seahorse and coral banded shrimp?

[speakeasy]

Ok so I'm posting here because for one reason or another, every forum I have been to I have been bashed; for one reason or another, by saltwater aquarium computer nerds.....Who apparently have no life other than to sit up 24/7 and pick at those who know less than them about salt water. With that being said I might have a problem.
I have had a kelogi seahorse for about 2 months and he has been doing very well. Recently though I have found a bristle worm(or fire worm) in my tank; the bad kind I think. I have also had 2 of my peppermint shrimp become food for something. I assumed it was the worm but, I also have read that a seahorse will sometimes kill a much larger shrimp than it can eat if it is not well fed. I know my SH has eaten but it is very picky. It really likes live brine shrimp but will rarely eat the frozen ones; it also hunts copepods and/or straggling brine shrimp around my tank. So it could be hungry (especially since one site said to feed them twice a day six days a week). Not knowing what killed my shrimp and wanting to narrow down the choices I bought a CBS from my LFS. I had read that they would eat bristle worms. However, as it always seems to happen, after I bought the CBS I found some people had found them to be aggressive. When I added him today my SH seemed very inquisitive and investigated the CBS but, the CBS piched him on the head with one of his rear (much smaller) pinchers. The SH was not injured and seems to be doing fine; no other incidents have occured. I plan on continuing to watch the two. So now to the point, I know at least one other person in here has a SH with a CBS, has anyone else and, how did it work out? What size tank and so on? I have a small tank only 10 Gal. So maybe my tank is too small but, that is what I'm here for to have questions answered.
Thanks for the help.

 

[larrynews]

i would be very careful, i had a cbs in my 90 reef with tangs and trigger fish and he was very aggressive when he got bigger. i wouldnt put one in my horse tank but everyone has different experiences. 10 is small for a shrimp that gets rather large as far as shrimps go.bristle worms normally only eats dead or dying things, they are scavengers..if that helps at all.

 

[fulcrum]

I know this might rase some ire, but what the heck. I have a coral banded in my 140gal. with 9 mature female kuda. The CB is pretty big and has never even noticed the seahorses. I know my CB might be the exception to the rule, but I have not had a problem in th 14 months they have been together.
Just make sure the horse has a hitching post high off the tank floor. CB's dont like to climb out on limbs if they dont have to. Lessens the likelihood they will ever meet.

 

[teresaq]

Welcome to the boards. your tank is a little small for one horse, They really need a taller tank, not to mention that a larger tank would be easier to take care of and keep stable.
I always suggest at least a 29 gal.
CBS are a rather aggresive shrimp, please keep a close eye on it, and the place on your horse that was injured.
Good Luck
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/301907/sh-tank-basics
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/291767/tank-mates

 

[suzy]

Geez, I know what you mean about some forums! I have found the difficult part about seahorse specific forums is the information going around is almost confirmed as the freaking bible of fish! Just remember that in this hobby, no one has all the answers. If someone comes off that way, and flames you for having different experiences then them, just blow them off. I love to see posts from people saying they are doing something different. Our hobby will be stagnant if we only do what has been done.
I have a CBS in my butterfly tank and only see him once every other week or so. I think your seahorse learned to not pick on him when he got a wap, so I think you should be OK. Let me know if they do fight, though so I don't get one in my tank?

 

[zeke92]

yeah i know what you mean, i've left many forums until i found this place!
i have a coral banded shrimp in my tank wiht my horses, no horses currently...but the shrimp does great. he has never had any problems with the horse or the pipefish or any other tank in habitants and he is a good littel scavenger. and it's about the neatest shrimp you will ever get your hands on!
i would definatly get a bigger tank, atleast a 29 gallon to be honest. mine is a 55 gallon, but only because my parents were paying for it and i wanted my horses to be very happy campers. a coral banded shrimp may not be too happy in a 10 gallon either, they can get fairly big, well, there antenna's do atleast, and shrimp are very picky about water quality. and by adding a shrimp thats adding a bit more bioload.
long story short i would get a bigger tank if you can.

 

[sherry13]

Hello,
I'm having the same issue as you... my four H. kelloggi seahorses are due to arrive tommorow and I've got a CBS and a gang of emerald crabs (seven of them!) in my 110. My CBS is a very active shrimp and an aggressive eater, but he's never gotten aggressive with fish. I've seen him shoo the crabs & peppermints away from food and take it for himself, but the fish (2 cardinals and 2 O. clowns) always eat food as it sinks, not from the bottom, so they don't compete too much.
So now I am here, because I have seen CBS listed as not compatible with seahorses, and I am reading up on people's experiances having the two together, but it sounds like some folks have had success keeping CBS and seahorses together.
Another problem you may have is the H. kelloggi is among the largest of the seahorses, reportably attaining a height of 11+ inches. Your 10 gallon tank may work for a baby seahorse, but he will likely be too cramped in a few months as he grows. Not much is known about H. kelloggi, because they are fairly new in the fish trade.
Now about my emerald crabs... should I be worried? More reading to do for me. Good luck with your H. kelloggi!
Best regards,
Sherry

 

[fireangel]

Hi, I just put my pair of Pipes in my 55 reef a week ago. I have a lot of mixed critters including a large CBS (3 1/2" body) and Emerald Crabs and a bunch of others that all get along pretty well. My CBS is always hunting for things to eat (comes out day and night) and is pretty aggressive toward anyone that comes near him/her. I feed the tank 3x a day (I'm a stay at home mom) so he gets plenty of food. He hasn't seriously hurt any fish. Normally he just chases fish away by trying to catch them. Anyway, The first day I introduced my Pipes in there, they were very scared/shocked and barely moved for a few hours. My CBS snagged them both and tore bits off their top fins

. My Pipes are fine now and their fins appear to be growing back already. They seem very happy swimming around and eating well. Haven't had another incident with the CBS and them. My 8 emeralds (largest being above 2") are great scavengers and pose no threat to any of my fish.
I think as long as your fish/seahorse/pipe are healthy/active and you keep the agressive critters well fed, you shouldn't have a problem.
Now that said, having them in a 10 gallon leaves very little room for the healthy/active fish/seahorse/pipe to get away if the CBS did go after them. I'd get a much larger tank asap so every one can have their space and hopefully stay happy.
Good Luck!

 

[teresaq]

I would never keep such an aggressive creature with horses. why would you want to take the chance of your horse getting hurt. they are already susceptible to many things, but a wound from an CBS could be deadly.

CBS are a level 4 on the compatibility chart

 

[zeke92]

what? mines done excellent. everyone I've talked to said CBS's were great and not aggressive. this is the first I've heard of them being aggressive

 

[teresaq]

I just read another thread where one tore a new gobie apart.
T

 

[darthtang aw]

Ok the CBS is a bad idea. I know first hand. He may be fine in a huge tank with horses such as the 150 previously mentioned. But in a smaller tank he will compete for food with horse. He will also eventually go after your other shrimp (if you still have them, I can't remember what you wrote on that). Most likely your peppermint were eaten by the horse.
Just some FYI. Horse need to be fed 2 times a day. They have a very simple digestive system and therefore the food and nourishment pass through them really fast.
In the wild a seahorse will spend 90% of it's life hunting and eating.
99% of bristleworms found in the average aquarium are safe and beneficial. So I would not worry to much about that.

 

[nybutterfly03]

I have a small CBS in my 75g with my 3 horses and 3 pipes and have not had any issues. It may be that he is small and non aggressive I dunno

my horses never pay attention to him and he satys in the rock work minding his business
HTH's