Seahorse Tank?

[michael_cb_125]

My Dad has been on me lately about setting him up a tank. So I told him to figure out what he wants. He has been thinking a freshwater tank with some oscars.
Well I brought up the idea of having a pony tank. And he went crazy. He said that he would love a seahorse tank. (The tank will be going in his room).
So he wants me to find out exactly what will be needed to set one up.
I guess everything is the same except I will need a chiller. He wants the smallest tank that will work for seahorses. I have and empty 50 gallon, but is is not drilled. Is it possible to have overflows build inot a tank. (My uncle owns a glass company)
Also would a planted saltwater tank be a good home for Ponies. I was thinking open topped tank. A T5 filture suspended from the cieling. Mangroves, caulerpa, kelp, and other algeas in the main display. I think tha tthis would be a reallly cool looking tank. Also can these Plants (algeas) live in cooler water. What is the Ideal pony tank temp. A temp that will work with most species. Thanks for any help!

[Woodstock]

Wow! What a cool dad Very good suggestion

[michael_cb_125]

When he and my mom were togather he had no bedroom to himself. Now that she has left he made that gameroom into his bedroom. It is a huge bedroom and he wants something to take up space that will relax him. So he said why not a fish tank. Ponies are very relaxing to watch.

[lcstorc]

Awesome! I would love to have another pony tank around to watch.
As far as the temp you want to keep it between 72 and 76. Also it is more important how tall the tank is than how wide. Some ponies can get quite large and they need the top to bottom room.
I'm not sure about the plants but I am sure Matt will chime in on that soon.
Looking forward to seeing what you end up with.

[michael_cb_125]

The tank I have is a fifty gallon. Ill have to measure to find the dimensions.
I have been doing alot of research, and I think that I can have this tank setup, relatively inexpensively.~Michael

[panmanmatt]

Michael, welcome to the pony world. A planted macro algae tank is great for seahorses.

As Lynn said, you want to aim for a 72-74F temperature range.

Ideally you want a tank that is 22-24" tall. They will also use all the horizontal room you give them. The height is used for their mating dances which is a wonderful sight to watch.

[kathywithbirds]

"Relatively" = cheap in comparison to a 240, right

We will, of course, expect pics of this tank too.

Good luck!! Glad the family is in on this hobby, it really IS something everyone can enjoy!!

[mps9506]

Are you really sure you guys don't wanna adopt me??? I make some great Thai curry

[michael_cb_125]

You can ask my Dad!!
Well I have done alot of looking around for equipment. If the bottom of my tank is tempered, could I make a overflow box off the back?

[PEMfish]

I don't see why not. I like that idea better than bottom drilled.
Sounds like a nice tank, like the plated idea.
If its going in the game room...
Watch for nose. No loud stereos.
50g AGA is only 18" high.
45g ( 36"x12"x24" ) or preferable a 65g ( 36"x18"x24" ) would be better, IMO.

[mps9506]

Well I have done alot of looking around for equipment. If the bottom of my tank is tempered, could I make a overflow box off the back?

A tough thing with doing an external overflow in a tank that didn't originally have it is making all the notches on the back glass for the teeth. I've seen a few people do this on nano tanks but I haven't seen anyone do it with anything larger than a 20 gallon (I'm sure someone has done it).
The main things you have to be concerned with is the strength of the glass with the notches cut out (you have to notch part of the frame out also).
Then you must have an absolutely leak free drain box on the outside that won't stress under the weight of water pouring into it and can support the weight of your plumbing.
The good thing with a seahorse tank is you won't need a lot of turnover, so a coast to coast overflow isn't needed, you could go with a smaller one.

[PEMfish]

Or, do an standard in-tank overflow, but with the drain pipe going through the back.
Hey, you don't need to go all the way to the bottom.

[Aquapoderek]

Take the temp advise with a grain of salt... Not all ponies are colder water.
I have a pair of mating hippocampus comes (tiger tail) that are warmer water species.
They have been living at 82 degrees and loving it....

[michael_cb_125]

How long have you had them. Seahorses can live at higher temperatures. It is just that they are used to cooler water, and the heat weakens their immune system. So slowly they become more succeptable to infrections and parasites.
~Michael

[lcstorc]

That is exactly what happened with mine Michael. I had 3 kudas and then 3 erectus. In both cases they did fine for about 6 months then I rapidly lost them all. This time I have a much bigger tank with a chiller so hopefully it will work for me now. All of mine were fat and happy until very suddenly they weren't.