Seahorses in mixed reef tanks

[RouJr]

LFS has just got Kuda Seahorses in and it made me think about the idea of adding a pair to my tank.

what do people think about seahorses in reef tanks?

80g 5foot with softies and euphylia.
#REEFSQUAD
#reefsquad

 

[Ron Reefman]

What kind of fish do you have in the tank?

Seahorses are poor swimmers and attach their tail to something and just hang on. They don't chase after food, they wait for food to come to them. So if you have fish that chase after food, seahorses probably aren't a good fit. Most people keeping seahorses do it in a species only tank, feed it heavily and filter it like crazy.

But that's just my limited experience with seahorses. I had a 75g hexagon tank with dwarf seahorses and pipe fish for about 6 months. They would never have survived in my mixed reef tank.

 

[Greybeard]

I kept (and bred) seahorses many years ago. Beautiful animals. With very few exceptions, horses need a species specific system. Pipefish are good tankmates... very little else. Many corals will sting and irritate them, and the flow rates usually seen in a mixed reef are far to strong for horses. Temperatures in most mixed reefs are too high... Seahorses are susceptible to disease if the temperature is allowed to get above 72 or so.

Even in species specific tanks, with tons of research and effort put into properly housing these amazing creatures, I have to admit that I had lousy results. I was able to produce several broods, but I lost horses at a rate I felt was unacceptable, and made the decision that, for me, these animals were better left in the sea.

 

[mort]

Like Greybeard I used to breed various species of seahorses and they aren't a good fit for a reef tank for the reasons he states. The only fish I'd consider keeping with them and the ones that I did are similar slow methodical feeders, like pipefish, dragonets or shrimp fish. For corals I'd only add gorgonian and softies.

 

[mollies123]

i have 3 seahorses in my tank and they get along well.

 

[Tahoe61]

Flow, temp and competition for food do not favor keeping Seahorses in the typical reef aquarium long term.

Ideally a system focused on the specialized needs Seahorses require is ideal rather than the novelty of keeping these fascinating animals.