65 Gallon DSA Future Seahorse Tank

[leliataylor]

I bought this tank from Zombie a few weeks ago and figured it would be a couple of months before I was able to clear a space for it in the back room for it. I decided to store it in a corner of the living room and loved it so much I started to set it up right where I was storing it. So I plumbed it, built a 29 gallon sump, skimmer stand and began playing with the aquascaping. 80lbs of dry rock later (haven't used all of it yet) the tank is starting to take shape. Finally filled it and am running FW through it as I type. Will tentatively be adding a Ocean Revive T247 LED light, macro, softies and of course tiger tails. Love this tank.

[leliataylor]

It is finally salty and I added a old 36" strip light I had laying around for temporary lighting. Will add sand asap. My aggie way of setting up a tank. Bass Ackwards. The reason I do it this way is to ensure there is nothing alive in any of the rock or equipment I use in each tank and yes I use bleach first. Not a reefers dream way to set up a tank.

There is room behind the rock so I will be running the flow from my UV through there. There is also a opening on one side so I can fit my hand behind the rock in case I need to catch a seahorse and to facilitate cleaning. Ordered a lb. of aquacultured macro, some caulerpa and some red gracilaria I will pick up the week after next (it is not all destined to go into this tank). I am gradually adding some artificial corals to the tank and once I get my lighting will begin to add some softies (once the tank is cycled).

[leliataylor]

My DSA 65 does not look like the same tank. It has a "secret seahorse tunnel" behind the rock work that runs the entire length of the tank. All the openings in the rocks lead into the tunnel which the seahorses use several times daily.There are also openings on either side of the tunnel. I am running about 150 GPH through the tunnel off of a separate return and yes they can really fly when they choose to do so. It seems the more rock work I give them the less they hide. This is probably due to them feeling secure and knowing they can disappear within seconds if the need arises.

The following pictures show the full tank with all the holes in the rock work they can slip into, the tunnel, one of the side entrances and a couple of my females being herself. I know all of you are going OMG how can she put much artificial coral sh&%t in this tank. My seahorses call them hitches.

[Dean]

The coral looks awesome! What are you dosing??

Just kidding. That tank is very neat. I think a lot of us would like to have a seahorse species specific tank. They would be harder to keep healthy, happy, and thriving than our reef tanks though I am sure.

[leliataylor]

The coral looks awesome! What are you dosing??

Just kidding. That tank is very neat. I think a lot of us would like to have a seahorse species specific tank. They would be harder to keep healthy, happy, and thriving than our reef tanks though I am sure.

As for dosing I like Vodka. Actually I think trying to maintain a number of different corals in a single tank, depending on the genera, is harder than maintaining a seahorse tank.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

My DSA 65 does not look like the same tank. It has a "secret seahorse tunnel" behind the rock work that runs the entire length of the tank. All the openings in the rocks lead into the tunnel which the seahorses use several times daily.There are also openings on either side of the tunnel. I am running about 150 GPH through the tunnel off of a separate return and yes they can really fly when they choose to do so. It seems the more rock work I give them the less they hide. This is probably due to them feeling secure and knowing they can disappear within seconds if the need arises.

The following pictures show the full tank with all the holes in the rock work they can slip into, the tunnel, one of the side entrances and a couple of my females being herself. I know all of you are going OMG how can she put much artificial coral sh&%t in this tank. My seahorses call them hitches.

awesome tank setup, one of a kind

[leliataylor]

Thanks Shane, I am really loving this tank.

When I first started keeping seahorses I kept the rock along the back. BIG MISTAKE. The seahorses would still find a way to hide in the rock and they only way to get them out was to take the rock apart. Second design was to move the rock work toward the middle of the tank so I could see and reach the seahorses. It was OK, however the seahorses spent as much time behind the rock as they did in front of them . This is when I started building tunnels across the back of my tanks. The seahorses spend most of their time toward the front of these tanks near the tunnel entrances and even the pregnant male's remain visible. Although, they do have a tendency to move into the tunnels when I bring out the camera.

I have two return pumps on this tank. One is a NJ-5500 attached to the dual returns and the other is a NJ-1800 powering the UV. I did have to add a bleed off valve on the 5500 because the overflow could not handle that much flow. Yes my seahorses can handle more flow than a DSA 65. The filter is a Eshopps WD-150 that I braced and added baffles to turning it into a sump. Had this sitting around for a couple of years and finally turned it into something useful. The skimmer is a SCA-302 which works very well for 4 seahorses. Currently the primary light is ambient, I do have a standard fluorescent light on the tank right now which I rarely use and plan to replace it with LED's. There is some macro in the tank that is just now starting to grow and plan to seed the tank with some amphipods shortly. Now to get some color into those white rocks.

[leliataylor]

Caught one of my seahorses hiding just inside one of the openings to the tunnel. Yeah, they really do use it.

[leliataylor]

I didn't realize it has been almost 2 years since I updated this thread. Now that I have more time I have been gradually adding equipment (LED lights, biopellet reactor, etc) to this tank for the last year. Currently it houses a pair of seahorses, some zoas, palys, mushrooms and nephthea. I removed a gallon bag full of macro from the tank today and will be adding a algae scrubber once I get the acrylic box built. My plan is to eventually move the seahorses to another tank and turn this into a reef tank. My pair of clowns will then get moved into this tank and I will add other fish and corals gradually. My dKH, Mg and Ca are remaining stable for now, although this will change as I add more livestock. I still need to get a couple of MP10's and some T5's to add to the canopy as well. Converting a tank from a seahorse tank to a reef tank is a gradual process.

[alton]

Glad you brought this back but, we need updated pictures? Please

[leliataylor]

Will take some pics real soon. I have been very busy lately and up until yesterday it looked like a green wavey tank thanks to my macro going crazy. It really was pretty, however it became hard to even find my mushrooms. I really should have taken a picture of it be I removed so much of the macro.

[leliataylor]

Well I added a single head of Radioactive Dragons Eyes a couple of months ago and it now has 3 heads which are always open and some new buds. I added a single head of Blow Pops last month. I didn't think the Blow Pop was going to make it, but is now staying open and has a couple of new buds as well. Once I moved it lower in the tank it started looking much better. I don't like killing things so I am adding very small frags gradually and if they continue to do well I will add more.