Seahorses with SPS?

[OUBrook]

Hey guys, I posted this thread earlier in a seahorse forum, but they're not very active. So I'm throwing it to you.

I've heard several rumors from all kinds of people that say you can or cannot put seahorses with sps. I haven't done much research on it due to lack of time with school (FINALS WEEK!!), but I thought a quick poll may help clear up the rumors. I don't really see why you couldn't, and my answers also have been coming from people not owning seahorses or not having seahorses with sps. But I am a little concerned (like sps will need a lot of flow). If you can't put them together, please let me know! I want to get all angles covered before considering taking on that challenge.

Thanks so much!!
-Brook


And here's one response:

I was concerned with buying a seahorse and putting him in my reef. The main reason was that i have several large fish and bristle stars. I felt he might not be able to get enough food. Plus all of the info from other seahorse owners on the difficulty of keeping them alive and happy. My aquarium has quite a bit of flow through it along with the 3 powerheads coming on sporaticly. But he holds his own. He can be fairly fast when he wants to and has no problem grabbing his share of food. At night when the night lights are on he will glide to the top and ride the currents thru the tank. As long as you don't have any stinging corals or anemones i think you will be fine.
Also this is how hardy my little guy is. I saw a bristle star snag his tail once and he actually did a big flip and pecked the star several times. Good luck OUBrook.
P.S. mines a dwarf Horse

So what do y'all think? :fish1:

 

[papagimp]

I'd be worried about the sps stinging the seahorse when he tried to grab a foothold (or tailhold) on em. Some can still produce sweepers that pack a whollup!

 

[OUBrook]

Yeah, I thought that too. Well, that's what this thread is for. Gimme opinions!!


Oh, and to illustrate how inactive that forum is, I've had this thread up all day and only have 19 views so far. I already have 12 here not even 30 minutes after posting... Go COMAS!

 

[pwhitby]

i would say that the issues come not from the SPS but from the nature of the conditions required to keep both....my main concern would be water flow.

If you established a wave (using a wavebox) I think you would be fine, but flow from powerheads and or pumps may be just too much for the horse and if you went low flow, too little for the sps.

Having said that............I have many sps that did very well in low flow.

I would suggest Montipora digitata (the purple and the pink grow very fast). I would also suggest any of the porites species.

For the most part they dont really have much of a sting to them, are branching, that you would want (especially under low flow), and have sufficient variety of color to be pleasing to look at.

I say go for it and find conditions that match both inhabitants.

 

[djc1026]

I don't think the stinging would be the problem, my seahorses hitch to a spaghetti leather that wipes out any xenia it comes in contact with. Most common SPS are not really aggressive stinging corals. My concern would be the flow necessary for SPS survival. I think you could do it, as long as you had a dedicated area that you concentrated the majority of flow for the SPS, i.e. one end of the tank, that way the rest of the tank would have the indirect flow bouncing off the walls on that end. Seahorses like to venture into areas of higher flow (not massive direct flow) but then they want to be able to chill out and not be blown all over the place. My 29 gallon SH tank has more flow on one side than the other and my SH's spend 90-95% of their time on the lower flow side. I have about 13x turnover in the tank and that comes from a HOB skimmer, and HOB filters, no powerheads in the tank. You can see my tank at www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=988740

Dave

 

[luvabunny]

The biggest drawback to keeping horses with sps is that the sps generally doesn't appreciate the horse continually wrapping it's tail around it. Most sps require higher flow and brighter lighting than horses like. Altho the bright lighting won't hurt the horses, they may not be as active, tend to hide more, and it may raise the temp too high. It is being proven that horses do better in 68-73 degrees, which is far too cool for most sps.

With careful consideration for both the horses and sps, I'm sure it could be successfully done. You certainly wouldn't want a badly stinging coral with your horses, and you wouldn't want one that required excessive lighting. On the other hand, you would want to steer clear of those that were too sensitive to touch, because your horse will certainly touch it. Flat corals like montipora's are great for catching frozen mysis, and your horse may use it as a dinner plate.

The flow isn't of great concern to me, as long as there is an area of the tank where the horses can get out of it. A healthy horse will enjoy playing in the flow. I've even had those that loved to hang out in a bubble wand (yea, I know, another no no.)

As long as you can be equally cognizant of the requirements of the seahorses and the sps, I don't see why it can't be done. It will take some careful planning. Watching your temp will be one of the biggest.

On another note, I am thinking of ordering some horses. Let me know if you're interested in going in on it. I am looking specifically for reidi, but many places have several species, and can ship them all together to help defray the costs. Let me know.

 

[OUBrook]

Thanks a lot guys!! Maybe I'll try it someday. It sounds challenging Plus, I think it could be beautiful. Thanks for the suggestions with which sps, Paul. I've only learned through Chris Carlsen about sps, having none myself, so suggestions are great. And I love the porites we just got from you! I'm switching their tank out this weekend, so I've got my wheels turning! I'll keep you guys posted if I decide to do anything. By all means, if anyone can see reasons not to do this, let me know!

 

[OUBrook]

April, just let me know when you want to make the order, and I'll look into it. Right now isn't the best time since I'm switching their tanks, but I'm always on the lookout for some great ponies (I'm the kind of person that doesn't buy one in anticipation for that one that really catches my eye). So just let me know when you're itching for some

 

[OUBrook]

Well, here's what the seahorse forum came back and said:

ReefNutPA
Registered Member

Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Reading, PA
Occupation: Pet Store Manager
Posts: 470


Brook,

The biggest problem is reef tank conditions for your corals are not conducive to good seahorse environments. Corals prefer high flow and reef-tank temperatures. Seahorses do best in low to medium flow and temperatures under 76F. Most SPS corals would not fare well long-term at those temperatures.

The other problem is, as Eron noted, sweeper tentacles with some corals. Additionally, seahorses will hitch on anything - something your SPS corals won't take too kindly too.

Yes, it can be done but you'll have to find the fine line between what the SPS corals can handle and what the seahorses can handle. Since that line is rather small - most seahorse keepers, myself included, prefer to keep the reef tanks as reef tanks and the seahorses in their own species specific tanks.

Hope that helps a bit.

Tom

Hobby Experience: 15+ years....various setups: FO/FOWLR/Reef
Current Tanks: 75g reef, 50g reef, 46g bow kuda tank, 29g Kuda tank, 10g "natural" dwarf seahorse tank, 5g & 10g seahorse nursery tanks
Interests: Marine Aquaria



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12/14/2006 05:52 PM

panmanmatt
Registered Member

Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Ocean County, NJ
Occupation: Heavy equiptment operator
Posts: 264



quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Eron
P.S. mines a dwarf Horse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



This is highly unlikely as you would most likely never be able to find a dwarf seahorse in a 75 gallon reef tank. Hippocampus zosterae, aka dwarf seahorse, has a full grown adult size of 1 inch. That plus the fact that dwarf seahorses main staple of food is baby brine shrimp and copepods. Whom ever sold you him as a dwarf seahorse was not being honest with you.

Brook,

As Tom said the flow and temps needed for SPS are not conducive to long term healthy seahorses.



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12/15/2006 01:30 AM

reefD
Registered Member

Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Schenectady,New York
Occupation: state
Posts: 4010


take the forums word as we want to save you the money, time, and heartache....will NOT work!


__________________
DAVID

Hobby Experience: 4 plus years with reef tanks
Current Tanks: it has four sides and a bottom...oh yeah and it has water in it. lol
Interests: reef tanks and anything fun



Haha, Kind of pessimistic, aren't they?
Now I want to do it lol.... but it sounds like I'd get killed during my sleep if I did.. maybe I'll just stick with softies Keep my ponies safe.

 

[papagimp]

Paul made a few good points there, I have also read that Porties, Monti Digi's, as well as Pocillopora's can be very adaptable to flow. Including lower flow, will just affect growth patterns. Skinnier branches and less density of the overall colony. After reading all those other posts, I'd say it's definatly a fine line but doesn't sound impossible at all. Just going to take careful planning and implementation.

 

[pwhitby]

Like I said, choose wisely and it can be done.

but the choosing is the hard part. April makes valid points regarding the heat. However many SPS do fine at 75-78 so you can keep a tank cooler. May require a chiller to balance the light issues.

P.

 

[OUBrook]

That's what I like to hear! Optimism! Still, it's nothing I can do right away, but I'm still going to give it some thought. It'd be so awesome

 

[djc1026]

Brook, if the diehard SH community knew how I maintained my SH tank, I would have already been visited in my sleep People regurgitate what they have been told or what they have read, of which the basic tenets haven't changed much. I'm all for pushing the envelope as long as I've done the research, reasonalbly believe it's doable and understand and accept the risks.

Dave

 

[OUBrook]

Yeah, the more I visit that seahorse forum, the more I feel like I can't ask questions for fear of being stoned. They are pretty uptight. I feel like I'm doing everything wrong when I ask something and then get interrogated. Not too welcoming. But at least I've got you guys

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

I'll admit that they are a pretty tight nit group of people, but I have to stick up for them as they are just trying to provide the best possible environment for the things that they care about; seahorses. They're just trying to stick up for their best interests. It wouldn't be any different than someone attempting to keep Acropora under Power Compacts and being bombarded with "You need Metal Halides" and so on. Can keeping Acros under PCs be done? Sure. Is it best for the coral? Probably not. Now the real question is, do you feel you should be taking an animal out of optimal conditions to please your own feelings is what you feel as the right thing to do?

I'm not trying to pick on you specifically, but I ask you that question in all honesty, and hope that you give it some serious thought. Sleep on it if you will. FWIW, you won't be berated or looked down on from me no matter your choice. :thumbsup:

 

[papagimp]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8758820#post8758820 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Travis L. Stevens
I'll admit that they are a pretty tight nit group of people, but I have to stick up for them as they are just trying to provide the best possible environment for the things that they care about; seahorses.

At least she didn't ask, "can I keep a tang in a 20gallon" Those people bombard alot more than seahorse people in my opinion.

 

[cmc0814]

Why can't they be kept in a 20? I've got 4 of them in my 20L. They are only 6" long each. I'd say I have a couple more years before I have to upgrade to a larger tank!

oh, jk

 

[OUBrook]

Yeah, I know they mean well. But I do think they could be more nurturing than demeaning. And I have no intention of doing it if it could harm the horses. I will do my homework. Sorry for my rant before. This is just the third time I've tried to get help from them, and I always feel like I shouldn't ask them anymore. I can find info elsewhere without feeling like a bad mommy. But I'm glad they're there to get help from if I'm in a crisis. I guess if someone speaks as if they are absolutely certain, I would like to know why they think that (e.g. sites, and credibility, etc). I'm not throwing out the idea yet- I still have a lot to learn about it. Maybe someday I can show facts to someone else who wants to do the same thing.

 

[OUBrook]

Haha, better watch it, Chris. You may wake up with no fish... lol

 

[Travis L. Stevens]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8758855#post8758855 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by papagimp
At least she didn't ask, "can I keep a tang in a 20gallon" Those people bombard alot more than seahorse people in my opinion.

Just another reason why I don't have room to speak. I've got that Yellow Tang that's been in my 29g for several months now. So Stephanie, when is it going in the 225g?