helping a friend set up a sea horse tank...questions
- Thread starter bergamer
- Start date
viper_930
Active Member
I've never kept seahorses, but I have wanted to. Here's a bit of what I know.
Most seahorses would need bigger than 10g, more like 25-30g, but a pair or two of dwarf seahorses, Hippocampus zosterae, (grows to 2") could be fine in a 10g. There are smaller pygmy seahorses (3/4"), but they're extremely hard to get and I'm not sure it's even legal. Dwarves need to be fed newly-hatched baby brine shrimp daily. And the seahorses do not actively chase their prey, so this could mean you'd need to flood the tank with the BBS just to make sure they eat enough, but that also degrades water quality. They cannot eat frozen foods.
Most other species grow to 6-12" and would need bigger and taller tanks. These captive breds have been trained to eat frozen foods like mysis. Probably the most common available is Hippocampus erectus, which grows to about 8". They'll take more room than dwarves, but there's much less hassle for feeding.
Caring for seahorses is not easy at all, which is why I chose not to get any. Please make sure your friend does all the research he can about them before buying any.
And remember, buy only captive breds!
Most seahorses would need bigger than 10g, more like 25-30g, but a pair or two of dwarf seahorses, Hippocampus zosterae, (grows to 2") could be fine in a 10g. There are smaller pygmy seahorses (3/4"), but they're extremely hard to get and I'm not sure it's even legal. Dwarves need to be fed newly-hatched baby brine shrimp daily. And the seahorses do not actively chase their prey, so this could mean you'd need to flood the tank with the BBS just to make sure they eat enough, but that also degrades water quality. They cannot eat frozen foods.
Most other species grow to 6-12" and would need bigger and taller tanks. These captive breds have been trained to eat frozen foods like mysis. Probably the most common available is Hippocampus erectus, which grows to about 8". They'll take more room than dwarves, but there's much less hassle for feeding.
Caring for seahorses is not easy at all, which is why I chose not to get any. Please make sure your friend does all the research he can about them before buying any.
And remember, buy only captive breds!
celacanthr
Active Member
okay, these take a lot of time to get ready for...
like VIper said ONLY CB!!!
but, if you do go with H zosterea then you should get more than 4 or a smaller tank, because you will have to hatch BBS daily, which, you will have to make A LOT OF BBS if, you only get 4, so that everyone is fed properly. Also in with these horses, you want to keep the tank very sterile, as in no live sand or rock!! I know i know, but you will have to get a filter, which does an okay job, but now that u are feeding a whole lotta BBS then think about your water readings. They will most likely SKY ROCKET, in a bad way. This is just not a very good starter seahorse.
Now their is another species, which i believe can be kept in a 10 gal that is in the trade.
They are H. capensis, YOU WILL HAVE TO BUY CB, because these are on the endangered species list... anywho I believe you can find places that sell them eating frozen food, im just not sure. The biggest problem with capensis is that unless your house stays between 66 and 72 all year long, then you need a chiller.
IMHO i would just get a bigger tank, if you do, then DO NOT get a breeder tank (the low flat ones) get a tall one, now before you get the seahorse, try and find its maximum size. You want a tank that is 3x it's UNCURLED length. Reidi, the minimum is said to be 29.
like VIper said ONLY CB!!!
but, if you do go with H zosterea then you should get more than 4 or a smaller tank, because you will have to hatch BBS daily, which, you will have to make A LOT OF BBS if, you only get 4, so that everyone is fed properly. Also in with these horses, you want to keep the tank very sterile, as in no live sand or rock!! I know i know, but you will have to get a filter, which does an okay job, but now that u are feeding a whole lotta BBS then think about your water readings. They will most likely SKY ROCKET, in a bad way. This is just not a very good starter seahorse.
Now their is another species, which i believe can be kept in a 10 gal that is in the trade.
They are H. capensis, YOU WILL HAVE TO BUY CB, because these are on the endangered species list... anywho I believe you can find places that sell them eating frozen food, im just not sure. The biggest problem with capensis is that unless your house stays between 66 and 72 all year long, then you need a chiller.
IMHO i would just get a bigger tank, if you do, then DO NOT get a breeder tank (the low flat ones) get a tall one, now before you get the seahorse, try and find its maximum size. You want a tank that is 3x it's UNCURLED length. Reidi, the minimum is said to be 29.
celacanthr
Active Member
yep sure can!
it is just a big thing with zosterea keepers to keep it VERY STERILE.
You really really should go with the 30
it is just a big thing with zosterea keepers to keep it VERY STERILE.
You really really should go with the 30
ssweet1
Member
There is a great website IllegalLink that has alot of info. Get either 2 males or 2 females because if you get a pair they have hundreds of babies every month!! I have erectus and they are really neat but alot of hard work! They eat twice a day everyday, they dont have stomachs so you have to feed them often and they are real slow eaters so it is hard to keep the water quality good. They can get a few different diseases and their is only a few medications out there. I am not trying to talk you out of it but just be aware that they are harder to keep by far than just fish. Pygmy seahorses are said to live a year but the reidi and erectus live 3-4 years. I figure if you are going to all the hassle why not get a 35-45 gallon tall tank and get the larger species they are easier to feed and seem to be a little less prone to illness. Carrie
celacanthr
Active Member
Well... the diseases are not transferable between syngnathids and other fish,... but you have to be careful... CB almost never get diseases. You should always buy all the seahorses going in one tank from the same place, because although seahorse A is carrying Vibrio strain X it is immune to it, but the seahorse B from a different place is carrying a different strain Y, but it is immune to it.
A is not immune to Y
B is not immune to X
therefore they both get very sick and probably die!
But this brings up another problem, if you buy 2 seahorses, from the same place, they are probably related, and interbreeding is very bad.
A is not immune to Y
B is not immune to X
therefore they both get very sick and probably die!
But this brings up another problem, if you buy 2 seahorses, from the same place, they are probably related, and interbreeding is very bad.
darth tang
Active Member
Hold on. I disagree with ALOT of what has been said. You can use a ten gallon. BUT you can only do Dwarf seahorses and a minimum of 8. I would not recomend this however, since this would be your first experience with horses. Dwarves are probably one of the hardest to keep and finding captive bred is going to be near impossible unless you order them online. You need to keep a minimum of EIGHT horses to keep the right balance in your tank. They will only eat live food, so half of your ten gallon is devoted to raising and propogating their food (mainly rotifers and baby brine shrimp). They WILL NOT eat froxen as all frozen foods are to big for their mouths. These are very time consuming as most of your time will be taken up by keeping water quality PERFECT. No fluctuations in readings will be tollerable. Also raising their food will consume a lot of your time. I would not RECCOMEND this to any horse beginners but if you are insistant on using a ten gallon let me know and I can help with your set up and give more advice and information.
Now, to keep two of the captive bred horses you can use a twenty gallon. Preferably twenty gallon tall. You could keep two H. Reidi or two H. Erectus horses. Both captive bred is ideal. I disagree with only two males or two females as you will lose out on seeing and enjoying how they interact with each other. If they do have babies (which they probably will) you could always capture the babies and take them to an Aquarium in your area and they will raise them (I have a friend that has done that with this exact set up). Your twenty gallon will need about 15lbs. live rock and a Hang on the back biowheel filter. A temp probe set at 79 degrees and plastic plants atleast for them to hitch on to. A 1-2 inch sand bed will be sufficient as well. No m,ore or you will reduce the water amount in your tank to much. Using a twenty is harder than using something bigger, but not impoissible or extremely difficult.
If you buy captive bred horses the WILL chase their food and actively search it out or "hunt". Seahorses do not suffer from the same diseases or have the same "stress" problems as fish. So you will need to read up on this. If need be I can direct you to a great source for this information.
You will need a very good clean up crew as well, since you have to feed the tank a lot and the horses won't get to all the food before it starts to decompose.
Even with the simplest horses be prepared to devote an average of one hour a day to your tank for care and maintenance.
Now, to keep two of the captive bred horses you can use a twenty gallon. Preferably twenty gallon tall. You could keep two H. Reidi or two H. Erectus horses. Both captive bred is ideal. I disagree with only two males or two females as you will lose out on seeing and enjoying how they interact with each other. If they do have babies (which they probably will) you could always capture the babies and take them to an Aquarium in your area and they will raise them (I have a friend that has done that with this exact set up). Your twenty gallon will need about 15lbs. live rock and a Hang on the back biowheel filter. A temp probe set at 79 degrees and plastic plants atleast for them to hitch on to. A 1-2 inch sand bed will be sufficient as well. No m,ore or you will reduce the water amount in your tank to much. Using a twenty is harder than using something bigger, but not impoissible or extremely difficult.
If you buy captive bred horses the WILL chase their food and actively search it out or "hunt". Seahorses do not suffer from the same diseases or have the same "stress" problems as fish. So you will need to read up on this. If need be I can direct you to a great source for this information.
You will need a very good clean up crew as well, since you have to feed the tank a lot and the horses won't get to all the food before it starts to decompose.
Even with the simplest horses be prepared to devote an average of one hour a day to your tank for care and maintenance.
mdog30001
Member
here is a link for a great seahorse forum if you already havent found it.
www.seahorse.org
www.seahorse.org
celacanthr
Active Member
H. capensis can, and often is kept in a ten gallon, and 20 is really pushing it.