Seahorse Tank Size

[xolo]

Hello, I have checked out tank sizes for seahorses, i think after re-measuring mine, it might not be tall enough?
I had forgotten the ledge at top of tank which will cut the amount of height space, it measures about 45cm or about 18 and a half inches. Plus this doesn't include LS and LR. I think i read tank heights should be at least 20 inches.? I also think my tank is under 30 uk gallons [ 26-27 gallons]
Please can anyone advice what is the best height and gallon size, i don't plan to breed so i will have a single sex tank and only plan to have two seahorses plus clean up crew.
Also if my tank is to small can anyone advice which make of tank is best, i want to give the seahorses as much space as possible and better water quality.
Thank you.
Sarah.

 

[flamingonhot]

Your tank should be big enough to house a handful of species. Hippocampus Reidi and Hippocampus Erectus are two species that are good to start with and are in the "medium sized" class. There are a few others, like Hippocampus Capensis, that you could also keep in there; but they are a little more maintenance and need a chiller if your water gets into the 70's.

30 gallons or around is the best size tank to start out with. To figure out the height needed, measure the seahorses body (uncurled) when fully grown and times it by 3. Three times the height is usually the best but a little deviation should be fine.

Do you have any pictures of the tank?

 

[Dragonscales]

Here is a copy of an article I wrote a while back that should give you a rough estimate of what you will need for which species:



Micro
Generally these seahorses reach an adult size of about 4 centimeters

H. bargibanti
H. lichtensteinii
H. minotaur
H. zostrae

Small
Generally these seahorses reach an adult size between 5 and 9 centimeters

H. breviceps
H. fisheri
H. mohnikei
H. sindonis
H. zebra

Medium
Generally these seahorses reach an adult size between 10 and 16 centimeters

H. angustus
H. barbouri
H. borboniensis
H. camelopardalis
H. capensis
H. comes
H. coronatus
H. fuscus
H. hippocampus
H. histrix
H. jayakari
H. kuda
H. spinosissimus
H. trimaculatus
H. whitei

Large
Generally these seahorses reach an adult size of 17 centimeters and upwards

H. abdominalis
H. algiricus
H. erectus
H. guttulatus
H. ingens
H. kelloggi
H. reidi
H. subelongatus


The general rule of "a bigger tank is always better" differs a little with seahorses compared to most fish. With smaller species an overly large tank quickly becomes rather impractical, both for the seahorses and the tankviewer, to the point where it would be better to invest in larger seahorse species. In general the seahorses on the list above under "micros" should be substituted for "small" species after the tank size gets to around 25 gals. "Smalls" should be changed to "mediums" after around 75 gals. On the other side of the coin, minimum tank size for a "medium" seahorse is around 20 gals and for a "large" it's about 29 gals.

The minimum sizes listed above are only for housing seahorses though and not indicative of breeding needs. Generally to breed seahorses you will require a tank that is at least 2 - 2.5 times the height of the seahorses in question. Also note that the above suggestions for the medium and large seahorses are more of a minimum tank height rather than minimum tank size and generally could house between 2 to 4 seahorses (many people would say you could keep up to 6 - 8 but I believe in understocking, especially when new to the hobby) comfortably, depending on filtration, etc of course.

 

[pleder]

Your tank size is fine for a pair of seahorses. Erectus, reidi, kuda, and barbouri would all do well in there IMO.

Dragonscales, what happended to the other site? I don't follow the changing species to different size part? I would also not keep a pair of adult pots in a 29g. JMO

Flamingonhot, nice to see you here.

Kevin

 

[flamingonhot]

I didn't get part of that either.

But since I saw pots in there, they would need something around a 60 gallon since they get 13 inches long.

I would also like to point something out in that article, although it is kind of good with pointing out smaller ones, etc. over half of those species aren't even commonly seen in the hobby. Take H. Bargabanti for instance, one of the smallest seahorses known, but it's not even close to being in the hobby as even a rarity. Few have even kept them alive for short periods of time, out of those most are scientists studying them or experienced seahorse nuts who ordered a gorgonian that came with one on it (which is very rare but likely since gorgonians are a natural home for them).

Also why are kudas in the medium section while erectus and reidi are in the larger sections? Kudas and the like reach about the same sizes but kudas generally are a little bigger. If anything, erectus and reidi are medium-large while kudas would be in the large secton. A lot of that article confuses me...hope I don't sound like a total jerk though.

And kevin, thanks! Don't personally know if i've seen you on any other forum lol. Just found this one from a link someone posted.

 

[pleder]

I think his goal was to classify all species. Looks like he left out bleekri, procerus and tubercaluts, but overall a nice job. Some consider procerus and whitei to be the same species as well.

Kuda is still considered by many as a complex with many sub species. Some view kellogi and fuscus as part of the complex.

Dylan you might have seen ome on 1 or 2 different sites. Look for variations of "pled" or the name Kevin. I get around a bit.

 

[Dragonscales]

Sorry about the confusion guys. The article still needs a bit of work as I spat it out in about 20 minutes after going without sleep for far too long (it was only an unrevised first draft as well which didn't help). I hadn't actually read it since it's creation until just now and I admit, it does have a few loose ends to tie up Back to the workshop for this one...

I was supposed to move a couple to a new section called "jumbo" like the aforementioned Pots and add a tank size for them.

Regardless of whether available for the trade at the moment or not I wanted to make a complete list. They may become available one day and even if they don't it just looks more complete with them all.

The ones not on there yet are ones I've had a bit of trouble tracking down alot of info for.

Kuda can vary alot in size and shape due to possible mixes in their genepool. I personally went with what the majority of people I have spoken to keep size-wise.

The species which are still up in the air as to whether they are one species or several (procerus and whitei for example) were categorised individually to avoid confusion for those who stillclass them as seperate species. This will change if they are ever set into concrete as being definitively one species.

As for the change in tank sizes for each increment of seahorse size, this is purely for practicality and aesthetic reasons. For instance, very small seahorses would be out of place in a huge 6x2x2 tank due to them being too small to see properly when taking in the entire scope of the tank and would probably make feeding a chore and a half as well. However, a larger seahorse such as Erectus would be a far better use of the space from an aesthetic point of view and would have a less troublesome time finding food placed in the tank (and work less for it, thus saving precious energy). Target feeding Erectus, etc would also be a much better prospect than target feeding dwarves in a very large tank if that is the prefered method of giving food.

As for the other site, I just haven't had the time or energy for it lately. I've had that much to do around the new house that I have been completely drained lately. I need a holiday

O.k, I think that covers everything. I haven't had much sleep again though (7:30 am here, couldn't sleep at all tonight and had bugger all the last few nights ) so don't quote me on that hahaha.

 

[flamingonhot]

Dragonscales, lol okay. I didn't want to sound harsh, but I was staring at it like huh? For a while.

Pleder, might have seen you. ON Too many forums to remember everyone though

 

[Dragonscales]

You didn't sound harsh in the slightest

Everybody is human and therefore makes mistakes and I openly admit there are a couple in there which need revision. If you hadn't have brought them up then I probably wouldn't have noticed them for a while (if at all) and I'd prefer them to be fixed rather than spread disinformation (however unwittingly or unintentional).

 

[xolo]

Hello, Sorry for my late reply. Thank you all for your replies, all your advice was very helpful.
So a pair of single sex horses would be ok in my tank? Would it be better to get a bigger tank, meaning taller in height than long?
Can't seem to find tanks taller than mine and having more than 30 uk gallons. There are plenty of other tanks around, like bow fronted and very long tanks but not height wise. Hope this makes sense!
If i stay with my tank do i need a sump? is the sump used to just hide the equipment and provide more space in the main tank?
Can i just have LR, LS and a filter, either a canister or skimmer? What other equipment would i need, apart from a heater and lights.
Sorry for asking such silly questions, just would like to get it right.
Thanks again.
Sarah.

 

[flamingonhot]

Your current tank should be fine.

I wuld go for a canister ( try xp filstar series) and a regular submersible heater or inline heater if you have an extra 40 bucks to spend! If you get a submersible place it towards the top and you may want to put a heater guard on it.

You don't need a skimmer. In seahorse tanks there is SOME proof of them actually giving the seahorses a greater chance of getting gas bubble disease. WIth a beginner, you may want to stay away from anythign that'll increase the chance of GBD.

Sump is not needed, on my tank I simply have an oversized HOB filter filled with bio-media and the tank has a lot of macro. Ammonia and the like are close to zero, nitrites a bit higher due to feeding 3 times a day but i've got the problem solved lol.

There are more things but I don't have much time to type the rest out! I'm going to be finishing my updated seahorse article soon so you may want to check that out also!

 

[xolo]

Hi Flamingonhot,
Thanks for your reply. I will look out for your articles.
So i would need a canister filter, is this a hob type? sorry still getting used to all the different equipment needed for marines.
What about the saltwater, do i get a ro unit or buy the water from the lfs, can you make it without having a ro unit, just sounds like a lot of plumbing etc.
Would 30lbs of live rock be ok or to much for my tank?
Sorry for asking so many questions.
Thanks,
Sarah.

 

[demonmagus]

a canister filter is an external, like this

http/www.aquatics-online.co.uk/Z025047.asp

 

[flamingonhot]

An ro/di unit is optional. It really all depends on what your water is like. Diatom algae blooms may occur, usually going away, but with some peoples water it stays around for a long period of time. Personally I get diatoms a lot during the first 3 months of setting up the tank but when I incorporate a lot of macro it seems to get rid of it. Most people will see algae cycles, first they get diatoms, then it's overtaken by green algaes, then coralline algaes and the like start growing.

30 pounds of live rock should be okay. Make sure to have a lot of macro in your tank, not only is it helpful for your water, but it mimics their natural environment better. Caulerpa is the more "fancy" stuff , chaeto is the "not so good looking in the tank" stuff but filters your water the best.

That's ok, don't mind answering your questions!

 

[pleder]

An RODI unit filters out more then just phosphates. IMO you should use RO water to make any salt water that you will use. If you don't want to do the plumbing you can just buy RO water (it's what I do), most LFS's sell it rather cheap. Mine is 25 cents a gallon.

Depending on where you live your tap water can contain several elements that are toxic to a marine tank . There are water conditioners out there, but IMO RO water is the best way to go.

Also IMO your ammonia needs to be at zero, not close to zero before you add your seahorses. If you are still detecting nitrites your tank was not properly cycled when you added you speciments.