planing a seahorse tank - help needed

[Anemone]

hi all

planning for a seahorse tank. thinking of a 2 feet cube. would that be enough for several pairs of seahorse? the purpose for this tank is educational.

really.

anyway, was thinking of a 2 feet cube with sump n cabinet. is this appropriate?

will be adding 3-4 inches of grade '0' sand. should i add LR as well? or should i go for the open look? (sandbed with lots of marcoalgae)

this will be a FOWLR tank. no corals. will probably got for some FLs for the lighting. but wondering its its enough for the marcoalgae.

wat should i add in the sump? a really DSB?

anyway, the budget is about 2K (less is better)

maybe those who have an idea how much things cost now can gimme an outline of wat i should be getting?

along with any helpful advise, of coz.

cheers,

jon.

[Eric]

hi all

planning for a seahorse tank. thinking of a 2 feet cube. would that be enough for several pairs of seahorse? the purpose for this tank is educational.

really.

anyway, was thinking of a 2 feet cube with sump n cabinet. is this appropriate?

will be adding 3-4 inches of grade '0' sand. should i add LR as well? or should i go for the open look? (sandbed with lots of marcoalgae)

this will be a FOWLR tank. no corals. will probably got for some FLs for the lighting. but wondering its its enough for the marcoalgae.

wat should i add in the sump? a really DSB?

anyway, the budget is about 2K (less is better)

maybe those who have an idea how much things cost now can gimme an outline of wat i should be getting?

along with any helpful advise, of coz.

cheers,

jon.

$2k? I think $1k more than enough liao..........Eric

[Anemone]

lol

thats nice to hear. we'll probably go for a 3 feet now.

any advise for the setting up? besides the mandatory one mth cycling.

[FuEl]

Try to avoid DSB in your 2ft cube. Will be an eyesore and will take up vital height required for seahorses. Do a compartment in your sump for DSB if possible (the larger the surface area the better).

Current should not be too strong. Your return pump should give ample current.

Avoid bright lights. Maybe one or two tubes of T5s should suffice. Seahorses don't really like bright light.

Avoid liverocks in your tank if possible. Continued grasping of tails to liverock will lead to abrasion.

Go for tall macroalgae or seaweed throughout the tank. Your seahorses will thank you for it. Do let me know if you have trouble finding such seaweed. Will gladly tell you where to find them.

Skim in moderation. You need to leave some nutrients for your seaweed to grow.

Some peaceful tankmates would be good to prevent nuisance algae blooms and to clean up excess food. Zebra dwarf hermits and emerald crabs can be considered (they are very docile). Companion fish species can be pipefish or other peaceful slow moving fishes like scooter blennies, etc. If you are going to add companion fish do so after your seahorses are in and feeding well.

I forsee a great seahorse tank!

[Anemone]

how many pairs can i have in a 2 feet cube? or 3 feet?

supposing that they breed one day, is there any website where i can find information on how to rasie them? do u need another tank for the breeding pair?

[FuEl]

how many pairs can i have in a 2 feet cube? or 3 feet?

supposing that they breed one day, is there any website where i can find information on how to rasie them? do u need another tank for the breeding pair?

I would stick to a dedicated pair in a 2ft and maybe 2 pairs in a 3ft. You might be able to keep more seahorses but I don't believe in crowding them. Do a search in the seahorse forum. Alot of useful links have been posted before..

[Anemone]

hmm...

thanks.