Aquarium choices

[04redmach1]

Well we got a good deal on a Marineland 29 gallon Instant Ocean kit and bought it. Come to find out it does not have the lighting I need for a reef. So we are going to sell it. We then come across a BNIB 14g bio cube for a price we couldnt pass and got it.

We are going to sell the 29 gallon kit and possibly keep the 14g for a seahourse and reef. My question is, I want a larger aquarium to work with a reef and lion fish. Is it safe to say a large aquarium would be ok to mix lion fish and clowns?

 

[reeffreak]

I would have to say no on lionfish and clowns.The clowns are generally bought small and lionfish to feed on small fish.It will be risky.

 

[04redmach1]

Yea, didn't know if the clwns would be safe in larger tank and with anenome.

 

[Picasso]

What kind of seahorses are you thinking about keeping? The only species you can keep in a 14 gallon tank is a dwarf seahorse.
Seahorse Source - Hippocampus zosterae

Dwarfs are super tiny and have pretty specific feeding requirements. You might want to keep that 29 gallon if want to keep horses.

Catherine

 

[04redmach1]

REALLY? I heard a smaller aquarium is best for them being horrible swimmers and easier to feed in small environment.

 

[Picasso]

The dwarf seahorse needs a smaller environment but they are super tiny. Most of the common species of seahorse require 18 inches height minimum. If you get into the bigger species they need 30 inches. Horses require vertical space. The dwarfs will do great in your 14 gallon but they require live baby brine shrimp which means you'll be hatching brine shrimp eggs nightly and gut loading the shrimp 3-4 times a day. Dwarfs are more difficult to keep. I don't want to discourage you, horses are wonderful if you're willing to take their special needs into consideration. You'll find their basic space needs on that site Seahorse Source, the ultimate place for captive bred seahorses. Also, here's an article that's good for beginners: http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/careguide/careguide.pdf The bigger tank would be best if you're wanting to keep horses. Oh, never get only one horse, they are very social and can die from loneliness.

C

 

[04redmach1]

That may not be a good idea for me then. With my business I will be out a weekend a month to shows and need somethin able to survive 2-3 nights by themselves to be safe.

 

[Picasso]

If you keep the bigger tank, the H. erectus or H. barbori horses can make it a few days without being fed but the H. zosterae need feeding every few hours. You can't put any other species in a tank smaller than 25-30 gallons and 18-20 inches tall. I vote for keeping the 29 gallon if you want horses.

C

 

[04redmach1]

I think I will leave seahorses alone. I want a reef as well and this 29 gallon isn't going to work with a reef. I may sell the 14g bio cube and just grab one aquarium now. Sould be able to get $190 for a BNIB 14g bio cube haha.

 

[cageburn]

save up some money and do it a step at a time, a nice tank to go with would be a 40 gallon breeder there nice and deep and 36 in long, you could go with t-5s for lighting :) aquatraders.com has nice 4 bulbs fixtures for $90 comes with moonlights and nice mounting legs. get yourself some sand,rock, and a few powerheads and your rolling :) for filtration you could do a hang on skimmer and a hang on fuge and have a great setup!

 

[dcantucson]

I think I will leave seahorses alone.

Probably a good decision at least for now. They require a lot of specialized attention and care. It's almost a full-time job!

 

[Picasso]

Probably a good decision at least for now. They require a lot of specialized attention and care. It's almost a full-time job!

David, you're mostly right. The horses need specialized care but, MOST species, are only really time consuming up front. Dwarf seahorses are a major commitment. For the rest, you need to have a tank that caters to their special needs and after you've set up properly then your tank is no more work than any other reef tank. It's kind of like the difference between Marine tanks vs Freshwater. Marine is more work up front making sure your ecosystem is set up and cycled properly. After that, it is kind of the same in the amount of work to maintain your tank. Soooo, worth it, in my opinion.

Catherine

 

[04redmach1]

I think we are going to get a 75 - 125 gallon :) Tangs are on the list and also like the rabbitfish I seen other day. Sadly I have to get a dwarf lion, can;t get the big boy :p

 

[reeffreak]

Tangs?Rabbitfish?

You may want to go 125g. rather then 75.

 

[04redmach1]

75 should be fine with a yellow tang correct?

 

[reeffreak]

If it's the only tang,sure.I still say go 125,you know you want to.

 

[04redmach1]

Bwahaha, yea this guy does hahaha. Well let me ask you this, for 125, do I need to brace floor more with that much weight? I am sure the 2x8's will withstand it, but I rather be safe than sorry.

 

[PRC]

As long as the construction of your home is to code you should be fine. I wouldn't recommend anything smaller than a 125g for a yellow tang. You need something that is at least 6' long. They really need the back and forth swimming room.

 

[04redmach1]

Ah. Well the tank we are looking at is 75 gallon but long. A good guess is 4.5-5 feet maybe.