Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm and Tours | Kona Hawaii › Forums › Seahorse Life and Care › Stocking first seahorse tank- help please
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July 12, 2006 at 9:42 pm #853TeenaMember
Hello all, I am trying to plan a 37T seahorse tank and would like to include a few small gobies and shrimp. I am considering reidis, erectus, and barbouris, or a combination. I have read the recommended stocking rates are about 1 pair per 8 gallons, and that it is best for them to be in larger rather than smaller groups. They are the priority in this tank, but I was wondering how many other small fish you could add with say 8 seahorses in this set up. The fish I was considering are the helfrichi firefish, green and yellow clown goby, tailspot blenny (for algae control), and blue spot jawfish. I would appreciate all opinions. I don\’t want to overstock and don\’t mind narrowing the choices for the well being of all concerned.Thanks in advance for all help.
July 12, 2006 at 11:42 pm #2650LeslieGuestHi Teena,
Welcome!!!
A 37 tall is a nice size tank for seahorses. Good choice.
8 seahorses might be OK in that size tank depending on the filtration you have planned and with weekly water changes but it would max the tank out IMO. I would not over crowd the tank with additional fish. If you want fish and seahorses, 2 pair of horses with a couple of fish would probably be best.I do find groups do. In that size tank with tankmate a small group would be best
Algae eating blennies as a rule do not make good tankmates, most are territorial and many will nip at the seahorses. I prefer snails for algae control. If you want a blenny I would recommend a Midas Blenny. The firefish and clown gobies make great tankmates.
The Blue Spot Jawfish is one of my favorites. They are just gorgeous and very entertaining. They do however have special needs, a couple being a decent depth sand bed and a tightly covered tank. There is a great article in the online Reef Keeping magazine on http://www.reefcentral.com. Unfortunately I cannot access the link right now. If you go to reefcentral and click on the link to the magazine it will take you to past issues and you can use the index to find the article on Jawfish.
HTH,
Leslie
July 13, 2006 at 11:30 am #2651TeenaGuestHI Leslie, Thanks for all the great info. I forgot to mention my filtration. I am using a reef devil sump with an Aqua C EV-120 protein skimmer. I also cycled with 30 pounds of live rock. I had wondered about a power filter for extra filtration or a small hang on back refugium. I don’t think I could get very heavy with anything on a glass tank this size. I had also considered setting up a small seperate tank for red shrimp.
I will leave out the tailspot blenny. Probably go with one clown goby and either the firefish or the jawfish. Though I love them both, and it is going to be a tough choice. May have to take a family vote.:)
Thanks again for the help and making me feel welcome. TeenaJuly 13, 2006 at 2:28 pm #2652LeslieGuestHi Teena,
Your welcome!!
The clown gobies are tiny so you could probably get 2 and one of the other fish. Jawfish are fun and will provide quite a bit more entertainment than the Firefish IMO. Do check out that article before you decide though it’s called Lets Jaw about Jawfish and you can find it here
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-03/hcs3/index.php
There is also a good article about gobies in the same magazine
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-10/hcs3/index.phpHTH,
Leslie
July 13, 2006 at 3:46 pm #2655TeenaGuestLeslie, Fascinating articles and a wealth of information. I’m sold. The jawfish sounds like it will be a hoot. And I think I will get a pair of either the green or yellow clowns.
Did you think my filtration sounded adequate? Should I add the power filter?
Also, I really love the brightly colored seahorses. Do the reidis, erectus, or barbouris keep their yellow colors best? I have been reading the articles on this site and I am planning to have a lot of red, orange, and yellow in the tank for hitching posts to try to help the coloration.
This is a terrific site. SO glad I found it, Teena
July 13, 2006 at 3:49 pm #2656TeenaGuestLeslie, I adore the Sunfires. They one of the types I was considering. Are they not erectus? What type are they? Teena
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