rykna
Active Member
Tank Mates
What's safe? What's not?
by Will Wooten
Let's be honest, there are very few seahorse keepers who truly wish to keep their seahorses in a species-specific aquarium. Although there are some keepers who insist that no species of fish, coral, or invertebrate should ever be kept with seahorses under any circumstances, there are quite a lot of animals that will do exceptionally well with seahorses while still allowing the seahorses themselves to thrive. To guide seahorse keepers in stocking their seahorse tanks with non-seahorse inhabitants, I have compiled a list of species that are appropriate for keeping with seahorses. This list should be used as a guide only and not a definitive reference.
The species are categorized as either a 0, 1, 2, or 3. The 0's are the most docile species around-- they're even safe with seahorse fry! The 1's are completely safe all the time with small to large horses, almost no exceptions. The 2's are, aside from the occasional rowdy specimen, safe. The 3's are a bit of a gamble, but work in some cases; watch them with care and be prepared to relocate them if they become a threat to your seahorses. Species marked with an asterisk (*) are suitable tankmates for seahorses (based on their numbers-- 0, 1, 2, or 3), but often fail to thrive in captivity for various reasons. These species are not generally recommended for any tank, but they should be referenced anyway. Anything not on the list may not be safe for seahorses ever, but they may just have been overlooked (or in some cases may be a newly-described species). If you have any questions about unlisted species, feel free to e-mail the author or to visit our Tankmates discussion forum. By the way, the list so far only includes species safe for regular-sized, tropical horses. And please, please, please do not hesitate to ask about any one of the listed or unlisted species you may have a question about! Now on to the list...
What's safe? What's not?
by Will Wooten
Let's be honest, there are very few seahorse keepers who truly wish to keep their seahorses in a species-specific aquarium. Although there are some keepers who insist that no species of fish, coral, or invertebrate should ever be kept with seahorses under any circumstances, there are quite a lot of animals that will do exceptionally well with seahorses while still allowing the seahorses themselves to thrive. To guide seahorse keepers in stocking their seahorse tanks with non-seahorse inhabitants, I have compiled a list of species that are appropriate for keeping with seahorses. This list should be used as a guide only and not a definitive reference.
The species are categorized as either a 0, 1, 2, or 3. The 0's are the most docile species around-- they're even safe with seahorse fry! The 1's are completely safe all the time with small to large horses, almost no exceptions. The 2's are, aside from the occasional rowdy specimen, safe. The 3's are a bit of a gamble, but work in some cases; watch them with care and be prepared to relocate them if they become a threat to your seahorses. Species marked with an asterisk (*) are suitable tankmates for seahorses (based on their numbers-- 0, 1, 2, or 3), but often fail to thrive in captivity for various reasons. These species are not generally recommended for any tank, but they should be referenced anyway. Anything not on the list may not be safe for seahorses ever, but they may just have been overlooked (or in some cases may be a newly-described species). If you have any questions about unlisted species, feel free to e-mail the author or to visit our Tankmates discussion forum. By the way, the list so far only includes species safe for regular-sized, tropical horses. And please, please, please do not hesitate to ask about any one of the listed or unlisted species you may have a question about! Now on to the list...
