Kuda Behavior question

er..md

er..md

Member
I have a 4 inch Kuda in my nano reef. There is a very large quantity of LR and a good colony of cppepods and other small things living in it...
Have 2 questions...even though he supposedly eats frozen mysis he won't touch it...I suspect this is because he is finding adequate food in the tank...he is constanly grazing the rock and polyps sucking in things....he is very active and his color is good....changes depending where he is...Is ther likely to be enough food in the tank (self sustaining) ?
He also occasionally brings his tail up to his snout and make a little loop.,...then goes back to hunting...normal behavior?
thanks for the input
 
mkzimms

mkzimms

Member
I would continue to offer the mysis even if she wont take it, at least she'll know its available and take one or two if shes hungry. The problem is a kuda could eat down a large colony of pods before they can replenish themselves, and then she'll be out of food.
how long have you had her and what size is the tank?
I kind of lucked out with my horse, she's been eating mysis right off the tongs since the day we picked her up. every horse is different and its a definite labor of love.
 
er..md

er..md

Member
2 weeks and 24 G...She is in with a dottyback so they still get the mysis..
she is extremely active...likels to swim up to the jets and swim in the current...
what about the somersaults she does occasionally?
 
zeke92

zeke92

Active Member
he is probably eating mostly the pods. if he is wild caught then he grew up eating pods and isn't used to the mysis.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
They can be finicky and it's always a good rule of thumb to see the seahorse eat frozen food before you believe they will.
2 weeks is a relatively short time in retraining a seahorse to frozen from live food. In my opinion, it would be a fine idea to order some copepods to be sure the seahorse continues to have food available while you continue to try to switch to frozen.
Try mixing in some enriched brine shrimp when you put the mysis in. It could be that the seahorse was fed brine, not mysis (brine is cheaper) and they can definitely tell the difference! But don't offer brine shrimp without including the mysis.
 
er..md

er..md

Member
Thought the seahorse was on the way out yesterday....spent most of the day curled up around a derasa clam...color was white with black dots...didn't move much...today eating frozen mysis and brine like it going out of style...
anybody know which corals bother them?...this one latches on to a leather and colt and does not seem to be bothered in the least...seems to prefer them to the gorgonian
 
reef_dart21

reef_dart21

Member
well i am no seahorse expert, nor have i ever owned a seahorse (although i would love too) but i heard that NO STINGING coral or agressive corals..........in other word any softies that dont sting should be fine, just stay away from the hard coral.
 
poniegirl

poniegirl

Active Member
Originally Posted by ER..MD
...today eating frozen mysis and brine like it going out of style...
Try not to let the seahorse gorge.
They require smaller feedings 2 to 3 times daily. Their digestive and metabolic systems are very basic and they do not store nutrients. Overfed seahorses waste food and the result can be unstable water quality. Literally in one end and out the other.
If your tank has a significant live food population naturally, feeding once or twice daily should be sufficient to ensure health.
There are quite a few folks here with experience in a variety of corals that are tried and true with seahorses.
 
zeke92

zeke92

Active Member
you can have them in there as long as there is no stinging corals and the lighting is not very strong/shade/places to get out of the light. there light sensitive and stinging is bad.
 
koi lady

koi lady

Member
Originally Posted by ER..MD
Thought the seahorse was on the way out yesterday....spent most of the day curled up around a derasa clam...color was white with black dots...didn't move much...today eating frozen mysis and brine like it going out of style...
anybody know which corals bother them?...this one latches on to a leather and colt and does not seem to be bothered in the least...seems to prefer them to the gorgonian
Leather and colt corals are fine for seahorses. Mine hitch to the colts in my tank constantly. They have not used the leather toadstool yet. No stinging.
Here is a thread that will help.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/291767/tank-mates
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Originally Posted by beenbag497
ok thanks how much would a kuda tank cost??
It would all depend on what equipment you want.
a simple 29 gal aquarium kit will work fine for horses.
you will have to add a little more filteration such as a canister filter
you can use reg florecent lights unless you want corals or macros, then pc's will work.
 
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