YAY! finally im getting my seahorse tank!

[flamingonhot]

Im really happy...im finally going to set up a 65 gallon tank for some seahorses (hoping for some redei however you spell it lol).
I might get some pipefish but im sort of concerned on the whole thing of introducing diseases through wild caught pipefish. Other than the seahorses and possibly the pipefish ill probably add a small jawfish and some inverts for cleaning up the tank.

its going to be a 65 gallon with about 45-85 pounds of fiji live rock with some introduced copepods. 5 different types of macroalgae like caulerpa prolifera and red gracileria algae. a 3 tube bulb by i think all glass aquariums with various bulbs....the lighting will be decided really when i decide all the stuff im keeping in the tank.
40 pounds of tahitian moon sand. and a 50 gallon sump/refugium wiht variuos macroalgaes and a ton of mangrove plants for filtering the water.im really excited about the mangrove filtration thing since it sounds interesting how they filter water and if you do it right your tank will benefit greatly from it. my sump is gonna be a 50 gallon rubbermaid if possible since i need all the space since some of the mangroves are about 24-36 inches tall lol.

had to share im just so excited! i can tell you more detailed info about it if you want its just that right now i dont remember a lot of it and dont feel like typing really detailed info unless someone wants to know lol.

 

[HoopsGuru]

Congrats!

I would pass on the mangroves though. They are very slow growers, which means they also remove nutrients much slower than the algaes you mention. Although, if you simply want to experiment or enjoy them, I do not mean that they will be bad for your system.

 

[flamingonhot]

THeyare supposedly great nutrient removers and what not i heard? im also putting a lot o f macroalgae in with it to furthe filter the water and add hiding places for copepods and what not.

Im just gonna laugh when i order the mangroves....up to 36 inches...thats a lot of mangrove. i found a site selling them that big. i wojuld like it if they were a little smaler but its good since like you sai dthey grow really slow supposedly 1-3 inches every year or two so i dont have to wait for them to get a good size. the sump is was going to be really for well a sump lol but someone on another seahorse site told me that i could add a refugium in it and add some mangroves. i did some research and supposedly it really makes adifference if you construct them right.

 

[JPloman]

When my tank first started, I purchaced a mangrove tree. My nitrates were very high and I was told by the LFS that it would quickly reduce the the bad stuff in the tank. Guess what... The mangrove tree did nothing and eventually ended up dying.

Any plant will help to remove the additional nutrients from your tank. I think mangroves are very pretty in the wild (especially when they start to bloom), but I have never seen one doing very well in a tank. Sure I have seen them live in a tank, but they were stunted (growth wise) and the tank was not much healthier than it would have been with a cheaper and faster growing algea like cheato. This is just my opinion, take it or leave it.

 

[HoopsGuru]

THeyare supposedly great nutrient removers and what not i heard? im also putting a lot o f macroalgae in with it to furthe filter the water and add hiding places for copepods and what not.

Im just gonna laugh when i order the mangroves....up to 36 inches...thats a lot of mangrove. i found a site selling them that big. i wojuld like it if they were a little smaler but its good since like you sai dthey grow really slow supposedly 1-3 inches every year or two so i dont have to wait for them to get a good size. the sump is was going to be really for well a sump lol but someone on another seahorse site told me that i could add a refugium in it and add some mangroves. i did some research and supposedly it really makes adifference if you construct them right.

Plants export utilize (and technically export) nutrients to grow, if a specific one grows slowly it not not uptake nutrients very quickly. Mangroves are very interesting, but solely are not really the most efficient methods of nutrient reduction and removal when compared to the fast growing chaeto, gracilaria, caulerpa species that are like weeds and must be pruned monthly.

The key to mangroves is actually to get them as small as possible while still being healthy. Since they get so big (and essentially difficult to keep my hobbyists because of their size long term), it is beneficial to have as many years of positive growth available.

But, it sounds like you are using them more for a display, and have other algaes for the bulk of export. In this case, buying a taller "instant display" is cool....and a picture of the setup when it is all put together would be nice to see!

 

[flamingonhot]

I should of figured out everything before I posted this lol.

Instead of getting the 60 gallon set up for seahorses im doing a 30 gallon with a pair of h. reidi with maybe some small goby like a neon or red head.

My dad found out everything I wanted to do and said no since it's actually his tank, im just using it. So we agreed that if I take down my 60 gallon I can buy a 30 gallon and set it up for seahorses.

Im just having basic stuff and incorporating the sump in the future. Im going to have a refugium in the center with some mangroves and vast quantites of macroalgae and some live rock.

When I remember more of what im doing and getting i'll post some more on it.

Btw..right now the tank is up with sand, hob filter, and heater. Im cycling it a bit before getting the live rock since i spent most of my money on the tank. I just couldn't stand looking at that empty tank by my bed lol.

 

[melosu58]

Hope every thing goes alright