thinking about gettin 2 sea horses

[marinerules]

the petstore has 6 4 inch tall black sea horses , labed tank raised, they eat frozen brine and mysis , I have seen them , when the fish store owner was feeding them.


are they difficult to keep ,

i want to make sure before I go buy one

i have a 55 gallon tank fully cycled with plants, skimmer, and filter

would 2 be ok in a 55???



also,

Can sea horses be under bright lights ?

I dont have to , but I wouldnt mind growing Xenia corals in this 55 as well

 

[ReefNutPA]

Seahorses are social animals.... I'd buy two as opposed to just one. Yes, a 55 gal is plenty of room for the seahorses. You could actually house more than two in a tank that size.

I'd personally use a feeding dish in a tank that size. Basically, it's just a small shallow dish/bowl/clam shell that you put the frozen mysis in so the seahorses go to the bowl to eat.

Using PC/t5/VHO lighting to grow Xenia would be fine for the seahorses.

BTW... if you still have the crabs in the 55 gal, take them out before adding seahorses!

Hope that helps a bit

Tom

 

[Fredfish]

No, they are not difficult, they just have slightly different requirements than reef fishes.

Bright light is ok, just give the horses some algae/seagrasses for cover so they are comfortable.

You will also want to run your tank a little cooler than a reef tank: ~76 degrees.

If you look through posts in this forum for the last couple of weeks you will find lots of good info on starting up a seahorse tank.

Fred

 

[marinerules]

ok thanks , i was just wanted to know if they were like a "OH MY DONT KEEP THAT Lol"


Ive got my tank at 77 , thats what the petstore has for their tank.


They arent just the most beautifual color, they are black , but they are very very neat looking


ill post picture after I get them today ,

 

[ReefNutPA]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7314545#post7314545 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by marinerules
ill post picture after I get them today ,

You'd certainly better!

Tom

 

[greenighs]

What else do you have in that tank?

 

[Angel*Fish]

Here's a link that has a lot of helpful info even if you don't buy from themm the owner, Jorge is very helpful & if you email/call him with all your tank info, he will educate you on what you need or don't need- he makes it really simple

He gave a talk on seahorses today at our local club...he had a list of crabs, etc that were ok, I wish I'd taken notes..I believe Sally lightfoot was one

http://www.dracomarine.org/

One note: tank raised is not the same as captive bred, tank raised seahorses may not be free of parasites, etc.

 

[Nano-Nag]

marinerules -

Is there any way you can quarantine them in another tank before you put them in your 55 gallon?

Tank raised more often than not means they have been exposed to pathogens in the ocean, and there is a good chance that they are carrying some type of parasite. They should be quarantined for at least six weeks, which would allow you to monitor them closely, and treat them for possible parasites and other health issues. Plus, you won't run the risk of introducing something to your display that is a pain to get rid of.

Shay

 

[marinerules]

they look fine,


they are not eating yet ,

though thats common for new animals in new aquariums ,


funny they ate brine at the petstore but they wont here at home

 

[ReefNutPA]

Personally I'd skip the frozen brine.... it has the nutritional value of, umm... nothing Try Hikari mysis as it's a small mysis shrimp. You're correct, it's normal for new seahorses not to eat for a day or maybe two, until they settle down in their new home. If they don't eat within two days try live brine just to get them to eat or live mysis. But don't feed TOO much live food or they may refuse the frozen all together.

Without a pic it's hard to tell what type of seahorses you have. There have been an influx of net-pen raised seahorses being sold as tank-raised seahorses. These horses, while eating frozen foods, have been exposed to the same pathogens & parasites as wild caught horses (as Shay mentioned).

Post a pic and we can all give a bit more advice on their care. If possible, call the LFS and tell them you'd like to know what species of seahorse they are selling. They should be able to get this information from their order form, invoice and/or supplier. "Black seahorse" tells you nothing.

Best of luck!

Tom

 

[Fredfish]

marinrules. Do you have a high pod population in your tank?

The reason I ask is that I did when I brought my horses home. I was careful to choose only horses that had fed on frozen in the store.

My horses refused live food after I put them in the tank and instead fed on the pods. I ended up putting them into a small tank to reaquaint them with frozen fooods and lost one because it would not go back to frozen. I spent hours and hours over a two week period blowing about frozen food to make it move, feeding a mix of live and frozen, feeding a mix of frozen and freshly killed... It was a very frustrating experience for me.

Watch your horses closely to make sure they are accepting frozen and intervene if they do not after 3 days.

Fred

 

[marinerules]

i think they are eating pods too , becuase they are continously bitiing the sand