<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6988445#post6988445 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sygnath&Elasmos
Not to sound too fired up or anything but in regards to some of the stuff being posted here I do not agree with.
its ok, this is a discussion forum, thats what we do; DISCUSS
First of all I will say that of all things I do agree 10 gallons is a small tank and you should try and do seahorses in at least 20 gallons, but it is possible to do several species of seahorse in a 10 gallon tank (you can PM me about specific species I have a large list of species and tank sizes) However, I feel that if you wanna help someone who is new to keeping sygnathides, you should give them the right answers.
ok: fuscus, impossible to find
capinses: need chillers
dwarves: no hermits, live rock
a 20 high is better for most horses. its not the size of the tank, its the height. 3x thier adult height is what we go by: which, for the easier to find horses, and easier to keep horses, the standard 29 gallon is perfect for.
First of all hermits DO actually work well in a seahorse tank provided they are reef safe. Hawaiian white tip reef hermits, scralet reef hermits, and zebra hermits have ALWAYS worked well in my seahorse reef. I have never had a single issue what so ever. Understandably the non reef safe hermits do pose a problem, and even reef safe ones may pose a risk with dwarves, if you get hermits make sure that they are reef safe. The strombus conch will be fine in there but I would recommend only one of them. Avoid the harlequin shrimp they need to eat starfish or they will die, and sexy shrimp are kinda tiny but fun. I you want one or the other get the sexy shrimp. And do not get the blood shrimp. I think you will have better luck with the cleaner shrimp and maybe get some peppermint shrimp to help curb any aptasia that may pop up. Aptasia will kill seahorse, I have lost one to an aptasia before. And you may only wanna keep the tank temp at like 77 at the most.
hermits do ok in a seahorse tank: the small, not aggresssive variety. BUT NOT IN DWARF TANKS, WHICH we are advising is the only thing easily kept in a ten gallon, unless he wants a chiller. I'm sorry to argue with you, but DWARVES should not be kept with anything that can eat them, which any but micro hermits can do
a conch eats too much for a ten gallon: I consider that to be ANY conch!! fighting, stromus... all of them. The tank just cannot support them. Sexy shrimp have a good chance of being eaten by the bigger species of seahorse, and will eat the dwarf babies. Harlequin shrimp eat stars=not good to put most stars in a seahorse tank, specially not a dwarf tank.
Blood shirmp would be fine-cleaners can harrass horses into being VERY irritated. peps are good though, but not just for apistasia. they'll also reproduce, and the bigger species of horses can eat the babies. OTHERWISE IN A DWARF TANK NONE OF THESE CAN BE IN IT!!! THEY WILL EAT THE BABIES, OUTCOMPETE FOR FOOD, AND CAUSE GENERAL HAVOC!
the highest temp horse keepers try to keep the tank at is 77-and not for long periods of time... generally, dwarves are kept at around 74.
Secondly, just because you want seahorses doesn't mean you can't have other fish, including perc clowns. I currently have a pair in with my redi and kuda seahorses and have issues. Be careful tho when you go about getting a blenny though. Some blennies (ex: fang blennies) can be an extreme menace, if not a danger, to seahorses. I would probablly stick to gobies. Also you good look into the fathead or sunburts anthias. It is a great fish, beautiful color, and extremely docile. There are a whole list of other cool fish you could do, and if you are interested please feel free to PM me about it.
I want to point out, that you are advising him that clowns are ok, but your having issues... MOST PEOPLE HAVE ISSUES!!! in a dwarf tank, which THE TEN GALLON is about all you can have in there... FISH CANNOT BE KEPT WITH DWARF SEAHORSES, and most other horses cannot be kept in a ten gallon!!! His bioload is already pretty high with the 3 fish in a ten gallon already!!!
blennies are great: order from a reputable dealer, and you'll get what you wanted... I got my midas from liveaquaria, and it came: A MIDAS...
gobies are good, ANTHIAS are not for a TEN GALLON TANK!!!!! they need to be fed as much as a seahorse, and thats the ONLY reason I see to put anthias in the tank: they are TOO FAST, will outcompete for food... there ARE good tankmates, anthias are just too much...
Now in a 10 gallon tank you do have issuses concerning bio load, which in that case is at most 3 fish. But there are ways MUCH later down the road to increase what you can put in there.Also, and maybe this is just my luck with seahorses, but my dwarves used to eat frozen food. Seahorses will eat frozen food IMO if they are introduced to things they physically can eat, and if introduced correctly. Some will eat it redily. IMO this preference in eating frozen or live food comes down to an individual basis.
which hes already got.... if you had dwarves eating frozen, we'd like to know how you did it... and I'd also like to see your lists. don't just say 'pm me and I'll send them'... I have lists too, but not by gallon sizes of tanks, it should be by height of the tank.
I do not advise this person to get seahorses. That said, I DID advise that pipefish may be alright in this tank... but the bioload is STILL HIGH