Seahorse trouble in a show tank

joshua g.

joshua g.

New Member
The name is Joshua Gould im a 14 year old that has studied marine biotics since i was about 8 years old I have a couple tanks My largest is a 220 Gallon saltwater with 2 sharks a large lionfish some angels tangsd ,clowns,and damsils, my second largest tank is a 90 gallon showtank from oceancic the tank is what i put all my more "exotic" fish species inthis one has sea horse which are more hard to take care of i have had some trouble feedin my seahorses in the 90 gallon i have alot more smaller fishs in this one however my 2 moorishidols r not wanting to eat eather My Trigerfishs in this tank seem to domain over all the the other smallerfish and are stressing them to the point that they do not want to eat it has gotten to the point that they almost like bite my hand when i stick it in to feed the seahores im not shure what there problem is???? does anybody else? also im thinkin about moving my lion to the 90 gallon whould it be safe with the other fish ????
 
viet-tin

viet-tin

Active Member
Those 2 moorish idols wont do good in captivity...not many have been able to keep them alive for long. They require large amounts of live rock and sponge. They also need plenty of swimming space. The sea horse should be in its own tank and should only be housed with other docile fish such as mandarinds n pipe fish or other sea horses. They also require more cooler temps. HOpefully someone with a more fuller understanding of these creatures can help.
 
22caddy

22caddy

Member
You were already told in your other thread that the lion and triggers is a no. The triggers will nip at the lions fins and kill it.
 
darknes

darknes

Active Member
As viet-tin stated, the seahorses should be in their own tank because they are very slow eaters and other fish will not allow them enough time to eat. Triggers are very aggressive fish and definitely shouldn't be with your seahorses or even the other small fish in that tank.
It seems to me that your problem is imcompatible fish in the same tanks.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I'll leave my original answer but I just read other posts....think that this might all be a troll. Who knows though. Sigh

[hr]
Joshua - Thanks for writing. You've found a great board.
The basic answer is the trigger MUST be removed if you want the seahorses and idols...or the seahorses and idols must go. But you can't have them all.
The seahorses need to be in a much smaller tank, such as a 30long or so depending on the species. They need very specific care that really can only be achieved in a tank designed especially for them. If this is not done, they WILL starve to death. I encourage you to return them to the store until you have the tank to keep them in.
The trigger must be removed, or the moorish idols must go. They are not, in my opinion, compatible fish in any way. The moorish idols will most likely die, as nearly all do in captivity. Their survival rate is very very low....but with an aggressive trigger in a relatively small tank, they will most certainly have trouble.
It is important also for us to know what you are feeding, how long you have had these fish and your exact water parameters (chemistry). What kind of triggerfish is this?
I appreciate your interest in marine biology, but you must understand that keeping fish in captivity in tanks is very different. Just because animals may live in the same ocean, in the same area, does not mean they can all be kept together. It is really important for you to research these animals before you put them together or buy them at all. You are trying to do that now, but I must be really blunt - the seahorses WILL DIE in their current situation. Something must be done as soon as possible and we will try to help you
 
22caddy

22caddy

Member
They have been eating ok like ill grind up brine shrimp for them and like aliquid form and the eat "ok" that way or they have been?
Ok. I see you are lying obviously because here is a quote from your other post. You state right there your seahorses are eating ok, yet then turn around and say they aren't. Once again I will say get your facts straight if you want help.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
Then again, after just finding one of the other posts, I could scream. Now I really understand the frustration. Maybe this is a troll??
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
A troll is someone who posts "alarming" and outrageous threads on purpose and for fun to stir things up. Often it takes the form of "I have 5 tangs in my 29g tank" or something similar that will get people very upset. Often going against common sense 'norms' or widely accepted practices for the hobby. Having seahorses in with triggers, moorish idols, etc just sounds almost too far out to be real. People don't even know where to begin with advice. In both of these threads, people are getting a bit frustrated and ticked off, which is generally the goal of a troll.
However, there are certainly people out there who will do some of this stuff and are absolutely honest. They've done this and don't know better...but often won't listen to proper advice anyway. I haven't read anything to indicate that this particular person actually wants advice on what to do, another sign they may be taking advantage of people.
 
nitram

nitram

Member
Well all I can say is if he is for real which personally I think he is, we need to help him and not make him not want to post no more. So we do need to know what you are feeding and I think you have had some really good answers in this post. So I think you should follow ophiura first post. Just please try to tell us as much info as possiable and all the facts.
 
ophiura

ophiura

Active Member
I do think, FWIW, that it is possible he is legit...but I don't see the sort of reaction where he seems to actually want to learn and understand what is going on like I see with other people in similar "mislead" situations. I think it is quite possible he has big tanks and an LFS that will sell anything for the $$. But when you learn otherwise, and see fish that can't eat...you need to listen and take action. If you drop a bomb like this opening post and then never answer, yeah, people are going to figure you aren't for real. I am quite undecided at the moment, but would be willing to help if he wants it.
 
offshore80

offshore80

Member
Ophiura,
2 years ago you came to my rescue with my first saltwater tank. I had stumbled onto your website and you schooled me very good on the things I needed to know about the care and needs of saltwater fish. I was very new into the hobby, I of course had listened to a LFS and gone way to far on a tank that had not cycled yet. But, thanks to you I returned all the live stock and started over. I'm sure when I first posted I must of sounded like a troll. But, I was for real.
since than and a few books later I now have 3 nice tanks.
Thanks
 
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