suncoral and seahorses

[graveyardworm]

A couple questions about placing suncoral in a seahorse tank.

1) Are they ever found together in the wild?
2)This is a 100 gal 6" long tank with a mix of seagrass and other macros as well as a few pieces of LR and some non aggressive soft corals. Would it be a bad idea?

 

[Fredfish]

I believe that the suncoral is more of a reef coral. I do not know if it would normally grow in a seagrass or mangrove environment.

OK, got smart and looked it up in Borneman's book. "However, many colonies can be fournd in diverse (sometimes surprising) locations - not always on the reef - and wherever high-nutrient or plankton populations exist."

So, given that mangrove and seagrass areas tend to be higher nutrient environments, maybe??

As far as I know, the sun coral would be a fine choice for a seahorse tank. Just remember that it is a non-photosynthetic coral and needs to be fed regularly (ie: daily).

Fred

Edit: P.S. got any tank pics? sounds like a nice tank.

 

[MarkKlier]

I have done it...no problem. Sun Corals are very heavy feeders. You can run into nutrient problems in the tank because of that. The sh's will actually steal some of the food from them...not enough to cause any problems...I used a turkey baster to feed my Suncorals mysis shrimp. Good luck!!! MK

 

[Fishfreak218]

will it sting the Horses?????

 

[MarkKlier]

No Actually looks very nice together..again Sun corals are hard to keep alive...cannot feed them enough MK

 

[graveyardworm]

Awesome, I just purchased a malnurished suncoral, which hopefully I can nurse back to health. It almost seems as though seahorses and suncoral would be good together cause the regular feeding could benefit both. My system is going to be big on nutrient export with the seagrass, other macro, and a fuge with cheato. As well as a large skimmer.

 

[graveyardworm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6625926#post6625926 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fredfish

Edit: P.S. got any tank pics? sounds like a nice tank.

I could post some pics but its not much to look at yet, waiting for the sand bed to mature for the seagrass. I was hoping to create a mixed lagoon/seagrass type display with a couple mounds of LR, seagrass, other macro (no caulerpa or cheato in here), a few soft corals, with an otherwise light bio load. The tank is teaming with pods and worms right now with no predation. There are some pics in my gallery before it was running.

 

[MarkKlier]

Okay, what I did was try to feed them once and sometimes twice a day. I would unfreeze a bunch of mysis, then feed the horse just some...putting some of the mysis over the sun corals. You can teach them to come out well in the day...if they are getting fed. Then after about 15 minutes I would go back ...give the horses some more and feed the sun coral polyps. The evening feeding is easier...because they like to come out after the daylights go off. Again they have a strong chemotactic response to the mysis in the water. Shrimp of any kind will tend to steal the food too quickly from them (IMHO). The horses will take some of the food...but not so much to be a big problem....Good luck..

 

[Fredfish]

Let us know how it works out.

Fred

 

[Fredfish]

OK, your off the hook for now on pics. This is the tank I want to set up eventually. I'm just not in the right place to do that now.

Shrimp of any kind will tend to steal the food too quickly from them (IMHO).

Yup. I had a feeding tube I put over my sun coral to keep the shrimp and chromis away. Shrimp are very aggressive feeders.

Fred

 

[BradL.]

I would think suncorals and seahorses would be ideal. Same diet, both like low light, same diet. I may just toss one in mine.

 

[pledosophy]

IME seahorses have done fine under various lighting conditions. How low is low light to you ?

The suncorals and seahorses will be fine together, as you've read.

 

[graveyardworm]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6629373#post6629373 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pledosophy
IME seahorses have done fine under various lighting conditions. How low is low light to you ?

The suncorals and seahorses will be fine together, as you've read.

I dont think the light question was directed at me, but since your asking. Since I'm going to have seagrass I was going to try T-5 would this be too much for seahorses?