45 Gallon Seahorse Tank

[leliataylor]

I bought this tank from Shane a while back and finally have it up and running. It sits on a stand I built and the sump is a 29 gallon I had laying around that I added baffles too. I started doing some aquascaping on it and will add more rock from the old tank when I move the pair of tigertails to their new home. The skimmer and UV will be added once it is cycled. It will have a SCA-302 skimmer in it, a Coralife Turbo Twist UV sterilizer and a 100 micron filter sock. All the rock and sand was dry and bleached prior to adding it to the tank. The tank was also bleached prior to setup. Yes, I run everything through a FW bleach except the seahorses. It is still awfully bare right now, however that will change. Right now I have a nice spike in trites and ammonia is almost 0. Once everything stabilizes at 0 I will challenge the tank again with more pure ammonia and see how long it takes the tank to clear itself. Cycling a tank reminds me of watching grass grow, "patience grasshopper".

[CoryDude]

Can't wait to see this one too! What is the ammonia test for? Just some added insurance before you add the horsies? What are you using for the pure ammonia?

[BBQHILLBILLY]

This is awesome, glad you have it setup. I want a seahorse tank too. Ill be learning and following this thread for sure.

[Flyride95]

Same here. I set up a seahorse tank a few months ago. Will be watching this thread :)

[leliataylor]

Thanks.

Cory, I bought the ammonia at Walmart some time ago. The key is to buy pure ammonia with no additives. I now cycle all my tanks by adding a couple of ml's of ammonia to jump start the cycle (the amt of ammonia depends on the water volume). Once you have no ammonia or nitrites add a little more and see how long it takes the tank to clear. It should clear the ammonia and nitrites within 24 hours or it is not cycled. I can post more complete instructions if you are interested.

Shane I am loving this tank. It took me awhile to build the stand and sump and I am thrilled to finally have it running.

Flyrider95, the key to keeping seahorses is massive filtration for the size of the tank, a turnover rate of about 15 times the size of the tank in GPH, keep it below 74' and use a massive skimmer for the tank size. They are a lot like corals in that they need pristine water conditions (without all the additives).

[Flyride95]

Yea my aquarium is ready for them but I am going out of town in March for 10 days so I'm waiting to get them. And yea you need massive filtration.

[leliataylor]

Just keep feeding the tank until you get your seahorses.

[Flyride95]

What do you mean by keep feeding it? Currently there are no fish in there. Just Copepods and algae / micro algae.

[leliataylor]

Just because the tank is cycled does not mean it can handle the bioload of seahorses. You need to add either a tiny amount of ammonia on a regular basis or some frozen mysis to keep the nitrifying bacteria at high enough levels to handle the seahorses once you get them. If you don't continue to add a source of ammonia to the tank while it is running fallow it will not be able to handle the bioload seahorses will place on the tank.

Normally when I add seahorses to a new tank I test for ammonia and nitrites twice daily for several weeks and once I am sure it is stable I back off and test every couple of days. If the seahorses scratch themselves with their tails or rub up against objects it could be due to ciliates or a spike in ammonia.

Describe to me your tank set up.

[leliataylor]

Well I moved my largest pair into the tank 2 weeks ago and they are doing great. They are so active in this tank and so far it has remained stable with no spikes in ammonia or nitrites. I still need to do a whole lot more with the tank, however I am thrilled to see the way this pair is responding to their new home.

A pic of the male and the female.

[leliataylor]

I knew I would love having a tank in my office and had hoped I was creating a home they would be happy in. They have become so active and their colors so vibrant it is a sheer joy to watch them. The female has found the rock with the hole through it. It has become one of her favorite places to visit several times throughout the day. Initially she would swim behind the rock and and barely slip her head through, now she is moving her torso into it.

The rock with the hole in it. And the princess looking out the window of her castle.