Seahorse keepers...

[Buzz_Hog]

I got a ton of questions about seahorses... anyone want to mentor me here?

[JennM]

I've got reasonable seahorse experience -- I'll take the challenge!


Jenn

[thefatman]

will i be able to house them in my refugium to add some "life" to it, once the newstand andtank are ready? will they eat my pods, worms, or algae, that i'm planning to grow in there? i'm planning a very low flow through the fuge, any rec's on gph?how many horses can be kept in a 20L? can i keep horses of different colors in a 20L?what are thier lighting requirements? what are thier feeding requirements? i know icant keep them with other things will compete for food, but will snails be ok?

sorry buzz, i had questions too besides...RANGERS LEAD THE WAY!

[JennM]

Yes I know some who keep them in a refugium. They like the caulerpa to hitch on, they don't particularly like high lighting, so provide them with shade. They will eat larger amphipods, mysids and gammarus, but need to also be fed -- I suggest captive raised horses, they are pre-trained to eat mysis shrimp (frozen) but as they get larger they will benefit from occasional feedings of live ghost shrimp (SW ones if you can get them, are a great addition to a fuge...) They do need to eat daily - they have a relatively short digestive tract and their absorption of nutrition isn't that efficient.

Seahorses prefer a taller tank - however I've heard of greater horses (6" tall +) successfully breeding in a 10 g... they move up and down rather than side to side.

Snails are fine as companions, be careful with hermits, as some can pinch the horses and injure them - sometimes the horses grow algae on their backs as they are often very sedentary, and a hermit "cleaning" can be damaging. Tiny hermits are fine, but larger hermits like scarlets are a risk.

They do not eat worms - generally, though I have seen a horse snick at them... I have obscene amounts of bristleworms in my seahorse tank (heavily fed, no worm predators...) they will clean up a dead body pronto but I have never seen them harm a healthy horse -- EXCEPT for a dwarf seahorse (H. zostrae) which are only about an inch or so long from nose to tail -- those need live brine, and wouldn't fare well in a fuge....

Horses I like:

H. kuda
H. procerus
(both of the above are available CB from ORA)
H. erectus
(hopefully available soon at ORA...)

Hope this helps....

Jenn

[Buzz_Hog]

I guess the Jedi Mind Control worked on Jay....

I got him to do the typing for me.

[thefatman]

DOH!!!!!

[Buzz_Hog]

And it's ok.... Not everyone can earn the title "Marine".... for the rest, there's "Ranger"......

[Geoff]

i am so confused, who is asking the questions here! for a minute there i thought we had another case of the Smith's syndrome.

so Buzz, are there any other questions you would like to ask. shut up Jay, let buzz have a turn.

G~

[icebear]

Originally posted by Buzz_Hog
I guess the Jedi Mind Control worked on Jay....

I got him to do the typing for me.

ROTFL!

[RWD]

http://seahorse.org/

[Newfiemom]

Thanks for the link!

[JennM]

www.syngnathid.org

I like this site better -- the folks there used to be on seahorse.org but methinks there was some bad politics or something --

Anyway, both sites are good.

Jenn

[asmith]

Originally posted by Geoff
i am so confused, who is asking the questions here! for a minute there i thought we had another case of the Smith's syndrome.