seahorses in a reef tank? Possible?

[michael43]

I want to put a seahorse or two in my reef setup? Possible or no? It is a coral/tang/clown/invert setup. can i maybe add a blk and ylw SH?

 

[sedorusc]

two problems here. sh do not go well at all with tangs. tangs are quick eaters and they have a tendency to pick @ the sh. also the water flow you have for your reef is a little too much for the seahorses. they are slow movers and cannot move well against a fast current.

 

[michael43]

ah....good to know. i thought the current would be too much

 

[ceresma]

There is a great article about this very topic in TFH both January and February. (2 part article) They demonstrate how this can be done.
Mark

 

[seas_inside]

To add to that.... some corals and inverts aren't safe with the horses.

 

[pledosophy]

I keep corals with seahorses, so I guess it is a reef tank but the setup is far different from your typical SPS system.

 

[cmsargent]

There's also the temp problem. Most people keep their reefs at temps (high 70's-80) that are not good for seahorses. You might be able to keep both tanks at an intermediate temp (74-76). Adding a UV sterilizer might help somewhat with the disease risk of higher temps with seahorses.

Then there's the nutrient problem. Seahorses need frequent feedings and all that food can add quite a nutrient load to the tank. You'd need to beef up your protien export (ie bigger skimmer). Depending upon how you set this up it might be possible to keep seahorses in a attached sump/refugium but it'd take alot of equiptment and effort. In the long run it'd be easier just to set up a seperate tank for them.

 

[pledosophy]

My tank did have a refugium but no skimmer.

Temp was kept at 74 or below. No problem with the corals.

On the food issue the corals and horses appreciated the feedings.

JME

Fairly easy setup.