# Potential sea horse tank to my existing sump



## poobar (Feb 20, 2011)

I have my main 40 galon display on the main floor (Fish and Coral) and put my sump in the basement (20 ish gallon).

I have always wanted a sea horse tank but know that the flow requirements of a fish tank are totally different to a sea horse tank

I have a spare 20'x18'x30' high tank that is sitting in the corner doing nothing.

So... My question is, could I rig the spare tank up to my existing sump and use it as a sea horse tank?

I know there will be issues with plumbing etc. But as a concept, would it work?


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## teemee (Aug 29, 2009)

Yes, it will work - plenty of people have done it before, or keep seahorses in a refugium. Keep in mind though that it's recommended seahorses are kept at max. 75˚, so you might have to turn down the temp a degree or two (its to mitigate problems with bacteria that could be harmful to the seahorses). Those tank dimensions are perfect for a pair or two. If you're interested in something fancy, I've heard Aussie seahorses will be coming in September. Start doing research - I have a gyre and my seahorse loves it. You don't need lots of light.
Your seahorse(s) -and I recommend getting at least a pair because they are very social - will need stuff to hitch to - macros, gorgonians (though photosynthetic are much more tolerant to low light and seahorse tails IMHO) or artificial hitching posts are commonly used.


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## Crayon (Apr 13, 2014)

My seahorses are in what was supposed to be a refugium but it was so boring I added stuff. Just make sure your water movement devices are small enough that the sea horses can't get sucked up into the intake.

If this Aussie sea horse order happens in September, it will be really exciting! There are some amazing sea horses from Australia.

So plan now and be ready!!


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## wtac (Mar 17, 2006)

The only thing I wound worry about is the size of the sump to accommodate the water should the power go out. 20gal seems small for a basement sump but I've been known to be wrong. The test wold be to have the systems off and fill the sump to ~1-2" of NSW below the top of the sump. Plug everything in and hope that the return pump does not draw air into the two DTS. Unplug a few times to ensure that a catastrophic failure on the main pump will not overflow the sump.

JM2C/HTH


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