Advice on Seahorses

[cdemeritt]

Hello all,
I've spent many years wanting seahorses. I've never quite dared to get any for my tank, as it wasn't setup for them. I recently rebuilt my tank system, and included a 'fuge for them. I've had a reef system now for over 7 years, and now ready for Seahorses. My main tank is 35 gallon reef of mostly soft corals but also has a couple large amenonies as well as a really strong waterflow, and isn't sutible for most seahorses. So attached to the main tank are 3 'fuges, see attached photos. and the flowchart . 'Fuge 1 is a algea scrubber, as you cas see it flows into 'fuge 2, which is where I wish to house the seahorses. It is a 10 gallon tank that is slow flow, only about 20 gallons of water a hr.

My questions, what species Seahorses would be best for a beginner with seahorses?
With the small size of the tank, How many max. in the tank?
Planned compainions,
3-4 Hawaiian Feather dusters
A manderin or blenny
A pair of pipefish
6 hermit crabs (blue legged)
Is this too much, I don't want to stress the horses.

Thanks for the help,
Chris

[VWD]

Even with a all that water in the system I would not put them in the 10 gallon tank, Small for most JMO, and alot of things You have planned to put in with them.I think if you had a taller tank with pipe fish that would be better. They are social and like to swim up in the tank for mating and just greeting each other, When it comes to smaller one like the dwarf ponies , I have never had them and so know how they are.

[Twitterbait]

it seems like a lot of fish already if you plan on having all those. avoid the featherdusters because the horses will hitch and scare them too much. Manderans and blennies are probably a no go for saftey and ease of feeding. They really are best as a species only.

[avalanche wolf]

Check out

http://www.seahorse.org/library/arti...sAndInfo.shtml

There is a ton of great information including breeds and setup guides there.

It is suggested that you start with tropical breeds first and always get captive bred (CB) seahorse strongly advise buying CB seahorses. Definitly ccheck the site out. It is what I am using for my research on horses as well.


Caption from site :

Captive breeding prevents decimation of wild populations and supports responsible and innovative breeding programs for those interested in becoming seahorse breeders. In addition, captive bred seahorses are much easier to keep, having been trained to accept frozen food, pre-adapted to aquarium conditions, and much less likely to carry or spread disease. Their survivability in captivity is significantly higher than that of wild caught seahorses. In the end, it is more cost effective and rewarding for the beginning hobbyist to purchase CB seahorses.

This is not a hard and fast rule, but most seahorse aquarists use taller tanks. Seahorses need height (2.5 to 3 times the UNCURLED length of the animals) in their tanks to court and mate. At a minimum, the depth of the tank, excluding the substrate, should be at least 2x the uncurled length of the animal.

1) Tropical species - kept at 74-78 degrees F (24-26 degrees C)
zosterae, 1 pair/1.5 gallons (6 liters) - recommended 5 gallons (20 liters)
kuda, 1 pair/8 gallons (30 liters)- minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)
barbouri, 1 pair/8 gallons (30 liters)- minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)
erectus, 1 pair/8 gallons (30 liters)- minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)
reidi 1 pair/8 gallons (30 liters)- minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)
fuscus 1 pair per 5 gallons (20 liters)- minimum size 10 gallons (40 liters)
comes 1 pair/8 gallons (30 liters)- minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)
procerus 1 pair/8 gallons (30 liters) - minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)


2) Subtropical species - kept at 70-74 degrees F (22-25 degrees C)
whitei, 1 pair/8 gallons (30 liters)- minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)
ingens1 pair/13 gallons (50 liters)- minimum size 45 gallons (180 liters)
tuberculatus, 1 pair/5 gallons (20 liters)- minimum size 15 gallons (60 liters)


3) Temperate species - kept at 66-72 degrees F (19-22 degrees C)
abdominalis, 1pair/13 gallons (50 liters)- minimum size 60 gallons (240 liters)
capensis 1 pair/5 gallons (20 liters)- minimum size 10 gallons (40 liters)
breviceps, 1 pair/5 gallons (20 liters)- minimum size 10 gallons (40 liters

[pledosophy]

The sites articles are in bad need of updating. Including some of what has been quoted.

Tropicals should range between 69-74F

Temperate should go around 55-65F

Those articles were written some time ago, much has been learned since then. While the artcles still have good points, visit the boards for more up to date info.

The tank size listed is the smallest tank possible for just one pair of seahorses. IMO while it is possible to keep a seahorse in a tank that size, it is not the best option.

The height needed for a seahorse tank is not only fo swimming and courting reasons, but shallower tanks have seemed to have some link to GBD based soley on ancedotal evidence. Just an observation. In fact putting a seahorse in a much deeper tank can cure the ailment itself. It is thought IMO to be the caused by an enzyme failing to be able to properly regulate C02 levels, but again kinda of a guess since the substance in the bubbles has yet to be identified.

I would not put seahorses in a 10g. Dwarfs would be an option except they are very suseptable to hydroids whch would be present from having the systems linked.

Sorry to rain on your parade. If you want a pair of seahorses look at a 29g tall. Will make a better home and you a happier keeper.

[cdemeritt]

Ok, well much thought has since gone into this, And I do plan on purchasing either a 25 Tall or 29 Tall, depending on funds at some point soon.

Due to size I have narrowed the field of choices down to barbouri or erectus, however I believe Kuda is the most common? Now of the two, barbouri or erectus, which is more recommended for a Seahorse Beginner?
How much light is recommended? is Macroalgea or seagrasses nessisary or just recommended. How are they affected by nuitrient loads? Do they do ok in FO conditions, or do they do better in the nutrient poor conditions like a reef tank? any other general advice?

[cdemeritt]

Oh, and I also wanted to ask, I vaguely remember reading someplace that it was not a good idea to mix species (I.E. Kuda with Erectus) Is this True, or just temperature based?
I also thought I remember reading something about mixing fish from different tanks, capable of being done, but not simple to do?

[VWD]

I have not mixed them and have also read that some mix well and others not, don't know for sure

[YLChik]

i think one of the main concerns is that each breed carries different pathogens - as do horses from different sources, and since seahorses are so susceptible to disease in our closed systems that by mixing breeds and breeders we up the chance of cross infecting - same idea behind the pipe fish... HTH

[jojon60]

IMO, Any of the captive bred seahorses are great for beginners. If you want to try raising fry I would suggest Erectus. The fry are larger and can eat any strain of BBS and don't need rot cultures. The fry also hitch from birth and don't require a kersal (sp) system.
But if you get Erectus I would not ever mix any other species with them.

HTH
Jan

[STAR FYRE]

I have a CF lighting system in my tank, but that's because I have some soft corals. I believe they can do well with NO flourescent, as long as there's nothing else in the tank. If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me. They love to hitch on macroalgae, but it is not necessary. I have lots of tonga branch pieces in my set-up and they hitch on that quite often.
You should keep the water as clean as possible. I'm having cyano problems, so I do 2 10-20% pwcs a week. Look into some nassarius snails. They aerate the SB and will eat the leftover mysis to help keep the tank clean.
HTH

[VWD]

You are correct! any lighting pretty much, will depend on whats in the tank along with them, I also have lots of macro and like to run strong lighting for it

[cdemeritt]

Ok, Now I'm even more confused. I was just reading more about H. Erectus, thinking that this is most likely what I'm going to find as CB at a LFS, It is listed as a "tropical" sp. here, and as I am a beginner to Seahorses, I wish to stick with Tropic species. However The atical I just read listed H.Erectus as Northern Alantic or Lined SH., Being found in Nova Scotia and Cape Cod. I live about 2 hrs from Cape Cod, and even though the bay side of the cape gets much warmer, I know from first hand experiance the waters off the shores around here are, by no stretch of the imagination, could be called "tropical" and often don't get much above 50 to 60'F even in the summer. I then Guess that the CB ones have either Adapted or have come from warmer places. I Plan on running the tank at about 74-75'F Just want to make sure I get the right SH for the tank. I've seen many photos of H.Erectus, and most of them are Black or other really dark colors. Do they come in brighter colors?
I did see a stunning bright red/orange H.Reidi, But would assume that such a stunning creature would command a huge price tag.

As far as Macros, What type do you have or would recommend? I've grown Caulerpa Sp. in the past, and have found them to be highly unreliable. Any to stay away from?

[cdemeritt]

But if you get Erectus I would not ever mix any other species with them.

Re-Reading this do you mean other SH Species? or Any as in No Inverts, Etc.

Also, would a pair of Cardinal fish be ok with any Seahorses?

[STAR FYRE]

I'm pretty sure she meant other species of seahorses. The only thing I've shyed away from is crabs. I heard that the hermit crabs can "clean" the seahorses and peel off their protective layer. Also, I just don't trust claws around my ponies. I have tons of snails in my seahorse tank. They don't pose any threat. Actually, I don't see how the tank would succeed without them.
[quick snail info] nassarius snails: help aerate sand and eat leftover mysis
astraea snails: great algae eaters
cerith snails: eat all types of algae and also detrius
nerite snails: pretty algae eaters, have cool looking shells
Those are the only kind I have. They all stay pretty small, only growing to 1 or 2 inches.
For larger tanks, margaritas and turbos work well. I heard trochus are nice also, but they get a little too big for my taste.
As far as horse colors.....most will change color to blend in with their environment.