PLZ HELP ME O_o

[reef_dart21]

i have a great light filter and rockwork but i have been wanting to have a seahorse tank, but i currently have
CC seastar
Urchine
Sixline wrasse
dartfish
clownfish
cleaner shrimp
serpant sea star.
Are sea horse species only or will they be ok

im just clueless on seahorses

 

[nybutterfly03]

Sh's need to be in a species specific tank......I would NOT add them into ur current tank as they would be outcompeted for food and most likely starve to death. HTH's

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Reef_Dart21
Are sea horse species only or will they be ok

im just clueless on seahorses
Seahorses are awesome, but you can't use the word "clueless" when you're talking about horses.

https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/295520/so-you-want-a-seahorse
So tell us about your history with tanks. How many years exp with sw etc.
then we can talk about what size tank and what you were thinking of setting up.

 

[reef_dart21]

i have had a tank for about 1 1/2 now pretty new to the trade. I have recently did a tank change into a bigger tank about 147 lbs of live rock and 4 bags of live sand. in my previous year i raised mostly peaceful fish and at one time i had a snowflake eel but then sold it due to it harrasing the fish it couldnt eat. Im waiting to convert this tank into reef and would like some horses to make it feel at home. I alrdy got some sea sponge trees *takes breath*
So any way this 55 gallon tank can be seahorse compatible?

thx alot

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Reef_Dart21
i have had a tank for about 1 1/2 now pretty new to the trade. I have recently did a tank change into a bigger tank about 147 lbs of live rock and 4 bags of live sand. in my previous year i raised mostly peaceful fish and at one time i had a snowflake eel but then sold it due to it harrasing the fish it couldnt eat. Im waiting to convert this tank into reef and would like some horses to make it feel at home. I alrdy got some sea sponge trees *takes breath*
So any way this 55 gallon tank can be seahorse compatible?
thx alot

Awesome

The 55 is a fine size.
Okay...seahorses....
Seahorse do best in a species only tank due to their slow swimming and extremely ineffcient digestive tract. They also do best with lots of buddies.
Seahorse do need a lot of types of hitching post, and love sponges, however, almost all corals are not compatable because they sting.
You will need a sponge intake filter flow cover. Seahorses are not strong enough to swim out of the intake flow and will sufficate to death. The flow in a horse tank is very challenging, I've kept horses for 2 years and I'm still trying to find the best flow rate.. Wild horse live in 5 to 30 feet of water...which has the highest flow rate of the entire ocean...so even though everything says low flow...I completely disagree...IMHO.
A small QT is a must to set up before [urchasing your horses...I learned this the hard way. When horses get sick there is only a 24 hour window to start effective treament.
The other trick is dinner time. My horses are food dish trained.We'll get into that latter.
PODS are a absolute must IMHO.
And water quality must be perfect across the board, we'll visit that latter.
So how long has your 55 been up and running? How's the pod population? A picture of you 55 would be very helpful

Pick your top ten questions and we'll start there

 

[reef_dart21]

ok i actually have some pics of my tank right here
i will have more later.
Also this the tank it self it pretyt new BUT i just transfered from my old well established hexagon to everything is good. The nitrate and nitrite and ammonia is fine the copper is lower because my urchin started to lose its spines before and the ph is around 8.2 the temp is about 78. i have anti uv lights just incase. I have small powerheads BUT powerful they each have a strong flow (fun watching my fish try to fight the current) and i have kelp thats been growing on one of my rocks that they sometimes nip on.
Fyi: i feed them dried algea on a vegi clip, brine shrimp, (ghost shrimp on occasions but the clown and wrasse had eating problems when i do *they fight for it*) and flake food.

now my quistions

i rather keep all my fish if i can and still able to start a seahorse tank.
also the pics i have sent you did not show the sea sponges because i had JUST purchased them and the pics are 2 days old. Im planning on fiji branch rock and some brain coral and zoos Would that be ok to them?
Also quik question: I have random Bright red big mushrooms growing everywhere on my rocks my clowns loves to lay and roll on them but r they safe or pests? because i had mushrroms but choco the cc starfish ate them all and i didnt nko if they budded or somin.

 

[zeke92]

the only thing you listed that could go with a seahorse is shrimp and MAYBE the clownfish if it's a occellaris/false perc.
EDIT: and the firefish

 

[reef_dart21]

the other thing i didnt say was that i hand feed all my fish so my wraase and clown dont fight for the food. will this allow them to stay or no?

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Reef_Dart21
the other thing i didnt say was that i hand feed all my fish so my wraase and clown dont fight for the food. will this allow them to stay or no?
Depends on their reaction. Some percs are fine, others, like min, had to be evicted.
You tank looks awesome!!! Love the purple coraline!

 

[reef_dart21]

Depends on their reaction. Some percs are fine, others, like min, had to be evicted.
You tank looks awesome!!! Love the purple coraline!
Hey thx

and i just wanan try to keep the fish i have im just afraid of the poor horses dying and i dont wants that. also if they were to get sick i hope their medicine has low copper in it?

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Reef_Dart21
Depends on their reaction. Some percs are fine, others, like min, had to be evicted.
You tank looks awesome!!! Love the purple coraline!
Hey thx

and i just wanan try to keep the fish i have im just afraid of the poor horses dying and i dont wants that. also if they were to get sick i hope their medicine has low copper in it?
Before you worry about killling your horses, lets get your tank up and running

If you do have current tank occupants you would need to have a seperate tank setup to transfer any evictions from the horse tank.

 

[reef_dart21]

all the fish i have though are all hand fed and harmless. Will the seahorses really not get along? and i was asking for the medication u said to have for the horses because i was lpannign on keeping my urchin and it would die

so plz help me out here

 

[zeke92]

urchin with fragile slow moving fish? "pokey pokey the urchin said, then he looks and seahorse dead."

i would move the urchin or sell him, i don't know if the horses will actually go to it but if so it may hurt them. no sharp edges in the aquarium i have read, so urchins may be included in that.

 

[reef_dart21]

thats the thing my urchin is sadly not sharp. the edges are dull and i had it as long as i had my old tank before the change. so its due to die soon from old age and all it does is climb on the glass so i hope no harm their. Just look at the pic it will stay ontop of the vegi clip days on end until their is no more *thats why i have two

*

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Reef_Dart21
all the fish i have though are all hand fed and harmless. Will the seahorses really not get along? and I was asking for the medication u said to have for the horses because I was l planning on keeping my urchin and it would die

so plz help me out here

When using any medication, treat your fish in a QT, not the DT~display tank. The urchin should be fine. Just don't treat the DT with meds. Urchins are somewhat prickly, but horses aren't stupid either.

As for your current tank occupants, you'll just have to see how it goes. Urchins are herbivores, so they wouldn't not compete food wise with the horses, however, they are very clumsy as they move about the tank, and tend to knock down rocks and coral as the graze. So as long as you have the rock secure...I wouldn't worry to much about the horses. As for others, just be ready to deal with either moving the current fish or finding a new tank for the horse. The nutritional food intake is vital to a seahorses' survival, they do not have a stomach, just a long intestine, that does not absorb nutrients very well. So it takes a lot of food to keep a seahorse healthy...and perfect water quality too, cause of all the extra waste they produce due to their poor digestive tract. That is why seahorses are reccomended as a species only tank set up. Their longevity and quality of life depend on you, more so than any other fish available. Just imagine yourself trying to go through life eating everything through a straw. It'd be a sensational diet plan if one could sew their mouth opening to the size of you pinky toenail. It's not a matter of will they get along, it's will they get enough to eat. In nature they are opportunistic hunters, preferring to lay in wait for something tasty to swim by.


These are some of my threads I like to share with you, I hope you will find them helpful. A seahorse is the most unique creature I have ever encountered.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/261253/seahorse-medicine-cabinet
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/295520/so-you-want-a-seahorse
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/284682/seahorse-habitats
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/268841/what-fish-do-when-they-think-youre-not-looking
Your tank set up looks great

It's easier for me to help you if you post a list of specific questions, I'm not very good at "reading between the lines as some say", so please, ask away

 

[reef_dart21]

what i dont get is why seahorses can easily be paired with pipe fish and not other species?

 

[zeke92]

pipefish and horses are like monkeys and lemurs. there very closely related.
there both slow swimming and from the same family. they eat the same, there both slow and not aggressive eaters. they just kind of go perfect together because there so closely related.
it's kinda like putting kelloggi with erectus, not much difference.

 

[reef_dart21]

second question i been getting alot of sponges and mushrooms and other corals on the lines of them. Will they be ok with the horses?

 

[reef_dart21]

bump...........i would like an answer because im planning on ordering today

 

[rykna]

Originally Posted by Reef_Dart21
what i dont get is why seahorses can easily be paired with pipe fish and not other species?
The following hardy invertebrates are generally regarded as safe tank mates for medium to large seahorses and do not require special lighting, as do corals. Use caution when adding animals to the tank; seahorses are not strong swimmers, are not competitive feeders, and have very few defenses against aggression. With the exception of these clean-up crew animals it is generally advisable to
establish seahorses first, then add other animals. Remove a tank mate at the first sign of aggression. Many potential tank mates can help control algae and/or clean up uneaten food. Other animals such as certain non-aggressive fish and corals may be housed with seahorses; this is just a partial list of compatible "clean up crew" animals considered most likely to be safe with small to large seahorses. Not all of these animals should be considered safe with seahorse fry.
NOTE: Be sure you research the requirements of any compatible animals you wish to add to the seahorse tank before purchasing. For example, many corals, sponges, and gorgonians require special reef lighting or high water flow to thrive.
Fan worms including Feather Dusters (Phylum Annelida)
Astrea Snail (Lithopoma [Astraea] spp.)
Turbo Snail (Turbo spp.)
Nassarius Snail (Nassarius vibex)
Trochus Snail (Trochus niloticus)
Cerith Snail (Family Cerithiidae)
Nerite Snail (Nerita spp.)
Fighting Conch (Strombus alatus)
Blue-legged Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni)
Scarlet/Blood Shrimp (Lysmata debelius)
Rockpool Shrimp (Palaemon elegans)
Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes vulgaris)
(Shrimp are not considered safe around seahorse fry or H.zosterae (dwarf seahorse).
Notable groups that should be avoided:
Tangs, Triggerfish, Groupers, , Eels, Nudibranchs, Filter-feeding Sea Cucumbers, Sea Urchins with sharp spines, Fireworms, Spanish Dancer Flatworms, Fire Corals, Lace Corals, Anemones, Tube Anemones, all Cephalopods (Squids, Octopuses, Cuttlefish, and Nautilus-), Mantis Shrimp, Lobsters, Heliofungia spp. Corals, Cataphyllia spp. Corals, Euphyllia spp. Corals, Goniopora/Alveopora spp. Corals, Galaxea spp. Corals, and Hydnophora spp. Corals.