First Timer "Seahorse"

[sh123]

I always wanted a seahorse tank all my life. I am now 43 years old and started my Marine tank 5 months ago. I will post a pic of what I currently have in my tank and I would like to know if I what I currently have will be ok with seahorses.

I would like to get my seahorses sometime in April. What plats can I pit in for them to hold onto? And any other info that I need to know.

 

[MUSBFRANK]

Not exactly a good mixture for a seahorse tank, anemones, frogspawn, or any other stinging invert or coral is bad, plus depending on the shrimp you have could be a problem as well, probably those emerald crabs too. I would guess you probably keep your tank warmer than should be for seahorses (72,74 is preferred), sounds like you should just start a separate tank if you really want to do well with them.

 

[Scotty Buttons]

The other thing to keep in mind is that alot of those corals you listed need moderate to higher flow, and seahorses like low flow.

 

[sh123]

Not exactly a good mixture for a seahorse tank, anemones, frogspawn, or any other stinging invert or coral is bad, plus depending on the shrimp you have could be a problem as well, probably those emerald crabs too. I would guess you probably keep your tank warmer than should be for seahorses (72,74 is preferred), sounds like you should just start a separate tank if you really want to do well with them.

My husband would take the frogspawn and anemone into his 120 gallon tank. I can understand the emerald grabs being bad, but why the shrimp? Yes, I keep my tank at 78 degrees. Would I have to get rid of everything if I want a seahorse tank?

 

[MUSBFRANK]

My husband would take the frogspawn and anemone into his 120 gallon tank. I can understand the emerald grabs being bad, but why the shrimp? Yes, I keep my tank at 78 degrees. Would I have to get rid of everything if I want a seahorse tank?

Depending on the shrimp, say if you have cleaner shrimp they can be overly aggressive when trying to clean anything they come across and that can stress the horses out, the issue is if you want seahorses, then you have to cater to seahorses, everything else is secondary, and yes, the temp should be in the low 70's as mentioned previously, 72/74. Actually seahorses don't mind good flow in the tank, just when you're feeding it's probably best to turn it off, preferably something with a timer so that you don't forget, how big is your tank?

 

[vlangel]

I am a seahorse keeper and have had my erectus for 4 and a half years. They are indeed charming pets, but they do have some special needs that will be different than your husband's tank.

1. They are very susceptible to pathogens, especially bad bacteria and you can not test for that. You can slow down its reproduction by keeping the water temperature below 75° F. You also need to keep the tank clean from excess food or detritus. High turnover helps tremendously with that and so does having the tank with a bare bottom. Seahorses do not mind high flow as long as they also have places to hitch in moderate and lower flow.

2. Seahorses need to eat often due to their primitive digestive system, as in 3 Xs a day. They only eat frozen mysis or live shrimp and amphipods. Vacations and travel must be taken in consideration.

3. Seahorses can be susceptible to too much DOC (dissolved organic compounds) in the water column. It is thought to cause imbalances in them that leads to buoyancy issues. An oversized skimmer (3Xs )bigger than the tank's capacity is not overkill.

4. Macro algaes and sturdy gorgonians make excellant hitches. Macro algaes also reduce the nutrients in the water when you regularly prune and export them.

5.Crabs should be avoided but some shrimp are ok. Large peppermint shrimp are handy because they hunt and keep the tank free of excess food that may be caught in the tank. If they are too small they may end up being a shrimp dinner for the seahorses. None of the bigger cleaner shrimp are suitable because their constant cleaning harrasses the ponies and the stress can be harmful.

6. All stinging and skeletal coral should be avoided. Zoas, palys, most mushrooms, leathers, gps, clove polyps and xenia are all fine.

7. Most folks keeping seahorses (with the exception of those raising fry) say that 2 ponies can be kept for every 30 gallons of water.

This is not everything you need to know so do your research. There is lots of good info in the stickies of this topic.

 

[sh123]

Depending on the shrimp, say if you have cleaner shrimp they can be overly aggressive when trying to clean anything they come across and that can stress the horses out, the issue is if you want seahorses, then you have to cater to seahorses, everything else is secondary, and yes, the temp should be in the low 70's as mentioned previously, 72/74. Actually seahorses don't mind good flow in the tank, just when you're feeding it's probably best to turn it off, preferably something with a timer so that you don't forget, how big is your tank?

I have a 65 gallon

 

[sh123]

I am a seahorse keeper and have had my erectus for 4 and a half years. They are indeed charming pets, but they do have some special needs that will be different than your husband's tank.

1. They are very susceptible to pathogens, especially bad bacteria and you can not test for that. You can slow down its reproduction by keeping the water temperature below 75° F. You also need to keep the tank clean from excess food or detritus. High turnover helps tremendously with that and so does having the tank with a bare bottom. Seahorses do not mind high flow as long as they also have places to hitch in moderate and lower flow.

2. Seahorses need to eat often due to their primitive digestive system, as in 3 Xs a day. They only eat frozen mysis or live shrimp and amphipods. Vacations and travel must be taken in consideration.

3. Seahorses can be susceptible to too much DOC (dissolved organic compounds) in the water column. It is thought to cause imbalances in them that leads to buoyancy issues. An oversized skimmer (3Xs )bigger than the tank's capacity is not overkill.

4. Macro algaes and sturdy gorgonians make excellant hitches. Macro algaes also reduce the nutrients in the water when you regularly prune and export them.

5.Crabs should be avoided but some shrimp are ok. Large peppermint shrimp are handy because they hunt and keep the tank free of excess food that may be caught in the tank. If they are too small they may end up being a shrimp dinner for the seahorses. None of the bigger cleaner shrimp are suitable because their constant cleaning harrasses the ponies and the stress can be harmful.

6. All stinging and skeletal coral should be avoided. Zoas, palys, most mushrooms, leathers, gps, clove polyps and xenia are all fine.

7. Most folks keeping seahorses (with the exception of those raising fry) say that 2 ponies can be kept for every 30 gallons of water.

This is not everything you need to know so do your research. There is lots of good info in the stickies of this topic.

Thanks

 

[rayjay]

The other thing to keep in mind is that alot of those corals you listed need moderate to higher flow, and seahorses like low flow.

Low flow for seahorse tanks is VERY old saying. In fact they will do much better in tanks with high flow as long as there are areas of low and medium flow, AND, hitching available in all areas so they can choose at any time, just what they prefer. As vlangel mentioned, the higher flow improves water quality in that it will help to keep crap in suspension longer so that more is removed by the filtration. I wouldn't recommend anything less than 10X flow but many of us have flow rates at 20X or above.
The main thing to be aware of is to be sure that no flow is strong enough to blow a seahorse against something so that it can be injured.

 

[Cassian]

check out seahorse.org. It has a wealth of info and should help you a ton. I did horses for a while and thats where I got 90% of my info on them. a good place to order them when you are ready is seahorsesource.com

 

[vlangel]

I have a 65 gallon

That is a very nice tank for 4 ponies. I forgot to mention that a seahorse tank should have lots of surface agitation for gas exchange. Their gills are not as efficient as other fish so this is very important.

 

[sh123]

That is a very nice tank for 4 ponies. I forgot to mention that a seahorse tank should have lots of surface agitation for gas exchange. Their gills are not as efficient as other fish so this is very important.

It sounds like seahorses may not be for me right now. Maybe later if I start over I can prep it for seahorses only. Thanks for everyone's advise. You guys are awesome.

 

[vlangel]

It sounds like seahorses may not be for me right now. Maybe later if I start over I can prep it for seahorses only. Thanks for everyone's advise. You guys are awesome.

I applaud you for recognising when seahorses will be right for you. They definitely require a different approach than other marine tanks and too often aquarists go into it not knowing that. Sadly it does not end well for the aquarist or the seahorses. They can be very satisfying pets when you are prepared to fully meet their needs.

 

[Coralreefer1]

When debating whether, or not, to keep Sea Horses, you really need a tank just dedicated to them. They require frequent feedings and best suited with music shrimp. Captive bred Sea Horses are definitely easier to maintain than their wild counterparts.
You really need to research and understand the husbandry and compatibility issues before delving in to trying your luck with Sea Horses.
They are interesting, fascinating and beautiful creatures, however, most of the time they should be left for advanced aquarists or left to enjoy in the wild.

 

[Lucie]

I second the "no low flow'
it s a very common misconception that seahorses don t like low flow. In the wild they handle sometimes very strong currents and they need a good flow BUT WITH SOME LOW FLOW AREA TO REST IF THEY WANT.