seahorses ? would it be a good addition to my tank?
- Thread starter jimdpiper
- Start date
cstamper65605
Member
Seahorses are lots of fun to keep but they really must be in a dedicated tank, and their welfare needs to come first. Agressive fish like Damsels will steal all the food before the slower seahorse can get to it. Also, disease is a consideration. Fish can carry all sorts of bacteria, that while not dangerous to other fish, can be lethal to seahorses. That said, there are a few gobies that do well with seahorses, and some pistol shrimp/gobie pairs. BTW, I think the arrow crab would be a dangerous tank mate. Google a search on Seahorses and you will find tons of info about Seahorse care. You will want an extra tall tank ( so they don't get gas bubble disease and so they can do their mating dance properly) housing tank-raised ponies (so they will be assured to eat well) if you go that route. Good luck!
Puffer Queen
New member
I agree - a dedicated tank. Damsels are definitely out as well as some of the corals.
Kelly
Kelly
Pandora
Premium Member
THey aren't actually quite as delicate as people think, it's more that they need different requirements. Amongst them are as the others have said, lower current, which not all corals & other fish like.
Other considerations, from a former SH owner... SH tanks tend to be nitrate & nutrient high, comes from the live/frozen foods they must get. cs was right in that they will be difficult to feed with other fish around; even with target feeding, most will outcompete slower swimming horses. THere is a list of fish that are compatible with SH's on www.seahorse.org; this is also a very valuable resource in general, with their own forum. They really do best in species tanks, though some keep them with corals and small inverts; they are difficult to keep with SPS because of the nutrient load issue.
Other considerations, from a former SH owner... SH tanks tend to be nitrate & nutrient high, comes from the live/frozen foods they must get. cs was right in that they will be difficult to feed with other fish around; even with target feeding, most will outcompete slower swimming horses. THere is a list of fish that are compatible with SH's on www.seahorse.org; this is also a very valuable resource in general, with their own forum. They really do best in species tanks, though some keep them with corals and small inverts; they are difficult to keep with SPS because of the nutrient load issue.
KDodds
New member
You can pretty much solve the nutrient load with healthy macroalgae grow-out. Our 40g SH tank is 0ppm across the board. Low flow, and any other organisms kept with them should be "Seahorse friendly". Most snails and tiny hermits are fine, but Arrow Crabs, Emeralds, Sallys, etc. would probably be a bad choice. I wouldn't keep reef fishes with them, but some Pipes might work (keeping in mind the Glugea problem with H. erectus). Very mild, low-competition reef fishes such as Mandarins are also viable options, but they're really best suited to a species tank.
Samala
New member
Whats is the "glugea" problem?
You may get better attention to this thread if you cross post to the Seahorse forum here on RC too. There's an FAQ thread with lots of resources.
The clown is a pretty iffy tankmate. Some people have luck with them and some dont, very much comes down to the personality of the clown and the horses.
>Sarah
KDodds
New member
http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/diseaseguide.shtml
Glugea is often present in H. erectus that exhibit no symptoms of infection. Other fish introduced into H. erectus tanks (or if an infected H. erectus is introduced into a tank with pre-existing fish), the other fish may still contract the disease. Q-Tanks will really not be the answer unless they're treated for the problem. As well, it's been reported that H. erectus may also carry Vibrio asymptomatically.
Glugea is often present in H. erectus that exhibit no symptoms of infection. Other fish introduced into H. erectus tanks (or if an infected H. erectus is introduced into a tank with pre-existing fish), the other fish may still contract the disease. Q-Tanks will really not be the answer unless they're treated for the problem. As well, it's been reported that H. erectus may also carry Vibrio asymptomatically.
