as it goes by and rips the anenome off of its perch or the Ray eats the clowns like mine did. ------------- http://www.customaquariumfurniture.com" rel="nofollow - Bad "censored" Cabinets Best quality in the valley! He is one sexy bald guy, even with out a finger!(MAC) |
Posted By: bannshy
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 12:29pm
which one happened the Ray riped the anenome off it's perch or the Ray ate the clowns or both?
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Posted By: Connie
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 1:19pm
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Ive had both seahorses and pipes but never in a reef. Horses hitch to anything they float by. There are very few corals which will allow this without giving them a nasty sting.
Current is also an issue because most corals need at least moderate flow and horses no not do well with moderate flow.
I currently have three pipes in my reef. Jann's and two dragon pipes. They do fine because of my feeding habits and the fact that I have lots of caves for them to get out of the stonger current. They eat bugs as well as frozen and if Im lucky a red bug or two. Horses are better left to a dedicated tank....
------------- I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them. 180 gallon money pit that I love..... |
Posted By: Dion Richins
Date Posted: September 16 2008 at 4:03pm
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He ate both of my black clowns. I wouldn't put an anemone in any reef. I hate their destructive behavior. JMO. ------------- http://www.customaquariumfurniture.com" rel="nofollow - Bad "censored" Cabinets Best quality in the valley! He is one sexy bald guy, even with out a finger!(MAC) |