H.Barbouri with chalices

[JoshMO]

Keeping the chalice is up to you. Just know that it is a potential risk.

As for which pair to get, reidi, erectus, kuda, comes, and barbouri all have the same care requirements. The biggest difference is if you may be considering breeding them. H. reid, H.comes, and H. kuda have pelagic fry (for seahorse purposes it basically means unable to hitch at birth) their fry are smaller and require foods smaller than BBS (baby brine shrimp) and are considered harder to raise. H. erectus and H. barbouri have benthic fry (for seahorse purposes means hitching at birth) they are larger and are able to eat BBS at birth.

If you are not considering breeding (ie getting 2 of the same sex). Then it comes down to personal preference and budget. erectus are considered the most hardy by most keepers, and comes the most delicate. reidi and comes are thinner "sleeker" species and erectus and kuda are fuller and more "robust" species. barbouri are a little smaller species and tend to be "slower" in comparison in moving, eating, breeding, growth etc. (all these generalities probably have exceptions)

generally kuda and erectus are cheaper species and barbouri and comes are more expensive. reidi is usually in the middle, unless they are sold by color, in which case the more colorful ones are pretty expensive.

 

[The River Reef]

Awesome info, thanks. My next question is a stock list? I was thinking of something like this:
-Yellow Watchman Goby
-Pair of Horses
-Bangai Cardinal (pair?)
-Pipefish (pair?)
-Mandarin (if everything else is okay add it last?)

I am torn as to how many fish would be okay with the horses in this tank. The cardinal is last on my list but if the pipefish or mandarin aren't good choice then the cardinal would do... Also, what pipefish are good to keep. I see the banded is popular, but there are these little blue ones that are very pretty. I have read it is hard to feed them. Can someone look over my wish list and post a realistic suggestive list? Thanks

 

[The River Reef]

PS - My tank is shown here if anyone wants to look it over or see the rock layout for reference
Post #2113

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1682279&page=85

 

[mtc1966]

nice tank . here is a couple of tank mate links.
http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml

http://www.fusedjaw.com/aquariumcare/seahorse-tankmates-whats-safe-whats-not/

i would get used to just the seahorses first before adding fish . some will recommend no fish. but i.mo i can be done just follow the guides and make sure your seahorses are getting enough to eat and not being bothered. i currently have a yellow clown goby a catalina goby and a pipefish with my seahorses. so far so good. but i was seahorse only for a good amount of time and then very slowly added 1 at a time.

 

[rayjay]

Awesome info, thanks. My next question is a stock list? I was thinking of something like this:
-Yellow Watchman Goby
-Pair of Horses
-Bangai Cardinal (pair?)
-Pipefish (pair?)
-Mandarin (if everything else is okay add it last?)

I am torn as to how many fish would be okay with the horses in this tank. The cardinal is last on my list but if the pipefish or mandarin aren't good choice then the cardinal would do... Also, what pipefish are good to keep. I see the banded is popular, but there are these little blue ones that are very pretty. I have read it is hard to feed them. Can someone look over my wish list and post a realistic suggestive list? Thanks

IMO, more than one more fish would be overloading the tank.
Seahorses are "dirty" fish, lowering water quality quite fast because of their habit of eating only "select" pieces of food, and, because when they snick the food, they masticate it with micro particulate matter being expelled through the gills, further degrading the quality.
That is why the recommendation is for a minimum 29g for just one pair of most species of seahorses. That is only allowing for 5g for any other fish you might add.
While some have succeeded in keeping seahorses with other fish, many many seahorses are lost in the attempts to do so by the majority of hobbyists.
Pipe fish are especially big causes of losses, probably because almost all pipe fish available to us are wild caught and the captive bred seahorses usually are victimized by the exposed pathogens from the pipe fish.
As already mentioned, it would be best to keep just the seahorses for long enough to determine that you are going to be successful before adding anything else, probably a year or so. Most failures occur in the first year.

 

[TamiW]

I have a limited number of H. comes as well, and Dan will have them soon. Plus Dan has had H. barbouri for a while now, so Ocean Rider isn't really aware or just wants to sell you their seahorses.

That being said:

If you look at photos of either species taken by divers, and they don't seem to spend that much time among corals - more pictures are of them in algae covered seabottoms. I think the difference is that they don't occur in or around seagrass beds. These photos are great examples:

Now, I don't mean to suggest they're never found on corals, but the corals are gorgonians and some sps. But more is the rocks, algae, and sponges that accompany the reefs. Not the reefs that reef hobbyists think of.

Their skin is sensitive to stings, and these two "reef" seahorses don't hang around stinging corals. I'm with the others, the chalice should come out.

 

[The River Reef]

Okay... I have a good idea and plan now. I will be removing the chalices and when ready will find a pair of horses. I wasn't crazy about the pipefish or Bangai anyways, I guess I thought I needed more fish. But as recommended I will give the horses the tank... if all goes well, maybe I can add the mandarin down the road. That is one that I really want to own Thanks for the feedback, you guys/ girls are awesome !

 

[The River Reef]

Also, I added a $10 bag of pods from reef cleaners when I bought my snails... I am seeing these things all over and different types. So I assume I have a thriving pods community in my tank

 

[The River Reef]

I do have another question... most of the lists i have read claim that skunk cleaner shrimp are good tank mates with seahorses. The last one I owned was super aggressive and would horde the food even from my fish... I am wondering how the horses could eat with one in the tank?

 

[The River Reef]

I have a limited number of H. comes as well, and Dan will have them soon. Plus Dan has had H. barbouri for a while now, so Ocean Rider isn't really aware or just wants to sell you their seahorses.

That being said:

If you look at photos of either species taken by divers, and they don't seem to spend that much time among corals - more pictures are of them in algae covered seabottoms. I think the difference is that they don't occur in or around seagrass beds. These photos are great examples:

Now, I don't mean to suggest they're never found on corals, but the corals are gorgonians and some sps. But more is the rocks, algae, and sponges that accompany the reefs. Not the reefs that reef hobbyists think of.

Their skin is sensitive to stings, and these two "reef" seahorses don't hang around stinging corals. I'm with the others, the chalice should come out.

So where or how could I obtain a pair of H.Barbouri horses?

 

[rayjay]

I do have another question... most of the lists i have read claim that skunk cleaner shrimp are good tank mates with seahorses. The last one I owned was super aggressive and would horde the food even from my fish... I am wondering how the horses could eat with one in the tank?

I don't know of many tanks where this has worked out. They stress the seahorses with their "cleaning" habits if nothing else.
This is why they are listed as a 3 in the tankmates guide.
Peppermint shrimp are one of the more common shrimps placed in seahorse tanks.
I didn't have any luck when I tried shrimp in my reidi tank as they ripped them apart in no time at all, feeding on the pieces.

 

[mtc1966]

i know the second list i posted has cleaner shrimp at level 1 but the first list rates them level 3 and thats the one i agree with . go with peps they will clean up messes and then go back to hiding under a rock.

 

[JoshMO]

Peppermints are great, except if they arn't big enough the seahorse will see them as food. Even if they can't snick them up I've heard of them killing them and eating them in pieces. Go for the biggest ones they have if you get them. Some snails like nassarius snails are also good at cleaning up leftover food, and they wont get eaten by the seahorses. Peppermints will eat aiptasias though so if those are a problem they could be useful.

As for getting H. barbouri you'd need to contact seahorsesource.com. Last I heard they are not available and wont be for a while (I like barbs as well and might get some from there when they do become available). According to the website he has erectus, kuda, and reidi currently available, with comes "available soon".

 

[wbradenpt]

glad to hear that you decided against the chalices. doesn't take much to sting a seahorse to death.

 

[mtc1966]

Peppermints are great, except if they arn't big enough the seahorse will see them as food. Even if they can't snick them up I've heard of them killing them and eating them in pieces.".

never had that problem in my tank . not saying its not possible just have not experienced it

 

[JoshMO]

never had that problem in my tank . not saying its not possible just have not experienced it

I haven't either. I have peppermints in my tank too. I feel it's important to share that some have experienced it though

 

[The River Reef]

So I have been in contact with both suggested breeders... the best I can do is 2 fully grown females. I am wondering if I could pair a male with one of these females from another species?
Also, can someone rationalize another species selection for me, lol?

 

[TamiW]

I do have another question... most of the lists i have read claim that skunk cleaner shrimp are good tank mates with seahorses. The last one I owned was super aggressive and would horde the food even from my fish... I am wondering how the horses could eat with one in the tank?

I think it depends. The cleaner shrimp themselves won't harm seahorses, but they can, as you said be agressive. At the very least, annoying. I've also seen a skunk cleaner pull babies directly from a males pouch for a snack. But I have also had them in a well fed tank with seahorses and they didn't really bother them.

 

[The River Reef]

I think it depends. The cleaner shrimp themselves won't harm seahorses, but they can, as you said be agressive. At the very least, annoying. I've also seen a skunk cleaner pull babies directly from a males pouch for a snack. But I have also had them in a well fed tank with seahorses and they didn't really bother them.

I have a decent CUC consisting of a snail assortment so I will just leave it at that for now. And I am arranging the sale of my chalice frags through my local club that I belong to.

 

[The River Reef]

On a side note... I received conformation that there will be Barbs ready in approx 60 days from one of the recommended vendors Can't wait!!! Now I will focus on my tank environment and get ready for these Barbs... Anyone using tree sponges in their Seahorse tanks? I will search around here for some info on them...