Seahorses

[dyeman]

Hi,
Wondering if anyone in this group is keeping Seahorses. I just bought a 14g Oceanic cube, to do a Nano and was wondering if it would be large enough for Seahorses. I've had at least one reeftank going on 3 years. Currently have 2...a 125 and a 55, err make that 3 with the addition of the cube . From what I've been reading a 14g might be a little small, but I thought I would see if anyone else is making the effort with a tank of this size. Any thoughts?

Thanks
ds

 

[tonkadawg]

I've been keeping a pair of H.reidi in my via aqua 18 for over a year now. They are doing great - granted, I got them when they were pretty small, they've grown a bit since I've had them. My tank is 20" high and I feel that has helped, but I do think that before too long I am going to need to step up to a bigger tank. How tall is your oceanic cube?

 

[murfman]

Look at the dwarf species. Remember they like tall vs long/deep.

 

[everl0ng]

would my perfecto 20x20x24 be an ok tank for seahorses?

 

[tonkadawg]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9347732#post9347732 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by everl0ng
would my perfecto 20x20x24 be an ok tank for seahorses?

v

I think you would be ok with that size tank for a pair, but be sure to keep flow and lighting low.

 

[Jordan55]

I do not think a 14 gallon is okay for the more common speices of Seahorses. Maybe dwarfs, but those are hard to keep. Do research before you buy anything.

One main thing when it comes to sea horses is temperature. They like low temps around 72. Anything higher like 75-80 will kill them either short term or long term. And when you think about more corals that you want to keep, they need 78 degrees.

 

[dyeman]

Thanks folks. I was thinking dwarf would be about the only SH I could keep in a cube this small... it was just a thought. May have to step up to the 24g if I want to keep them. I am sure my fish and flow is too agressive in my reef tanks.

 

[fishymann]

most don't suggest anything under 29G for tropical. 14G would be good for dwarfs but are very hard to keep and have short life spans.

 

[cschwaj]

Ironically, a 14 gallon is MUCH too large for dwarfs. They really aren't too hard to keep, they just require specialized care and need a nearly constant supply of enriched baby brine shrimp. They rarely (almost never) take frozen foods.

Anything larger than 5 gallons is a challenge because of feeding density requirements. The pre-built systems have way too much flow. Keep in mind that these are 1 to 1.5 inches tall fully grown. It is hard to appreciate how small they are until you see them in person.

If you want to learn more, seahorse.org has an excellent forum dedicated to dwarfs.

 

[dyeman]

If you want to learn more, seahorse.org has an excellent forum dedicated to dwarfs.

Yep,
Been there there and signed up but for some reason can't post. Can only browse.

Thanks
ds