seahorses and clownfish

[jessibrown24]

Is it possible to keep a group of reidi seahorses with 2 picasso ocellaris clownfish (captive bred) in a 72 gallon tank if the hitching posts are away from the clownfish territory and if they are fed often in different areas of the tank?

 

[rayjay]

It IS possible occasionally, at least in the short term. Almost ALWAYS though the clownfish sooner or later will at the very least, stress the seahorses and at worst, nip them. Both situations are bad. I would NEVER put a clownfish in a tank with seahorses. It is NOT, IMO, worth the risk to the lives of the seahorses and many have died in the attempts.

 

[nutbar29]

IMO....I would never put a clown fish with seahorses not only because aggression but also because clown fish come from warmer water than seahorses. Your seahorse tank should be 69-74 and clowns should be 78-80.


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[rayjay]

Just so some new people don't get misled, many of us keep tropical seahorses in a range of 68° to 74°F but not because the seahorses come from waters of that temperature range, and indeed, most do come from warmer waters.
The reason for it is the propensity of seahorses to fall victim to nasty bacteria like the vibrio species. As the bacteria multiply exponentially, especially above 74°, and because our tanks are not continually flowing new water, the bacteria feed and bed in the detritus of the tanks but by maintaining temperatures that are not so conducive to their spread, we alleviate some of the risk of bacterial infections. Seahorses by virtue of their selective eating habits, and, due to their expelling particulate matter through the gills upon snicking their food, create very dirty water and extreme maintenance with larger more frequent water changes will go a long way to minimize bacterial problems but still need the lower temperatures to increase the odds in our favour.

 

[BlueCat1949]

Is it possible to keep a group of reidi seahorses with 2 picasso ocellaris clownfish (captive bred) in a 72 gallon tank if the hitching posts are away from the clownfish territory and if they are fed often in different areas of the tank?

Not a good idea at all. If you have two clownfish they are probably a pair and they will be extra aggressive toward the seahorses. H. readi seahorses are expensive and their lives would be at risk due to aggression and stress.

 

[vlangel]

I had a captive bred clownfish that I raised myself that was very docile. I had downsized to just the seahorse tank and I did not want to part with my beloved clownfish of 7 years so I tried putting him in with the 2 seahorses. He never showed aggression but my male seahorse got sick shortly after and died. After that I gave my clownfish away to someone who would take good care of him. It was a hard, sad lesson.