New to Reef, and have a lot of questions.

[BlackSumbel]

I have yet to actually aquire any of the componants of the nano-reef. I make a habbit of doing research before I make -any- purchases. So, I'm stopping in to ask some questions.

As a back story I've studied corals, marine molusks, Seahorses and some crustaceans. It's been a while though . I currently have three FW species tanks going one of which houses a fairly difficult species (T. Travancoricus/Dwarf Puffer) which require care and feeding simmilar to more difficult Seahorses (Feeding done by hand, strictly live food, thrice daily).

The tank I'm hoping to set up would be for housing a few pair of Hipocampus Zosterae (or possibly the Ocean Riders "Pixie" ,same sp?).

I'd -like- to include seahorse safe/branchy corals, a small brain coral, miniature hermit crabs, gulf coast coquinas (a sand-burrowing miniature clam, to prevent substrate settling), red shrimp (the kind that are a few mm in length), as well as some types of "micro" snails (doves, nerites, pesants).

Perhaps some kind of other plant life (including caulerpa and seagrasses).

The strangest thing that I'd really -love- to have would be giant barnacles. I don't know if keeping them is even possible (or if their offspring would soon take over), but any info would be really great!

The tank size would be (pretty miuch) a maximum of a standard U.S. Ten Gallon. Possibly a modified Ten Gallon to set "on end".

 

What sort of lighting requirements would (for example) branchy Bird's Nest, Velvet Finger, Needle, and Brain corals require (as well as what kind of feeding)? What steps would you suggest in aquiring and cycling this selection?

Since Live sands and rock can harbour hydroids and other creatures which are not so friendly to Seahorses, what method should I use to culture my own live rock? Would a graduated cycling (meaning several steps) work best? And finally... (Well, not really) Does anyone know of a source for Native U.S. (Texas Gulf Coast) Molusks and other "critters" (not comercially/wild harvested)?

 

Thank you in advance, and, as you can see... I'm more than eager to learn and invest in keeping this kind of setup.

[tinyreef]

welcome! if you're raising dwarf puffers you should have the patience for this hobby then.

 

the ten's a little shallow imo for horses but i've seen it done. thing is i like to see the horses move as well as just hold on. my brother always did tall tanks so i just go by that. 15H, 20H, or even 20XH would be very good imo. think about a feeder tank too.

 

i'd pass on the brain. their sweepers can get very long (10") and zap the horse. i'm not sure on open brains tho in comparison. ??? the gorgonians and sea pens are very good and natural habitat for the horses but are very difficult imo. i would raise the corals first and introduce horses much later if you want that overall effect. introducing them after the horses may stress them too much (horse tail contact). better that the corals are first, established in the system, and not have to acclimate and have a friggin horse wrap their tails on them while they're acclimating.

 

barnacles will need plankton. horses can't have a strong current. heavy feeding may require aggressive wet/dry, skimming, water changes, etc. can be done but difficult imo.

 

ceriths + hermits = only hermits pass on the hermits imo for all the snails you want. turtle grass or c. taxifolia are good choices imo for greenery, good idea! good luck!

[Lacrosseboss18]

Hello, i was actually thinking about keeping seahorsed; pygmy or dwarf seahorses but passed when i found out how hard it is. The lighting doesnt need to be anything special. The main concern when working with seahorses is feeding. The arent very fast movers so competition for food has to be very minimal. Like Tinyreef said i would stear clear of some of the corals that can sting the horses. When working with seahorses less is better. They can not survive in strong currents so you dont need powerheads and a hob filter really wont work. They say that you should use a undergravel filter or a sponge. Also i also agree that hight is extremey important. Since when they mate they will float to the top of the tank and back down so they need the room to go up and down. The High 20 would work well but many even bigger and high. I hope i have helped and good luck with the tank.

Joey

[BlackSumbel]

I'll not go into the saga of the dwarf pufferfish. Let's just say I have three "teenagers" on my hands (Under one CM!) that are alrady starting to fight. Ugh.

 

I'd been told that brain corals didn't sting, so , obviously those will be thrown out as an idea. Most likely I'll try to find one that immitates the appearance (if only) , and that doesn't sting. I'll also be thinking about yellow finger corals or something simmilar that doesn't require strong currents.

The Hermits are a cleanup crew kind of thing, however I realize that they might become predatory against baby seahorses, so perhaps snails would be the better idea.

The tank will be devoted to seahorses, no if's and's or but's. So, anything that can harm them, or will disturb them will not be selected, plain and simple.

Hopefully I can peice together something agreeable

[Fant]

Theres the big problem of current there. Gorgonians wont do well in a system with poor circulation. Water movement is critical for them, even more so for the non-photosynthetic gorgonians such as the ones with yellow flesh and large white polyps.

[BlackSumbel]

I've read as much, but the definition of "Poor circulation" has been varried. Some people say placing it in front of a sponge filter (or an uplift pipe with holes drilled along it) was sufficent. On the opposite end there's people saying that only a powerhead blasting right at it is the only way to go.

Red Seawhip, (if I remember correctly) is found in deeper waters, and generally exposed to surge currents. Maybe the better choice would be a red or orange tree sponge? Perhaps do away with real corals and stick to cultured LR, sponges, caulerpa, mushrooms and possibly fake corals. (i'll take this to the coral care board if I have any deep questions).

 

Sponges won't be adversely effected by being hitched on by seahorses on ocasion would they?