seahorse mix

[tylerdj]

anyone know if you can put dwarf seahorses with pygmy seahorses in the same tank :

 

[Amphiprion]

I see no reason why not, so long as both species can get adequate amounts of food.

 

[Swanwillow]

ummm, huh? what are you considering to be pygmy? the pygmy seahorse is NOT avalible to the public... and hopefully it will never be. You may be talking about ocean riders H. zots: they name thier types of seahorses... but, mixing captive bred and wild caught seahorses is not good either.

the problem with mixing seahorses is HUGE: they shouldn't be mixed from different suppliers,or different species theres a GREAT post here: http://forum.seahorse.org/index.php?showtopic=25705
second post down. THATS the best post I've EVER read!!!!

 

[Amphiprion]

I don't necessarily agree. The concern is very great for the once-supplied wild caught horses, but IME, not nearly so for the captive raised ones. Now I know the pygmy seahorse you are referring to, as I normally go by scientific nomenclature, so the I wasn't entirely familiar with the common name. As far as disease concerns go, the potential is just as high for intraspecifics as it is for interspecifics. Even ones from the same source can become potential problems.

 

[Swanwillow]

I'm not the one to argue the point with: but for someone who hasn't ever kept horses before, the thing is: they shouldn't mix, there are just too many odds stacked against them...

once someone new to keeping seahorses gets the basics down: ESPECIALLY with dwarves (hatching bbs every day, waterchanges 2x weekly, etc etc) THEN they can start talking about this subject...

and then, I'd be more willing to say SURE

 

[Amphiprion]

Ah, ok agreed. I did some searching and did not realize that there is roughly a 50/50 dividing line as far as experience with species mixing (initially). I had seen it done successfully more than once (including myself) and I suppose I did not account for the experience of others.

 

[Swanwillow]

there ya go...

its easier to mix other fish... no problems. but with our silly syngnathids, its a horror, specially if you have to sit and watch your horses skin slough off, because you got a pretty pipefish for the tank, or that male from the LFS would fit in so nicely with your females... and you don't know the problems associated with it, and don't know how to treat it..

then ya go on forums for help, and find out all about vibrio, and that yuor horses have a 50% chance of living, and you need dog-wormers to help fix the whole mess....

 

[Swanwillow]

oh, and I REALLY want to mix species.. I have 2 female kuda, and one male... BOY OH BOY do I want a male barb!!!