New seahorses... now what

Savas

New member
My wife just picked up some coral we ordered from a LFS and they giving away some locally bred seahorses to their favorite customers - guess we rate... They needed the tank space for a new order that just came today - they only had 4 left in the tank and we got two.

So, what do I do with them? Is this a disaster waiting to happen?

I have a 24 gallon Aquapod that is healthy with 3 fish in it (damsel, clownfish, and a hawkfish). The tank has been up and running for over two years now is generally stable. I have a MaxiJet 900 in the tank for current and the stock pump. My wife was told these are raised seahorses and they eat mysis shrimp - she watched them eat when they were fed at the store today. They also told her the seahorses were bred and raised in 78 degree water.

This store is reputable and the owner has a good reputation, so I trust him. She has the species written down, but they are not dwarfs, although they are about 4 inches long now and brown.
 
The tamp is better around 74 degrees to keep away bacteria.
What types of corals are in your tank?
Clownfish you have to watch out for aggressiveness. Not sure about the rest. Someone will shime in soon, I'm sure.
Pics would be great. What species are they?
 
The hawk fish is the only fish that would be considered safe. Damsel can get really aggresive depending on the species. How big are the seahorses? Eating frozen? If not get some live brine asap and something to fortify (selco)?
 
You say they are reputable but any store who is willing to just give an animal away to people who have no idea how to care for that animal is not very reputable in my eyes.

Your 24 is not large enough of a tank for seahorses with nothing else in it let alone other fish. Seahorses are not easy creatures to keep.

With the fish you have in there now the seahorses will most likely starve to death because the other fish will be too aggressive and to quick of eaters to allow the seahorse to get the food.

just my .02
 
If I were you, I would set up a temporary 10 gallon (or larger) with some LR from your display, a cycled sponge, or some other source of biological filtration. Keep the temperature under 74 degrees, feed frozen mysis twice a day, and keep an eye on the ammonia. And use the time to set up a proper seahorse tank and/or find a home for the seahorses with someone who can care for them. IMO, the aquapod is not an adequite home without getting rid of the clownfish and the damsel, and without some significant mods to bring the temperature down and reduce the flow.
 
Thanks for all the information! This Board is full of great advice and I really appreciate it. I am setting up a 6 gallon temporary tank to house them and then porting that to a new Aquapod 24 with cured rock.
 
I am going to give them back to the store this evening. I spent about an hour reading this morning and I am just not equipped to handle them. The need for a chiller is a critical issue in my opinion. Better to give them back then make them suffer.

I give a lot of credit to those who can raise them and raise them right. This really is a specialized area and has a complexity all to its own.
 
Wow!

Savas, I commend you for bringing them back to the store. It shows that you are willing to listen & learn and most importantly CARE about the welfare of your pets.
 
I ended up giving them to a local reefer that has a seahorse featured display tank. He was happy to take them. They have lots of friends now. He has a 125 tank with all the goodies. He had a really cool yellow and an orange seahorse. They are about 9 inches tall - just two really neat specimans.
 
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