can my 4ft reef & 15 gal Seahorse share chiller?

[Hayley]

Hello,

I have a well established (3 yrs old) 4 ft reef tank with chiller, skimmer , mh lights the works. I want to set up a 15 gal sea horse tank and share the chiller and obviously the water volume of my 4 ft tank. This way a little tank will be much more stable and the seahorses will be safe and seperate from my other tank mates.

- Will seahorse be happy with same water as a reef system?
- How can I plumb 2 tanks together?

Any help or diagrams of the plumbing required would be awesome.

Current coral: 2 x leathers, mushrooms, star polyps, anenome, zoos. Fish: 2 x pacific tomato clowns, 3 chromis, cleaner wrasse, blue tang.
coral banded shrimp, hermet crabs, snails
Equipment, skimmer, external filter, chiller, 3 power heads, 2 x heaters, 2 x 150 watt MH lights, 4 x actnics.

[hydroid]

Sorry to say, but a 15 gallon just doesn't accomodate any available tropical or subtropical species.

Also, the horses should be kept below 75F. I doubt you want your reef temp to be that low.

[Hayley]

I read that Asian Emperors are best kept at 24-28 C (75 - 82 F)

See Australian breeding site below:

http://www.seahorse-australia.com.au....html#emperors

[Hayley]

I also thought the "space issue" was to do with the volume of water. As the sea horse tank will be shared with my 4ft tank I didn't think there would be an issue.

[ReefNutPA]

Listen to the advice given - 75F maximum, preferably 72F-74F. Despite what the Seahorse Australia website promotes

Also, the "space issue" does not mean total volume of water. Seahorses need space. A 15 gal tank is a tiny glass box - not a good environment for a pair of seahorses.

You will be much more successful setting up a seperate seahorse tank of at least 30 gallons with a temp of 72-74F.

Tom

[Hayley]

I wonder why the australian sources are so different... hard to judge when breeders and stores and websites tell me its fine

[fishyvet]

Please take into account the source and motivation behind the advice you receive. Plenty of stores and websites want to sell you seahorses, we would like to see you successfully keep seahorses that thrive.

Please listen to what the others have said.

[ann83]

And just in case you need a third on this advice, I agree with all the advice given to you above. I would also like to say that if you think the U.S. advice is different from Australian advice, you can head over to www.syngnathid.org (predominantly Australian and run by an Australian aquaculturist), and ask over there too. Much has changed in seahorse keeping in the past several years, and much of what was written is now no longer the best in care or even accurate in some accounts; that is why asking current keepers and breeders (rather than reading what they wrote a few years ago) is best.

[hydroid]

Tropical seahorses can tolerate temps of 80F (hence the website posting). The problem is that seahorses are suseptible to bacterial infections. Bacteria cultures much faster in 82F than 73F. When a horse gets an infection (and it will at some point), it has a much greater chance of surviving in 73F temps. For long term survival, lower temps are a must.

[Rays]

Maybe I'm naive, but I didn't know that Kudas ranged into the Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida and the Carribean.

[LisaD]

always take information from a site that is SELLING animals with a grain of salt and get confirmation from someone that does not have an interest in selling you those animals. one well known commercial breeder and seller of seahorses, several years ago, was selling a cool water species as adapted to warm (typical tank) temperatures. as I recall, every seahorse purchased, kept in a warm water tank, perished.

not every e-tailer of fish in general or seahorses in particular will give you inaccurate information. but how often do you look on a seller's web site where minimum tank size for an active, large (12") fish is given as 55 or 75 gallons? that is comparable to saying you can keep a pair of adult seahorses in a 15 gallon tank. yes, they can fit in the tank without bumping against the glass - but it's not a suitable environment.

Maybe I'm naive, but I didn't know that Kudas ranged into the Gulf of Mexico, Straits of Florida and the Carribean.

You're not, and they don't:
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.ed...mpus_kuda.html

I'm also not sure all the animals pictured as "emperors" are H. kuda...