Dear hobbyist:
Howdy, Haley! Welcome to the group!
Contact me off list and I will load you up with all the information you need to know about setting up a 33-gallon aquarium and optimizing it to meet the needs and requirements of Mustangs (Hippocampus erectus). I will include an itemized list of all the equipment you need to get started, along with step-by-step instructions for setting up your tank, aquascaping it to create an ideal habitat for Mustangs, cycling the new aquarium, and a great deal more. You can reach me at the following e-mail address anytime:
A wet/dry trickle filter isn’t a prerequisite for a seahorse tank at all, Haley. It’s a good choice if it be serving as your primary means of biological filtration, since a wet/dry filter also maintains high levels of dissolved oxygen and helps protect your aquarium against gas supersaturation and potential problems with gas bubble syndrome. But the type of setup I usually prefer relies on live rock as the primary means of biological filtration, since it can provide denitrification as well as nitrification, and thereby complete the nitrogen cycle. Live rock helps to keep the water quality stable and helps to keep nitrate levels low.
In a tank with sufficient live rock, the external filter just needs to move water for good circulation and provide a means of mechanical and chemical filtration, and most any hang-on-the-back or canister filter will serve those purposes quite nicely. I like to include a good protein skimmer on most seahorse setups to provide supplemental filtration and help maintain optimum water quality.
Anyway, e-mail me off list and we’ll cut through the confusion and get you fixed up with everything you need to know about selecting a suitable aquarium and setting it up specifically for Mustangs.
Best wishes with all your fishes, Haley!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna
Ocean Rider, Inc. is an Organic Hawaiian-Based Seahorse Aqua-Farm & Aquarium that Follows Strict Good Farming Practices in Raising Seahorses and Other Aquatic Life.
