Seahorse ID help. i need to know if a 12 gallon is enough

[lilleahseafreak]

these guys have been living in a 12 gallon nanocube since i got them on september 5th, they are doing VERY well they eating and are very active, my only complaint is that both turned tan within a week of getting them which i assume was to match their new habitat as they are certainly harder to see!

any way i need to know what kind they are and if i really need to go through all the trouble to change my 23 gallon into a SH tank which means re-doing all the rocks, makeing the current weaker and taking out the clowns and royal gramma as i don't know if they will all get along since they can be territorial (in the 12 gallon there is a a yellow watchman goby and a tiny PJ cardinal and they have all been together since day 1 w/no problems but both those kind of fish are very mild mannered)

hopfully the 12 gallon is fine, i mean they have not grown at all since i got them, except that the black one is now a male as he has grown a pouch.

any way here is the picture (or link to the picture, the image may not show up here)

i need to know as soon as possible if these guys just cannot live in a 12 gallon.

 

[Poniegirl]

Sorry I can't help much with IDing.
I do believe, tho, that they will grow to at least 5" and in my opinion, a 12 gal is too small ( unless they were dwarves).
Another issue is the substrate. You must remove that gravel! It can be left as a bare bottom or add the finest grain sand you can. Seahorses will feed from the bottom and can snick up gravel which can lodge in the snout. You can imagine without my expanding on that one..
Sand they can blow back out.

 

[Fishfreak218]

look like Kuda to me... 12g. is to small... those rocks look way to big/heavy for a seahorse like Kuda to suck up.. i personally think they are fine .

 

[seas_inside]

lilleahseafreak, I could be wrong, but to me they either look like Erectus or Kuda. 12G is definitely too small.

 

[lilleahseafreak]

well it looks like i may need to convert my 23 gallon to a SH home. what are the chances of the clowns and gramma not bothering the SHs? (after a full change of the habbitat to undo any territorial nature) i know "species only" is the way to go with SHs but there have been no problems at all with the fish they are with currently and having them with normal fish is so nice to watch.
well i have a 40 gallon set up that the sensative corals who need strong flow can go in, but the current residents are aggresive and won't be nice to the newcommers. they have all been in there together for 4 months and the fish include a coral beauty angel, bicolor blenny, maroon clown, and 2 falco hawks, which is a nasty crew to add any new to, plus adding 2 clowns and a gramma will overcroud the tank.

but still i am glad i asked as i care about these SHs.
the guy at the store said the 12 gallon was fine for the long run as they don't get much bigger, but then again trusting the LFS is generally a big no-no in the hobby.

 

[seas_inside]

Honestly, I wouldn't chance mixing the SHs with the other fish. Others may tell you differently, but I don't have experience with SH tankmates, just species only.

 

[lilleahseafreak]

seahorse.org has a list of fish with 0 being no problem to 3 being with caution, the gramma is posted as a 2, the clowns as 3, the watchman is a 1, PJ cardinal not mentioned, and luckily i have no fish on the "never put with seahorses list" so the clowns will switch into the 12 gallon and the PJ cardnail and watchman along with the SHs are moving to the 23 gallon, i will still keep an eye on the gramma.

 

[seas_inside]

Sounds reasonable... I, being a dwarf keeper, don't have any tankmates except snails. So, kuda/erectus are different in their needs than dwarves. As in, your SHs may be fine with those other fish. I hope all goes well for you, keep us updated.

 

[lilleahseafreak]

seahorse.org lists kuda's as needing 15 gallons for 2 pairs (if i read that right, i only have and intend to have 1 pair so then 12 gallon should be fine? i have a 18 gallon i can use if i reseal the silicone, that would probably be best)

this is thearticle, the part about tank size to species is under the picture of a tank full of orange yellow and black SHs

http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/SeahorseFactsAndInfo.shtml

 

[angieg1123]

A 12g is too small. I would suggest a 20G high as the smallest tank for 1 pair.

 

[Izsabelle]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8475333#post8475333 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lilleahseafreak
seahorse.org lists kuda's as needing 15 gallons for 2 pairs

http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/SeahorseFactsAndInfo.shtml

That's the minimum. It's like this, would you be happy living with another person in a 6'x6' room that includes bathroom and living space? You might be ok for a while, but eventually, you'll get sick of it.

Your seahorses can live in a 12g tank, but will they be happy and thrive? Probably not. If they are kuda or erectus, they'll appreciate the room a 20+gallon tank will give them. Plus, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain.

:rollface:

 

[panmanmatt]

kuda, 1 pair/8 gallons (30 liters)- minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)

The 15 gallon is the minimum for 1 pair.

Also, that document is outdated and in the process of being re-written.

IMHO, minimum size tank for that species is a 29 gallon.

 

[lilleahseafreak]

well they are still under 4 inches (w/uncurled tail) and putting them in bigger tank right now may make feeding an issue (smaller space=easier to find food and the more of it gets eaten VS rotting, like with a dwarf SH tank) so i will upgrade to the 18 gallon for now and when they get an inch longer in a few months i will move them to the 23 gallon with the hopes of one day expanding their home even further. (if i can find the money to so and convince my mother to let me upgrade)

 

[Aliie]

[/IMG]
My girls are in a 12 gal Nano cube and have grown quite a bit. They have been here for about 6 months. I don't know that you should chance the clown fish. Mine is mean and kills everything it can.

 

[louie07]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8473980#post8473980 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lilleahseafreak
seahorse.org has a list of fish with 0 being no problem to 3 being with caution, the gramma is posted as a 2, the clowns as 3, the watchman is a 1, PJ cardinal not mentioned, and luckily i have no fish on the "never put with seahorses list" so the clowns will switch into the 12 gallon and the PJ cardnail and watchman along with the SHs are moving to the 23 gallon, i will still keep an eye on the gramma.

pj cardinal is the same as spotted cardinal, very seahorse safe.

 

[Elysia]

Grammas can be quite mean, and quite fast. I wouldn't have one with my seahorses (unless it was brain damaged, or something.) Be very careful. Will likely stress the sh out w/ movement and greed. If you have both an 18g and a 23 gallon (those are weird sizes) then I would go ahead and move the 23's inhabitants (clowns & gramma) to the 18 and the 12's (horses and cardinal) to the 23. I'm not sure if the watchman should go w/ the horses or stay in the 12. Perhaps stay in the 12 and get a pistol?