Pete Giwojna
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Re:New SH tank keeper - guidance appreciated! - 2005/11/03 13:33
Dear LordProcrastinator:
When it comes to seahorses, it's the heat output of the metal halides that is the concern, not necessarily the brightness at all. In fact, metal halides are often used to display seahorses at public aquaria and zoos. For example, the 2002 Seahorse Husbandry Manual indicates that Hippocampus erectus are commonly kept under metal halide lighting. Brian Zimmerman and Heather Hall maintain a very successful breeding program for H. capensis at the London Zoo, with the main tank being illuminated for 11 hours a day by 2 HQI metal halides (150 watts each, 10,000 Kelvin). Karen Brittain also kept H. fisheri at Waikiki Aquarium under metal halide lighting with a natural photoperiod. Likewise, Jorge Gomezjurado reports that he has kept adult H. ingens and H. reidi on display at the National Aquarium in Baltimore under Metal Halides Lamps (175W 6500K) that provided a photoperiod of 12:12 L without any problems.
So your metal halides would be considered overkill by most seahorse keepers, and not my first choice, but the pros often use them and I know many reef keepers who keep seahorses in their systems under metal halides. Often the reefers will keep the coral and inverts that require strong light at one end of the tank, where the metal halides are concentrated, and keep the other of the tank shaded to accommodate the seahorses, reserved for corals that don't need high-intensity lights. Basically, you can't go wrong with seahorses when it comes to lighting as long as you provide some dimly lit areas they can retreat to when they would like to get away from the light and some brightly lit areas they can move to when then want to bask in the light.
So you don't necessarily need to give up your metal halides if you can prevent them from keeping your tank too warm. The ideal water temperature for Mustangs and Sunbursts is about 73°F, and if your metal halides are keeping your tank around 78°F or warmer you'll want to do something about that. Because of their heat output, metal halides are normally suspended above the aquarium. If that's the case with yours, try raising them a little higher along with using a small electric fan to blow air across the surface of the water and cool it by evaporation. The combination of putting a little more space between your metal halides in the water and the effects of evaporative cooling may be enough to keep your average aquarium temperature down in the desirable range without the need for a chiller.
Best wishes with all your fishes!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojna
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