Seahorse vs anemone

[sweetlipsa_d]

ok I never thought about this but i have my first seahore and got him all use to the tank and even fed him right away and he ate. I left for a few hours and when i came back couldnt find the seahorse. Upon close inspection the anemone had the seahorse wrapped, I was able to get him released. Is this normal with the anemone hurt the seahorse, how about a snowflake eel do i need to get rid of him too ?

 

[reefnutpa]

If this is a serious post, yes....it is normal for an anemone to capture and eat prey. That's what they do! An eel is also not a suitable tankmate for a seahorse. Have you done any research at all before purchasing one of these wonderful creatures?
Tom

 

[sweetlipsa_d]

i did research before buying the seahorse but didnt find anything about not putting them in with an anemone, also the eel is never aggressive but is going into a small cage untill the 90 is ready to house him. I guess i didnt ask the right questions but i am learning fast

 

[novahobbies]

What Tom said!
The seahorse needs to come out. If you have an anemone and a SFE in the tank, you do not want to keep the seahorse. If the nem doesn't get him, the SFE will. If you want to keep the seahorse in a separate tank, PM me and I'll send you some info for setting up a seahorse friendly tank. But PLEASE take the horse out now. As it is, I don't think he'll survive the anemone's stings.

 

[dingus890]

Man I cringed reading your post.Obviously more research should have been done before buying your first horse.Most seahorse keepers do not keep seahorses with any other fish let alone an eel.
Get the seahorse out as soon as possible.It will not survive with the anemone or eel.

 

[rykna]

Remove your horse A.S.A.P.!!!!!!!! Seahorses are a species only tank. I lost all but five of my dwarf seahorses to evil aiptasia anemones. They infested my tank while I was on vacation, my tank sitter had no idea of the danger my ponies were in.

I/we'd be happy to help you get back on track

 

[sweetlipsa_d]

well he survived the night just fine he is swimming and exploring the tank he does avoid he anemone now. as far the species only, I defiantly did not read that others have other fish in the tank with them as long as they are non aggressive. the anemone will be leaving the tank today. Thanks for all your replies.

 

[dingus890]

Yes you can have other fish with them that are non agrresive.Non aggressive fish are gobies and some clownfish,not eels that have teeth and can eat the horse in one gulp.Move the eel to another tank asap.
The horse also may suffer secondary infections if the anemone did sting him.
I am so glad he survived the night.

 

[teresaq]

please research more. https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/315559/seahorse-compatibility-chart#post_2807743

 

[dingus890]

Thank you for posting that Teresa.I was trying to find it in my favorites last night to post but could't find it.
It's the best and really only detailed seahorse compatability chart.

 

[rykna]

Glad to hear your horse is still swimming today

Do you have any pics yet? It would help to see a full tank pic to get a better idea of your set up.

 

[sweetlipsa_d]

Just checked on him again at lunch and he was doing great it seems. He was swimming around and I added a bag of copepods today. He seemed to be eating them up lol. I was hoping to culture a few of them in the tank.

We have another bag We will use for that in a jar. We will try to get a couple pics posted tonight. The GF just sits and watches him all night anyway.

 

[sweetlipsa_d]

ok the eel and the anemone got traded in tonight on a new cleaner shrimp and a frag. (approved on the list of good coral) Also added some more live rock tonight now the tank is all cloudy will take pics tomorrow night

 

[novahobbies]

good news, very glad to hear. Can't wait for the pics!

 

[rykna]

Wonderful!!! Look forward to pics

 

[zeke92]

I think it as Rykna who had a thread on lighting so she would know more, but i was wondering how strong lighting you have if you have corals? And how long the lights are on a day?
If i remember correctly strong lighting can harm and annoy a seahorse, but i'm sure teresa, rykna, cranberry, someone can help more, i'm a bit rusty lately when it comes to seahorses. It's been a while.

 

[novahobbies]

Strong lighting won't harm a seahorse, exactly, but they don't necessarily like it either. They will try and hide in shady areas. But it takes a lot of light to really bug them.....I've seen them kept under PCs and they were just fine.

 

[sweetlipsa_d]

well moved all the live rock around need to add some more purple up
has anyone ever added it while having the seahorses in the tank? I dont want it to hurt him. Here are a couple of pics

 

[novahobbies]

Hey, where'd the pics go?

Purple up shouldn't harm the seahorses, but it's not terribly necessary anyway...it's nothing more than a calcium addititve with what is essentially a flocculant to keep the calcium from getting filtered out. But if you already have it, then by all means. Just don't use the whole dose they call for, just in case it somehow irritates the horses gills (it shouldn't.)
So now...just waiting on the pics!

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by novahobbies
http:///forum/post/2809147
Strong lighting won't harm a seahorse, exactly, but they don't necessarily like it either. They will try and hide in shady areas. But it takes a lot of light to really bug them.....I've seen them kept under PCs and they were just fine.
I kept my first horse under my outer orbit MH unit. He didn't mind a bit, you just have to keep track of the tank temps. I didn't use the pendant.