All my dwarf seahorse tanks run with HOB power filters. For tanks up to 10 gallons I prefer the Azoo Palm filters. They have an adjustable flow rate and work great on small tanks. The only precaution you will have to take is to put a sponge over the intake of the filter as the holes are large...
I like gracillaria, codium and the grape caulerpa for seahorse tanks. The easiest way to keep the from going sexual is to prune them regularly.
As for 2 pairs in a 37, I think you'd be fine. I currently have 4 1 yo erectus females in a 37 gallon tank and they are doing great.
I was never successful at raising the fry and have since lost my female. Once I can track down some more females I will have another go at breeding them.
Scallops, clams and any other bivalve are not advisable with seahorses. Bivalves react to movement and there have been cases of an unknowing seahorse trying to hitch onto them and getting their tails caught. The pressure is enough to break the skin causing an infection.
Michael, I believe you are talking about Pacific East Aquaculture and not Premium Aqautics.
Pacific East is Dr Mac and he does have great LR and for a great price.
https://www.pacificeastaquaculture.com/ShowProductCategory.aspx?CategoryId=5
What antibiotic are you using and at what dosage? The skin coming off is not normal and is something more than a swim bladder issue.
Why are you running a heater and a chiller? I'd suggest unplugging the heater as it is not needed unless you keep your house temperature in the low 60's and if...
For starters, your temperature is way to high. Seahorses need to be kept at temps in the 72-74F range. I'd suggest lowering the tank in your display tank to that temperature range and the QT tank down to 68.
Also a Mag 1200 is a huge pump for a seahorse tank. What size tank is it?
Can you...
72-74 degrees for seahorses. Many folks have tried to run them on the same system as their reef tanks and it doesn't work. Seahorses need an independent system.
You may just have some late bloomers. By estimation they are only 8 months old so give them some time. Seahorses generally don't reach sexual maturity until 3-6 months of age, some can take even longer. They are still young yet. They will breed when they are ready.
How long have you had them? Captive or wild caught? What are you feeding them? What are your water parameters?
3 pairs in each 50 gallon or 3 pairs between the 2 tanks?
Sorry for a the questions but gonna need a little more info to try and help.
Man, when ya gonna learn? Nothing in this hobby is cheap. Get a 29 and use the 20 as a sump. Or if you're gonna buy a tank see if you can find a 37, same footprint as the 29 just a few inches taller.
Honestly, there really aren't any books on that species or seahorses in general that are anywhere near updated. Your best source of information is gonna be places like here or forums that deal with strictly seahorses such as Seahorse.org.
There really is no need to partition off the back 2...
Glad to hear you thought twice about getting dwarves, they really are not a good choice for first seahorses.
As for minimum tank size, normal recommendation for H. erectus is a 29 gallon. They can be kept in a 20 gallon IF the dimensions are correct. A 20 long is a lot different dimension...
1 pair in a 5 gallon tank is way understocked, the amount of food you will have to add would be astronomical to keep those 2 guys fed. Dwarfs don't really chase after their food like the larger species so you need to add a LOT of food to make sure they get enough to eat. Most folks will do at...