whats the smallest tank you can use

[amstar]

I have a 16 gallon bowfront tank I would like to use for a single sea-horse. it has a 65 watt 10 k bulb and a 65 blue actinic bulb.

a hang on cpr refigium with 18 watt p/c light for the macro-algae.

the tank will have about 25 -35 pounds of tonga live rock.

can this be used as a home for a sea-horse?

 

[ReefNutPA]

Seahorses are social animals and REALLY do much better if not kept alone. It is much better to get two....whether a male/female pair, male/male pair or female/female pair.

Tom

 

[orlandobrian]

I've kept them in a 10 gallon before. Its the filtration you have to watch out for - make sure the openings to the pumps are covered with sponge or something! I wouldn't do more than 2. I'm sure ReefNutPA knows his stuff, but I had the best luck keeping only one. Food is a pain. They only eat live food and glass shrimp must be enriched with selcon (think I spelt this right) or something. I spent more time raising brine and glass shrimp than enjoying the seahorse. But my kids LOVED him.

 

[JM68]

Food is a pain. They only eat live food and glass shrimp must be enriched with selcon

Not true at all. Captive bred horses are trained to eat frozen food from a young age. I have ORA Reidis which have eaten frozen mysis since the day i bought them and i'm sure most people here will tell you the same thing. If you get your horses from a reputable dealer you will have no problem feeding them frozen foods. I would say that a 16g is too small for anything but dwarf seahorses and they r too challenging for a beginner imo. i would say a 25g, which is wut i have, is the minimum size for a pair of medium/large sized horses ei, erectus, kuda, or reidi. I also agree that they should be kept in pairs or groups since they r very social. they're several sights on the net with lots of good seahorse info to research and lots of people here who know a lot and will give very helpful advice.