Bought a new tank can I keep sea horses?

[ozorowsky]

Hi all,

I bought a new 230 gallon tank!!!! It is drilled in both corners with return boxes. Each box is about 15 gallons.

First: Please share your thoughts. When I go to swap tanks (I have a 125 gallon now) I am going to take all my water, discharge it into trash bins (new ones), and put my live rock in there.

I was thinking of taking my fish and put them into a 35 gallon trash barrel filled with my tank water and a heater in there during the change over process.

Then swap the tank, and suck the water from where the live rock is to the tank, place the live rock, place the fish, finish filling the rest of the water, then mix water as needed and start the cycle.

Any thoughts on this process?



After the new tank is setup and fully stable, I was thinking of using one of my corner returns, and putting a few seahorses in there so as to not waste that space. Would that work? Of course my return will be screened off.

 

[jsmith]

Im going to be honest and say I've never heard of anyone doing that but its a fantastic idea if it can pulled off.. I don't know what the dimensions are of the corner however they don't need alot of room specially dwarf horses.. I would imagine flow would be an issue how would u circulate water? Im going to be following this tgreax

 

[ozorowsky]

Im going to be honest and say I've never heard of anyone doing that but its a fantastic idea if it can pulled off.. I don't know what the dimensions are of the corner however they don't need alot of room specially dwarf horses.. I would imagine flow would be an issue how would u circulate water? Im going to be following this tgreax

The tank is 25" high. There is an over flow in each corner and the tank is drilled at the bottom. the over flow backing (Facing inside of tank) is black, and the tank itself is 3 viewable from 3 sides (Both long sides viewable the way I placed it in my room (as a divider)

So the over flows are about 25" high x 10" wide. Should be good room for the dwarfs.

As far as flow, you have to picture the setup. Imagine a drilled tank, and there is a return sitting on the side of the overflow pouring water into the tank.

In the overflow is a pvc pipe that comes up say 18" (so the water in over flow will be 18" deep), I would think water from the main tank would be flowing in there then up and out and down into the sump.

Would this not work?

 

[Gti_Leo]

they put seahorses in the overflows, you won't rwally see them in there but its possible

 

[ozorowsky]

they put seahorses in the overflows, you won't rwally see them in there but its possible

Why wouldn't you see them? My over flows have a good size clear (glass) viewing area on two sides. Very clear view into my overflow which is what gave me this idea, because I didn't want to have wasted space.

 

[Gti_Leo]

you could put micro algaes in there to help soak up some of the polutants that are in the water. liek a refugium extention

 

[ozorowsky]

you could put micro algaes in there to help soak up some of the polutants that are in the water. liek a refugium extention

Thats an awesome idea. I have two built in over flows, so I will defintely do that in one; the other I was going to use as a bad fish corner time out.

 

[austinsdad]

They move too slow and the food will rush thru the returns, therefore starving the horses IMO. Bad idea I think.

 

[ozorowsky]

Also, if not searhorses, what would be cool to put in there?

 

[austinsdad]

My vote'd be nothing. What would keep them from being sucked into the fuge or sump?

 

[ozorowsky]

My vote'd be nothing. What would keep them from being sucked into the fuge or sump?

A screen over the return tube.

 

[rdnelson99]

I am a newbie so I may not know what I am talking about but......

I have read you can't have much flow or it will knock seahorses around. The returns would have a lot of flow wouldn't they? Don't think they would like it much.

 

[austinsdad]

That screen will get clogged up, believe me. And like I said, and which rdnelson pointed out, there'd be too water much movement in there.

 

[Gti_Leo]

I am a newbie so I may not know what I am talking about but......

I have read you can't have much flow or it will knock seahorses around. The returns would have a lot of flow wouldn't they? Don't think they would like it much.

not as much flow as you'd think and yes seahorses are poor swimmers, also microbubbles in the water will kill them and rot them from the inside and it would stink so bad

 

[jsmith]

My vote'd be nothing. What would keep them from being sucked into the fuge or sump?

He's not using sump I take it he's closing them off... he he his bad idea to put in anything lol..