dfazio's seahorse setup

[dfazio]

Hi All,

The time has come for me to try my hand at a smaller tank (since my parents won't let me take my big tank with me when I move). I have opted to convert my wife's old AR510 tank into a seahorse tank. I have taken some ideas from smallaussiereef's nano regarding an external weir.

So far, the set up will consist of:
- AR510 tank with external weir added on (with 25mm piping)
- makeshift hood (wife wants the tank covered)
- Sump holding skimmer, return pump and maybe a fuge if i can fit it in
- Return pump will be an eheim 1250
- Lighting will be a 14000K 70W halide
- Skimmer will be a reef octopus DNW-110 fed by the overflow (with excess going straight to the sump)
- 100W heater

I have started drilling for the external weir but unfortunately dont have any pictures yet.

I am starting also to think whether I should use the syphon & durso system discussed here http://www.masa.asn.au/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=168430
but this would then require I purchase an additional pump to feed the skimmer so I'm still unsure. Any thoughts on this??

I intend on keeping a pair of seahorses only with a few corals (leathers, etc). The seahorses will be tropical seahorses but which specific species I am not yet sure. So far, im thinking either
- Reid
- Angustus
- Barbouri
- Kuda

Your thoughts on the whole setup will be greatly appreciated (i will try and put up some pics soon)

Thanks[/list]

[Guv]

- Skimmer will be a reef octopus DNW-110 fed by the skimmer

... And for my next trick... a perpetual motion machine!

And now back to reality: If you size your return pump to return approximately the right flow that your skimmer requires back into your tank, then you just connect the siphon line to your skimmers feed. Any excess will go down your backup (which may be noisy if it is set up as an open standpipe rather than as a durso or stockman).

For others: This will only work on needle wheel skimmers though as a pressure feed is required with most other skimmer styles.

[dfazio]

Oops, fixed up my original post

The skimmer is a recirc needle wheel skimmer so this should hopefully all work fine and not require an additional skimmer pump to feed the skimmer as well as another to run it

[Guv]

The skimmer is a recirc needle wheel skimmer so this should hopefully all work fine and not require an additional skimmer pump to feed the skimmer as well as another to run it

Correct. You may also consider adding an in-line valve on your return pump line so that you can reduce the flow slightly if too much excess is going down your backup line (i.e. if it gets noisy).

Sounds like a great project - good luck

[Lexie]

I've heard (and could be wrong; i just remember reading it somewhere) that the kuda being sold in Australia at the moment aren't true kuda seahorses and are actually quite ugly.

I keep reidi and barbouri seahorses... They both seem really hardy and they've got tons of personality. I'd go for whichever you prefer the look of. Either that, or, if you're ordering them from somewhere that breeds them in the same system (eg. oceanarium) then you reduce the risks of transferring diseases if you get multiple species. Oceanarium have angustus, barbouri and reidi in the same system, I believe... if I were you, that's what I'd go for.

[mellissa]

Lexie,
Oceanarium don't breed the seahorses. they come from Mic Payne in Kalbarri. You are correct about the horses being kept in the same water, Mic told me that he breeds all his horses and pipe fish in the same water.

So I emailed Oceanarium and asked them how they held the horses and they told me that they keep all of their seahorses in a closed system, and the fish in another.

If you were to buy the seahorses from a lfs, I would stick to one species. I would also be very careful and Q any horses from lfs because they don't keep theri horses separate from the fish. ie the cb horses are sharing water from the wild caught tangs, lion etc.

M

[mellissa]

Oh, dfazio,

Keep in mind the size of the fry and if you have time to raise them. Barbouri have largish fry, they will take fresh hatch brine shrimp, and from memory they are benthic, but the other species you have listed have teeny weeny fry, I'm talking 0.5cm. Angustus fry are best fed with copepods and reidi and kuda are best fed with rotifers. Plus they are pelagic which presents a heap of problems with setting up the right nursery to keep the fry from the surface and snicking air which will kill them.
I am setting up a new horse tank at the moment, and I'm going for angustus, reidi and some pipes, but I'm keeping only male seahorses. The pipefish you need male female pairs or they will fight.

HTH
M

[dfazio]

Thanks very much for that

I'm still not 100% on the species but I have time on my hands because ill be cycling this tank for a while

Small update: just finished drilling the external weir outlet on the tank and cut the glass for the external weir.

Sorry i havent taken process pics. Ill post up the completed pics soon

Thanks

[dfazio]

Its obviously been a while, but here are some pics of the external weir and the skimmer i purchased

I am also building a sump to hold the skimmer, the return (Eheim 1260) and a small fuge. I'll also be building a hood to hold a 70W halide (pics will come eventually )

My New Skimmer


The whole tank


The external weir


close up of the cut out

[dfazio]

Hi All,

Well its been a long while since I have updated this but here is the progress.

I have set it up, added rock and.....thats it
I am being a patient boy and waiting before adding in any livestock (that and the fact that I'm going on holidays and don't want to leave them)

I am also in the process of building my auto top off

There is probably about 10 odd kilos of rock in there. Plus a few small pieces in the sump with the macro algae (which is going great guns btw)

I think there are pods in there aswell now. Ill take some pics and upload them soon

Here are some more pics in the mean time

Skimmer in action
Its probably pulling out a whole cup of stinky crap each week (with nothing but rock in there)


Plumbing


Return


Hood


Light


Return Plumbing


Electrical


Full tank shot


Full tank shot (with more rock)