potbelly seahorse aquarium..

[kristin]

Hello as i am a beginner, I would like some advice and information about keeping seahorses - some recommended links perhaps.

What do you think - are seahorses too hard for beginners.
I am thinking of getting a 107 litres(28 gallons)tank for seahorses only - i read that seahorses require less room and this size would be perfect...i dont know is it?? I also thought the measurements of this tank should be length-60cm, width - 34cm, height - 50 cm (please comment on this)
What else is required - hydrometer, overflow filter, synthetic sea salt, water conditioner and water tests, water heater - what kind of light??

What do seahorse need inside their tank - shell grit??? coral sand?
And how many seahorses can i put in the tank (1, 2?)
What about starfish as a tankmate - i was just wondering (mostly i am interested in seahorses)
Do seahorses need any special places to hide or to hang on with their tales??

I would be very thankful for your answers and if you know some good links on these subjects post them to me

(I know it is going to take a lot of time before i can actually set up a tank - right now i am just researching)

kristin,

Check out a sight that I belive is www.oceanrider.com if my memory serves me correctly. Its the best sight I have located to date. They have lots of info there for you and are a great source for Seahorses.

Personally I think they are a little too much for the beginner. But it is doable. It would be best if you went another route first for a while before stepping up to Seahorses.

Your tank should be just fine size wise.

See Ocean Rider for tank set up needs as they cover this in great detail. Far better than I can here.

For a substrate...I would suggest something on the fine side of things. Something like crushed coral is a dirt trap. Oolitic sand is in my opinion a little too fine. So anything in between those two extremes should be great.

How many would depend on the size of the Seahorse.

Starfish would probably make a great tank mate. The Linkas, Brittle Stars, and Sand Sifting Stars would probably be a good choice for tank mates.

They dont need any places to hide but they do need something to hold on to. Again see Ocean Rider for more details.

The seahorses they sell are a bit on the pricey side of things but they are all captive bred, captive raised, healthier than wild cuaght specimens for the most part and they are acclimitized to eating frozen Mysis which makes the likelyhood of them surviving long term in the aquarium enviroment. Wils cuaght specimens are a 50/50 crap shoot at best as far as survivability in an aquarium goes. They may adapt or they may just slowly deteriorate. This is why I recommend Ocean Rider so much. Your chances of success are going to be much higher with captive bred Seahorses.

Good luck, and welcome to the hobby!!!

[MikeS]

I agree...seahorses may be a little difficult for the beginner...I'd suggest getting some marine tank experience with an easier to keep specimen first.

Do lots of research, ask lots of questions, that's the key to this hobby... :D

http://www.coralforum.com/cms_articles.php

there are plenty of good articles on marine tanks here, when you have some time browse through them (although I don't think we have any on seahorses yet).

Mike

[kristin]

thank you

I have come to an understanding myself(by doing some research) that I should try something easier - as much as i like seahorses :(

so I guess I'll keep on searching - may be I'll read something about the starfish....

[Condiman]

Please keep us posted on what you plan on doing. We all like hearing about other people setups.

[kristin]

I checked the oceanrider.com the only problem is that i live in Northern Europe and ordering any kind of marine animals here is really tricky (read:almost impossible - allthough there is one estonian aquarium store that does order marine aquarium equipment and livestock - but well it is limited :( )

[MikeS]

thank you

I have come to an understanding myself(by doing some research) that I should try something easier - as much as i like seahorses :(

so I guess I'll keep on searching - may be I'll read something about the starfish....

Don't dispair....although many keep seahorse-only tanks, there are fish that can be housed with them. I found an article at a seahorse site on the subject...even has pictures...

http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates.shtml

If you are set on seahorses, I'd maybe set your tank up and attempt to keep some of these first until you are ready for seahorses. In the meantime, we'd all be happy to help you get your tank up and running...

Mike