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I have a 40 gallon tank stocked with live rock and cycled. It has a sump filtration system and protein skimmer. We have had salt water tanks for about 4 years now. We have a 200 gallon reef tank with mostly tangs and clowns and are now ready for a new challenge.
Now for the questions. Is 40 gallons big enough for a pair of Mustangs and a pair of Sunburst? Or should I choose only 1 pair??
I have a had my mustangs for about a year and a half now in a 30gal cube with wet dry filter sump and protein skimmer and it has worked great. I can’t say if two pair would be ok or not. But I can say that keeping seahorses is nothing like keeping a reef. I have had a reef for ten years now and have had to unlearn what I have learned. … Slow water movement , colder water , what seems like overfeeding to a reef even. Start with the mustangs they are great mine have had babys all ready. good luck
michael
Hi simoes,
Yes indeed 49g is just fine for 1 pair of Mustangs and 1 pair of Sunbursts.
Your previous reef keeping experience will be very beneficial. Welcome to the forum and the wondeful world of seahorses!!Leslie
Dear hobbyist:
It sounds like you have an excellent set up for seahorses. An aquarium of 40 gallons (150 L) can provide significant benefits in terms of the greater stability a larger volume of water can provide. With the added water volume of the sump, an aquarium of that size will be more resistant to overcrowding and to rapid fluctuations in temperature, pH, and salinity than smaller setups. The larger the aquarium the larger the margin for error it offers the aquarist and the greater the benefits it provides in terms of stability. So I40-gallon aquarium with lots of live rock, an efficient protein skimmer, and the added advantage of a sump should make an excellent homes for your seahorses. As experienced marine aquarists and reefkeepers, you have the right background to become excellent seahorse keepers!
Assuming that your aquarium will be a dedicated seahorse tank and not a community tank, the suggested stocking density for Mustangs and Sunbursts (Hippocampus erectus) under those circumstances is about one pair per 10 gallons of water volume. So a reasonable number of average size Mustangs (or Sunbursts) to keep in a 40-gallon aquarium with a sump is a total of about four pairs or eight individuals.
However, since you are new to seahorse keeping, it’s a good idea for you to keep your aquarium understocked while you’re learning the ropes and gaining some valuable firsthand experience with these amazing animals. And it’s always a good idea to increase the bioload of your aquarium gradually, rather than stocking your aquarium to capacity in one fell swoop, so one pair of Mustangs plus one pair of Sunbursts should make a very good starting point for you, and your aquarium is more than spacious enough to accommodate them.
Best wishes with all of your fishes! Good luck with your new seahorse setup!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna
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