High Tide Aquatics

DIY Sea Horse/Pipe Fish Tank Idea

I have a 10gal glass aquarium (currently empty) and was thinking of making a sea horse or pipe fish tank. I was thinking of going very cheap, and trying to do something very like a beginner would do, but I would actually know what I was doing. I was thinking of doing a tank (not reef) with only live rock, live sand, and some plants (not coral, but SW plants). Since sea horses or pipe fish can't swim in currents, I would get a filter that would filter 50GPH and has low-flow. Nothing special for lights, just blue LED lights and maybe a 20W PC light. I would put a lot of LR for them to hide in/hold on to, and cover the aquarium in plants. I would have a few snails and small hermits. I would only feed the sea horses or pipe fish a very small amount of food (what they can eat without having any left-overs) so it would cut back on all the ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite levels. I would either get dwarf sea horses, or some sort of pipe fish. I would also have a small, low-watt heater in there to keep it at about 78F What do you guys think? Any suggestions?
 
I seggust you read

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/seahorse/seahorse.html

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/saltwater/Weiss_Tami_Seahorses_Twenty_Misconceptions.html

http://www.seahorse-nw.com/p1_Seahorse_Keeping.html

then think about what you read and then go find 10 or so more articles before buying 1 single animal
 
Sea horses and pipe fish like clean water conditions which you wont be able to provide with a small filter no matter how little you feed. While they like low current that doesnt mean no current and no current can produce stagnet water areas which can lead to other problematic situations. Also, pretty sure that even plants need a light. Assuming you mean microalgae as plants.
 
Ok so I've been thinking and I have an empty 20gal too so that is what I would use. The 20gal has about 50W of fluorescent lighting. I would use a filter that would do 10x the tank water in an hour so a 200GPH filter. I ruled out the sea horse idea so I decided to ONLY use pipe fish. If I do this, I'd set it up in April and let if cycle to the end of July. so about 3 1/2 - 4 months of cycling. I'll update you guys on the Idea as more comes to me... I'm going to go read the links roc gave now...
 
Ok, so I decided to get a HOB filter (not a bio wheel) and the temp will be 73F. I'm brining back the sea horse idea and will do a lot of research. I'll put in some macro algae for them to hold on to and I'm on a budget (already have tank + stand). Since dwarf horses need less than 10g I'll do the 10G with a 100GPH filter. I'll make some list of items I'll get and the cost and post it. Then I'll make a diagram blah blah blah....
 
Here is the list and prices. I decided to go with pipe fish...

EQUIPMENT

100GPH Filter - $25
Small Heater - $15
Live Rock - $50
Live Sand - $30
Salt Water - $10

LIVE
2 Banded Pipefish - $15 each (Pet Solutions)
Salt Water Plants - $50
Hermit Crabs - $15
Snails - $10

GRAND TOTAL: $210
 
A pair of banded pipefish would require a miniumum of 40+ gallons IMO... The ones I've seen successfully kept are in well established 40-90g tanks. Also they are very difficult to keep in part due to the fact that they need to eat three times a day. Like Roc said you should do a ton of research from multiple sources before you get an animal like this... or even make a plan to set up a tank like this for that matter. How can you know what you need in equipment if you don't know what it takes to keep an animal like this alive.

*edit* .... as a matter of interest here.... I checked 4 different websites that you can buy banded pipefish from including the petsolutions you mentioned. Every site specifies that this animal is for expert aquariest only due to the extremly specialized conditions that they require.
 
[quote author=zambavi link=topic=6498.msg83464#msg83464 date=1235352112]

*edit* .... as a matter of interest here.... I checked 4 different websites that you can buy banded pipefish from including the petsolutions you mentioned. Every site specifies that this animal is for expert aquariest only due to the extremly specialized conditions that they require.
[/quote]

same is true for sea horses,

I think the OP should concentrate on A tank, you already have 2 and I see you mainly posting absurd Ideas like farming nems in a PC light driving tank or complaining about every kind of algae known to man.
 
Ok then... I have until April (if I set up the tank) to learn as much about pipe fish or sea horses as much as possible. To start, which is easier pipe fish or sea horses?
 
[quote author=Roc link=topic=6498.msg83471#msg83471 date=1235354565]
absurd Ideas like farming nems in a PC light driving tank
[/quote]

So you are saying it is absurd to farm nems in a PC light driving tank?
 
Since it seems pretty much impossible to do that according to you guys, then I better just use the 10g to make a combo fuge for both my tanks since they are sitting right next to each other. Or maybe I should farm anemones under PC lights... ::)
 
*Goes to bang head into concrete wall. Then realizes what to do with the 20 gallon.

"I know", He says "I'll turn it into a frag tank since my 14 gallon is overflowing with frags!"
*Rubs his chin in thought which he looks around the room deciding a location...
"I got it!", he yells "I"ll put it between my 14 gallon and my 34 gallon! But should it be a frag tank or should I get a better light than it already has and make it a nano reef... Why don't I just get a better light and put different levels of egg crate in there to hold more frags? That is what I'll do then! And then I can DBTC the frags, foster, and encourage education and appreciation for the ethical husbandry and propagation of marine life!"

*Smiles, then winks ;D ;)
 
I am thinking of venturing down the dwarf seahorse route myself. I recently bought "The complete guide to dwarf seahorses in the aquarium" by Alisa Wagner Abbott. It is a great resource, recommended to me by the kind and informative folks on the seahorse.org forum. I plan to keep 2 pairs in a 5g with a sponge filter.
 
[quote author=bluenassarius link=topic=6498.msg84376#msg84376 date=1235554756]
please do your research before taking on seahorse/pipefishes.
[/quote]

Yes, and please know that they have specific feeding requirements which may require you to propagate live food for them.
 
Yes. In the books/articles I have read so far dwarf seahorses will require a daily 2-3x feeding of enriched BBS. Euphyllia, which species are you interested in?
 
i had some banded pipes.. they devoured the majority of my pods in my 80g literally in a few days. i had no pod predators before.. the pods were visible everywhere before the pipes came.
 
For what it is worth, I know someone who has had success with keeping seahorses in a six gallon eclipse tank- so it can definitely be done with good husbandry skills, dedication, and learning all you need to before acquiring your specimens.
 
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