Originally Posted by Hefner413
Do you have to spot feed to keep the horses eating? I've heard one of the biggest problems is that the fish out-compete the horses for the food.
Seahorses are best keep in a Horse only tank. They are great predators, and are fun to watch while they're hunting pods. But when it comes to feeding time, most fish will out manuver a seahorse by speed, resulting in starvation.
Flash is a fire goby, one of the few exceptable tank mates for seahorses. My male Kuda was top fish in my 90. Flash always waited for Valiant to finish the main course of mysis, then Flash would dart in an out catching what he could of the left overs.
Seahorses get stressed very easily. Fast moving fish leave horses in the "wake" of the waves they make when they speed by. Which is why most fish will out-compete horses for food.
Besides Flash, Valiant shared the 90 with a tiger star, snails, and hermit crabs. It also depends on your fish. For instance, "Flash", is not your typical fire goby, Fire Gobies are known "carpet surfers". Very flighty nervous fish, that stress easily, and do not like their enviroment to change. Flash, on the other hand, when he arrived my 2 percs tried to bully him the minute I released him into the tank. Flash completely ignored them, to a leisurely tour of the tank, and picked out a medium sized LR for his new "digs". I've rearranged the 90 four times in the past 4 mths, and he went through quarantine with my Kuda.
Now he's back in the 90 with 2 new damsel roomies, which he does care for, but tolerates. He should have a tatoo that says: "Talk to the Fin".
Horses are "spot feeders", but the spot feeding is not the hard part. The important part of feeding horses is providing quality nutrient supplimented food. They do hunt on their own, snicking up pods(their favorite treat), but due to their poor digestive tract they require at least 2 regular meals a day. They are very social fish, preferring to live in groups, and recognize their "mysis delivery person" with the first week of arriving.
