Biorb Life for seahorses? - Page 2

panmanmatt · 09-06-2009, 10:56 PM

Dwarfs really aren't an option as the original poster is from the Uk and dwarfs aren't available there due to CITIES restrictions.

ktakeda · 09-07-2009, 02:59 PM

Hi,
Yeah, best option is probably to upgrade my main marine tank and use the RSM 130 for sea horses. That's a slightly longer term option, as it means re-arranging my house! That's why I was looking at the original Biorb life option, as that can just sit on an existing unit.

Oh well, never mind!!!

Cheers,
Kenji

proenca · 09-08-2009, 04:35 PM

Hi there,

Bio Orb looks VERY nice, although its crap ( sorry ) to keep sea horses. The biggest problem I see with it is the water quality : I'm very suspicious of aquariums that have all-in-one-type-of-filter and looking at BioOrb site, seems that the super-duper filter that comes with it is in fact,a sponge filter.

Which we know how well they work in marine tanks. Not.

From a light and circulation standpoint, seems very nice for SeaHorse : you dont need neither ( well, at least reef spec ) for Sea Horses : they are fine with subpar light and even finer with subpar current.

Although I do raise some doubts with the VERY LOW circulation that the BioOrb seems to have due to gas exchange ( or lack of ) .

Water quality would be , IMHO , very very hard to mantain in this small aquarium although I can see where you come from : should look gorgeous this tank with sea horses.

Not very feasable though.

Your best bet is to get a Red Sea Max 250 as a reef setup and mod the 130 for Sea horses : add some macro algae and a refuge to promote coepod growth, "limit" one or even both powerheads ( seahorses dont like exactly reef tank spec circulation ) and bham, there you have your perfect sea horse tank.

Have a long talk with the SWMBO ( she who must be obeyed... ) and explain her why the RSM is CRUCIAL in your house and how cool the 130 would be with sea horses only...

Good luck

ktakeda · 09-12-2009, 04:51 AM

Thanks for that extra info. Upgrading to an RSM250 is not feasible in the near future, and I don't like waiting, so I have a new cunning plan.... I have a Fluval Roma 90L tropical tank. What about converting that for seahorses?

Not sure if it is really deep enough though - Aquarium size 60cm long x 35cm wide x 45cm high. Volume 90 litres.

Cheers,
Kenji

panmanmatt · 09-12-2009, 11:04 AM

Even that tank is a little on the small side for the larger species which are readily available in the UK. It would work for 1 pair IF you are diligent with your water changes and keep up with the regular maintenance. At 24 gallons it is a bit smaller than the suggested size and 17 inches is the bare minimum for tank height when the horses can reach 8-10 inches in size.

My suggestion to you would be to find out which species you have access to and we can help design a system around that for you.

Frankie · 09-12-2009, 11:08 AM

That is a cool little fish bowl! First time I saw it.And that is about all it is good for. A few guppy's and such.
It would make a nice addition to a kids room or something also.

ktakeda · 09-13-2009, 10:38 AM

Hi,
Thanks for that. My current Fluval 90 is fully stocked with about 9 tetras, a gourami, several danios, platys, and a couple of small catfish. With proper filtration and weekly water changes it is an extremely healthy tank. As freshwater stock levels can be much higher than marine, this is working really well.

It's amazing that you can only put two seahorses in a tank of such size, but then again my RSM 130 is fully stocked with 5 fish!

Unfortunately my house won't take many more fish tanks!!!!

Just getting a couple of books on seahorses so will investigate species and start a new thread when I'm up to speed on that for more advice.

Case closed now here I think!!! Thanks for saving me a few hundred quid and lots of stress and disappointment by not buying a Biorb

Reef Sanctuary forums rock <grin>.

Cheers,
Kenji

panmanmatt · 09-13-2009, 11:13 AM

You can also check out the forums and articles at Seahorse Organisation. Keeping and Breeding Seahorses in the home aquarium.. There are quite a few members there from the UK that may be able to point you in the right direction as to what is available to you.

fishman1908 · 09-13-2009, 04:51 PM

A BiOrb in my opinion is only suitable for a couple of cold water fancy fish although again not ideal as they can suffer from swimbladder disorder easier in a BiOrb as ideally they should feed from the bottom but with the alfa-grog they supply as filtration substrate that becomes an immediate problem.

Or they are good for shoaling Tetra's and a couple of dwarf gouramies, again no catfish or bottom feeders unless you change the substrate.

I don't agree with BiOrbs for S/W personally, that's just my personal & professional opinion.

Robin

09-06-2009, 10:56 PM	#16 (permalink)
panmanmatt Golden Moray Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Waretown, NJ Posts: 2,255 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Biorb Life for seahorses? Dwarfs really aren't an option as the original poster is from the Uk and dwarfs aren't available there due to CITIES restrictions. __________________ The mind is like a parachute, it only works when opened. (\__/) (='.'=) (")_(")

09-07-2009, 02:59 PM	#17 (permalink)
ktakeda Bryozoan Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Southampton, UK Posts: 45 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Biorb Life for seahorses? Hi, Yeah, best option is probably to upgrade my main marine tank and use the RSM 130 for sea horses. That's a slightly longer term option, as it means re-arranging my house! That's why I was looking at the original Biorb life option, as that can just sit on an existing unit. Oh well, never mind!!! Cheers, Kenji __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Red Sea Max 130, Koralia #1, Tunze 9002 with Stevie setup, 18kg live rock, live sand, mixed zoa, jasmine polyp, clove polyps, medusa coral, kenya tree, mushroom coral, leather corals x 3 - clown fish pair, firefish, royal gramma, algae blennie, flaming hawkfish, cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, turbo snails... My tank thread @ http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...re-begins.html My homepage @ www.ktakeda.net

09-08-2009, 04:35 PM	#18 (permalink)
proenca Cabbage Leather Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Lisbon, Portugal Posts: 372 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Biorb Life for seahorses? Hi there, Bio Orb looks VERY nice, although its crap ( sorry ) to keep sea horses. The biggest problem I see with it is the water quality : I'm very suspicious of aquariums that have all-in-one-type-of-filter and looking at BioOrb site, seems that the super-duper filter that comes with it is in fact,a sponge filter. Which we know how well they work in marine tanks. Not. From a light and circulation standpoint, seems very nice for SeaHorse : you dont need neither ( well, at least reef spec ) for Sea Horses : they are fine with subpar light and even finer with subpar current. Although I do raise some doubts with the VERY LOW circulation that the BioOrb seems to have due to gas exchange ( or lack of ) . Water quality would be , IMHO , very very hard to mantain in this small aquarium although I can see where you come from : should look gorgeous this tank with sea horses. Not very feasable though. Your best bet is to get a Red Sea Max 250 as a reef setup and mod the 130 for Sea horses : add some macro algae and a refuge to promote coepod growth, "limit" one or even both powerheads ( seahorses dont like exactly reef tank spec circulation ) and bham, there you have your perfect sea horse tank. Have a long talk with the SWMBO ( she who must be obeyed... ) and explain her why the RSM is CRUCIAL in your house and how cool the 130 would be with sea horses only... Good luck __________________ Gonçalo Proença "I know how to make a small fortune - start with a large fortune and get a reef tank" (c) Emma 2009 Red Sea Max 130D with Tunze 9002 skimmer,Hailea 150A Chiller,inTank media rack / Tunze cup,Aquamedic niveaumat ATO \| My Tank Thread

09-12-2009, 04:51 AM	#19 (permalink)
ktakeda Bryozoan Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Southampton, UK Posts: 45 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Biorb Life for seahorses? Thanks for that extra info. Upgrading to an RSM250 is not feasible in the near future, and I don't like waiting, so I have a new cunning plan.... I have a Fluval Roma 90L tropical tank. What about converting that for seahorses? Not sure if it is really deep enough though - Aquarium size 60cm long x 35cm wide x 45cm high. Volume 90 litres. Cheers, Kenji __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Red Sea Max 130, Koralia #1, Tunze 9002 with Stevie setup, 18kg live rock, live sand, mixed zoa, jasmine polyp, clove polyps, medusa coral, kenya tree, mushroom coral, leather corals x 3 - clown fish pair, firefish, royal gramma, algae blennie, flaming hawkfish, cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, turbo snails... My tank thread @ http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...re-begins.html My homepage @ www.ktakeda.net

09-12-2009, 11:04 AM	#20 (permalink)
panmanmatt Golden Moray Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Waretown, NJ Posts: 2,255 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Biorb Life for seahorses? Even that tank is a little on the small side for the larger species which are readily available in the UK. It would work for 1 pair IF you are diligent with your water changes and keep up with the regular maintenance. At 24 gallons it is a bit smaller than the suggested size and 17 inches is the bare minimum for tank height when the horses can reach 8-10 inches in size. My suggestion to you would be to find out which species you have access to and we can help design a system around that for you. __________________ The mind is like a parachute, it only works when opened. (\__/) (='.'=) (")_(")

09-13-2009, 10:38 AM	#22 (permalink)
ktakeda Bryozoan Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Southampton, UK Posts: 45 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Biorb Life for seahorses? Hi, Thanks for that. My current Fluval 90 is fully stocked with about 9 tetras, a gourami, several danios, platys, and a couple of small catfish. With proper filtration and weekly water changes it is an extremely healthy tank. As freshwater stock levels can be much higher than marine, this is working really well. It's amazing that you can only put two seahorses in a tank of such size, but then again my RSM 130 is fully stocked with 5 fish! Unfortunately my house won't take many more fish tanks!!!! Just getting a couple of books on seahorses so will investigate species and start a new thread when I'm up to speed on that for more advice. Case closed now here I think!!! Thanks for saving me a few hundred quid and lots of stress and disappointment by not buying a Biorb Reef Sanctuary forums rock <grin>. Cheers, Kenji __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Red Sea Max 130, Koralia #1, Tunze 9002 with Stevie setup, 18kg live rock, live sand, mixed zoa, jasmine polyp, clove polyps, medusa coral, kenya tree, mushroom coral, leather corals x 3 - clown fish pair, firefish, royal gramma, algae blennie, flaming hawkfish, cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, turbo snails... My tank thread @ http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/...re-begins.html My homepage @ www.ktakeda.net

09-13-2009, 11:13 AM	#23 (permalink)
panmanmatt Golden Moray Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Waretown, NJ Posts: 2,255 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Biorb Life for seahorses? You can also check out the forums and articles at Seahorse Organisation. Keeping and Breeding Seahorses in the home aquarium.. There are quite a few members there from the UK that may be able to point you in the right direction as to what is available to you. __________________ The mind is like a parachute, it only works when opened. (\__/) (='.'=) (")_(")

09-13-2009, 04:51 PM	#24 (permalink)
fishman1908 Tunicate Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Coventry, England Posts: 14 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Biorb Life for seahorses? A BiOrb in my opinion is only suitable for a couple of cold water fancy fish although again not ideal as they can suffer from swimbladder disorder easier in a BiOrb as ideally they should feed from the bottom but with the alfa-grog they supply as filtration substrate that becomes an immediate problem. Or they are good for shoaling Tetra's and a couple of dwarf gouramies, again no catfish or bottom feeders unless you change the substrate. I don't agree with BiOrbs for S/W personally, that's just my personal & professional opinion. Robin

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