Considering a 150g SeaHorse, PipeFish tank.

[TrevorHenry]

Considering setting up my upcoming 150g as a sea horse pipefish tank. Have not decided on breed of either. Still have to research it.

I apologize if there is a forum already answer the questions I'm about to ask in advance.

Is there any fish compatible with these 2? Clownfish? Tang?

Can anemones be in the tank with them? Would love to do a RBTA with a pair of maroon clownfish. Do you think there will be hostility?

Water flow will be focused to surface movement and almost none towards the bottom relying on CUC to keep the bottom very clean of course.

Can seahorses hang with SPS even though they might sting them? Is that a possiblity?

Once again I apologize in advance if any of these questions are answered already. Just trying to see my options with this.

 

[rayjay]

Most of what you wish to do is not really feasible.
While there are other fish deemed to be acceptable tank mates, the ones you mention are not.
Anemones and stinging corals will also have to be left out.
Seahorse tanks should be kept in the 68° to 74°F range due to their frequency of bacteria infections and that will limit also the corals you put in.
As for mixing seahorses and pipefish, the odds are that it won't work out.
It does sometimes, but most times it ends in deaths.
Best chances of success seem to come when the pipefish are true captive bred but the only source I know of is Ocean Rider.
Water flow needs to be in the 10X or higher range, limited only by not having any blast that can push them against something and damage them.
Put hitching in areas of low, medium and high flow so they can choose at any given time where they wish to be.
The biggest thing you can do for best chances of success in seahorse keeping after choosing the right conditions and tankmates is to overdo the husbandry with more frequent cleanings and water changes as success appears to be dependent upon keeping water quality better than any reef tank.
Unfortunately it's a preventative measure as there are no hobby test kits that can tell you when the water is not suitable for seahorses, even though the test kits we DO have access to say everything is fine.
Tankmates Guide

 

[Devaji108]

wow! a 150 SH tank... DO it! haha
but yeah sounds like you may need a bit more understanding of compatibility. no worries tho this it what forums are for so ask away! there are some really helpful ppl here.

good luck and plz do keep us posted with photo too

 

[iluvmyfishes]

My seahorses were not happy in my 150g. They did not appreciate the extra swimming space. I ended up switching them back to their smaller tank. Try keeping them in a species only tank until you get more experience with them. There are a very limited number of tank mates that are really compatible with seahorses and no stinging corals so be very careful how you stock your seahorses tank.

 

[L98-Z]

My seahorses were not happy in my 150g. They did not appreciate the extra swimming space. I ended up switching them back to their smaller tank. Try keeping them in a species only tank until you get more experience with them. There are a very limited number of tank mates that are really compatible with seahorses and no stinging corals so be very careful how you stock your seahorses tank.

Can you shed more information on that? How was their happiness defined?

 

[iluvmyfishes]

You can tell right away if a fish is comfortable or stressed. Seahorses move slow but they will explore and they have certain rituals and habits. For example they are very active in the morning. Then they go hang out for the rest of the day. Mine also were very active breeding in my 45 gal. A great indication that they were happy. In the 150g they were just not that comfortable. They did not explore like I thought they would. They seemed stressed and did not get thrive. In the end I went back to keeping them in a smaller tank and using my 150 for a larger swimming fish.

 

[theMatrix]

Ive been interested in a dragon face pipe fish...
For a mixed reef.

 

[Jeff4777]

Considering setting up my upcoming 150g as a sea horse pipefish tank. Have not decided on breed of either. Still have to research it.

Yeah research is key. Jumping into a seahorse tank without proper research may end in the death of your horses. I'd recommend looking into Erectus, Kuda, Barbouri, Comes, or Reidi.

I apologize if there is a forum already answer the questions I'm about to ask in advance.

No problem, better to ask beforehand.

Is there any fish compatible with these 2? Clownfish? Tang?

While there are people who do have sea horses with fish, I'd personally advise against it. Faster swimming fish with both stress out and out compete your horses for food. Also adding wild caught fish introduces a huge risk. Pathogens brought into the horse tank by these fish are deadly to the sea horses because your captive bred horses can't fend off the disease since they have no immunity to it. Even wild caught pipe fish are a huge risk adding with them. Wild caught horses can still be prone to disease with other fish in the tank and are also harder to get to ear frozen food. Some wild caught horses will never accept frozen food. It depends on each horse. Also the temperature needs of horses are different. 68-74 is a good number to hit. past 75 degrees bacteria and bunch of harmful things can start multipling like crazy past the temperature. Honestly the best tank for a sea horse is a species only tank.

Can anemones be in the tank with them? Would love to do a RBTA with a pair of maroon clownfish. Do you think there will be hostility?

Absolutely not. The anemone can sting and kill the seahorse, if not eat it.

Water flow will be focused to surface movement and almost none towards the bottom relying on CUC to keep the bottom very clean of course.

Well you could experiment with water flow and see what works best for you tank\horses. However try to limit any setup that may produce a large amount of micro bubbles. Micro bubbles + male sea horse is bad. I'd recommend researching gas bubble disease. Its the smaller bubbles that are a threat. Sea horses may play in area where flow is higher and in the bubbles. That is no problem. CUC is good, just make sure you don't have anything that's a threat to your ponies. Crabs are a risk. Yeah I would try to keep it as clean as possible. Sea horses are sensitive to water chemistry and it needs to be stable as well for their well being and health.

Can seahorses hang with SPS even though they might sting them? Is that a possiblity?

I wouldn't put much SPS with them. They can get stung like you mentioned depending on the coral. Other way around as well, the sea horse may use the SPS as a hitching post too much killing or damaging the coral.

Once again I apologize in advance if any of these questions are answered already. Just trying to see my options with this.

Again no problem! I'm glad your asking before hand rather than jumping into it. These are amazing creatures and require different care than a standard reef tank. If you do decide to continue with a sea horse tank I hope this information has helped.. Feel free to ask more questions if your still thinking about a sea horse tank!