nor_wester Posted October 26, 2004 Report Share Posted October 26, 2004 Hi all. I am just about to buy my FIRST sea horses and tank set up etc. I am purchasing them ( a girl and boy couple) off a reliable sourse so I have no worries there, but I would be interested in any advice any of you may have to help me keep my new found friends happy and well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben19185074 Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 I havn't keep sea horse before due to the reason the sea horse sold in New Zealand doesn't looks as good as overseas. Just want to see have you taken care of the cooling problem? What chiller are you using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 Hi Ben Seahorses need lots of places to hide (the more places they have to hide the safer they feel and then you get to see them more), they love live food, but will eat frozen food, they ideally like a tank that is at leat 30cms high(this is to enable them to exchange the eggs when breeding). Generally one pair of seahorse require 50 litres of water. The temp needs to be kepted under 20 degrees I keep my seahorses with a variety of tank mates that i have collected from rockpools (hermit crabs, very small fish, very small anenomies) the rule of thumb is anything that is faster than a seahorse is probibly going to eat all the food first and should not be kept with seahorses. The most important thing you can do is cycle your tank before you put anything in it If you need any other info just call out. PS i have sonme baby seahorses that i dont have room for at the moment and they will need a home in a few months. call out if you want them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillz Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 My mother loves seahorses, she was thinking of getting a couple, but can't aford the chiller set up sadly......I think the NZ ones look fantasic, awesome creatures to watch!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nor_wester Posted October 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 I am getting my sea horses from a lady that works in a local pet shop and now has to many. She is selling them to me with the complete set-up. I'm keeping them on the cooler side of the house (our bedroom) and the lady said that she just puts cooled water in her tank to manage the temp. Does this sound right? I have seen a few of you mention cooler units, but she didnt mention this when we were talking about the set-up...is this something I should be weary of. I will be hearing from her again on Friday, so please give me an idea of appropriate questions I should be asking her. Thanks for your help thus far....and I look forward to 'picking your brains' further. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wok Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 good luck on the Seahorses. I have seen seahorsemad's tank and it looks great. she does have few babies as well and as far as I am aware tehy are doing well. She is good at any questions you may want answered Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 Does this lady work at animates? you will find that you may need a chiller thru summer. how big is the aquarium Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben19185074 Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 once again i havn't keep sea horses before but as from what people said before that seahorses need to be keep "under 20 degrees ".....if you tank is really big and it is in a cool place with a few computer fans blowing on the surface you many have a chance to get through the summer. If not....then it is no way to keep you tank under 20 degree in the summer with just adding cool water. Just a coupe of days ago my tank gone over 29degrees. So in long term a chiller maybe the only answer. But just the remind you that not only a chiller cost abit but the power bill will be increased. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnB Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 either a chiller or aircon for the room they are in, other wise over summer you will have dead seahorse...... Why not look at a aircon unit off trademe, prob about $600-700 installed if you can DIY, keep you and seahorses comfortable over xmas! Sometimes i wonder about the LFS advice... I saw someone in a LFS talking about how important a skimmer was, then showed the customer the output of collection cup of a deltec... then proceeded to sell the virtues of a $130 unit once customer baulked at a more expensive unit. Check out seahorse displays at most LFS, they almost all have a chiller inline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted October 28, 2004 Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 A chiller is great if you have the money. i keep my temp down in summer by doing a variety of things such as floating soft drink coke bottles on top of the water with frozen water inside them, Running a fan over the water, from the canister filter i can direct the return pipe through a chilly bin which is occasionally filled with ice (piping coiled to get max effect), freeze artificial salt water and put it directly into the tank. I am getting in contact with a air conditioning engineer for this summer to see if they have a cheap alternatives or cheaper chillers. Will keep you informed. If you are using artificial water it could get really costly changing the water everyday to keep the temp down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nor_wester Posted October 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2004 Yes she does. Do you know something I should? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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