Seahorses 101.00

[poniegirl]

Like their horizontal cousins, seahorses that are purchased healthy from a reputable source, are QT'd before adding to the DT, live in appropriate climates for their species and are kept with great water quality, acceptable flow variations and minimum twice daily feeding...(breath, sorry) should be no more prone to disease or death than any other addition.
Keeping seahorses successfully in a home aquarium is a fairly daunting idea for a few valid reasons:
1) Not long ago, seahorses were predominantly available as "Wild Caught" (that is netted from the reef, bay or depth to your LFS) and, as such, came with the same difficulties in feeding and keeping free of disease as butterflyfish, just to name one readily recognized fish that falls into a similar class. Wild caught seahorses do not readily accept thawed frozen foods and starve to death. They are more prone to disease from the stress of capture and malnutrition due to their preference for live food. The tank will be preferably mature with a good natural live food source (pods) for supplimenting the prepared food diet.
2) The seahorse anatomy requires special feeding schedules, even if the seahorse is "captive bred" and readily eats prepared foods. They have a very primitive digestive system (somewhat like a fetus) and they do need a consistent source of nutrients. Not constant; consistent. A schedule of at least two small meals daily that doesn't vary. Plan on a sitter if you go out of town.
3) Identifying a seahorse for sale from any place other than a breeder is very complex and can be heartbreaking. There are many different species out there and some are still wild caught. Seahorse species vary so greatly in needs for tank size, temperature and tankmates that is is imperative that you have some idea of where your seahorse originates.
4) Seahorses breed easily, which is a fun and romantic idea until you are faced with 150 to 300 seahorse fry that will not survive without intervention.
Many new seahorse keepers end up with mating seahorses without a clue what that will mean. Very disheartening. Insist on same --- animals unless you are prepared otherwise.
5) Tank size and decor again can depend greatly on the species.
6) Most often there is probably no simple answer to a question about keeping these amazing animals in your home.
But they are SO worth it, if you have the time and the inclination.

 

[reefreak29]

nice post ,its hard to list everything u need to know about seahorses unless u write a book but its good to get some of these out there

 

[monalisa]

This is a great post PonieGirl!! Thank you!!
Being a brand new seahorse keeper, I can't emphasize enough to research your brains out before diving in. I've had my reef tank for 3 years now and shortly after starting that, I deciced that I wanted to start a seahorse tank somewhere down the line. I started researching seahorses shortly after starting my reef, and now I've had my horses only 3 weeks, and I'm still learning. The dynamics of the seahorse tank is SO different from keeping a reef, from the flow to the temperature to the feeding schedule to the maintenance schedule...very different, but (like PonieGirl said) if you're so inclined go for it...but take your time and again, take your time...ask questions and research.
Lisa...

 

[bronco300]

i hope you dont mind me adding my 2 cents...i figured might as well put all the tips allin one thread instead of making a million for people...if not i can delete and put somewhere else...poor lost comment...haha...anyways...
DWARF SEAHOESES:
MUCH different than regular kuda, erectus, kelloggii, etc etc...these require...again i say REQUIRE LIVE food....which seems very difficult to grasp but all in all is not that hard to do, i spend about 10-15 min per meal at my little hatchery station...once you get it down its simple...just have to make sure you are good about having a set schedule...leaving dwarves for a sweekend can be risky compared to leaving a reef tank for a weekend. The tankmate list on them is much stricter as well because of their tiny size even snails and shrimp can be banned as well as anything from a normal saltwater tank as you can leak over parasites like hydroids that can kill these little guys... But the biggest tip i have for these guys is dedication and time...i love mine...but i don't have time to stop and just enjoy watching them anymore, and so it becomes more of a burden to take time out every day to feed them than it is fun anymore just with all the personal items happening right now(buying house, planning wedding, etcetc)...and so i spend 85% of the time worrying about them trying to give them attention but trying to spread it out between everything else...and of course fish to everyone else comes last, so it can be difficult at time....i do it, but it can be hard...just saying, make sure you're gonna have the dedication and time--

 

[rykna]

Wanted to add this,
Water / Maintenance
For tropical species, salt density nearing 1021 is suitable (30-33 g/l). Do not exceed 1023 up and 1020 down (in presence of disease). Salt density should be checked from time to time. As for other parameters avoid brutal and important variations. This could disorganize the seahorses immune system and lead to disease. Add water progressively if salt density is too high, or sea salt if needed.
Seahorses enjoy a water temperature at least of 26 degrees Celsius ( around 78,8 Fahrenheit). At least do not exceed 30 degrees Celsius in Summer ( around 86 Fahrenheit). Any brutal variation is to be avoided. Also avoid or eliminate tank pollution or changes in the parameters (ph, hardness, and so on).
For temperate water species, salt density is around 1027, and the temperature around 19 degrees Celsius (around 56 Fahrenheit). Under table of content, look at other sites to visit .
Any aquarium pollution or change in parameters (PH, alkalinity - TCHA or KH - etc) should be foreseen and if present must be eliminated. The maximum rates of ammoniac (NH3), ammonium (NH4), nitrites (NO2) nitrates (NO3) and phosphates (PO4) tolerated by the fish are unsuitable for seahorses. The best thing to do is to keep quality water by regular water changes. (You can maintain a low nitrates (NO3) level, the least dangerous element, to preserve the plants that feed on it otherwise they will decay).
A 10 % weekly water change is recommended for a normally populated tank. For large tanks a renewal every 15 of even 30 days is certainly enough.
If needed, you may change the water more often, but wait a two to four days between each change. This will not harm the seahorses, if you are careful. In case of emergency avoid a water change exceeding 50 % of the tank capacity in one time. However in case of need a 100 % change is better than a sick tank. Take care not to disturb the nitrification cycle by adding the necessary purifying bacteria.
Whatever the amount of water you need to change you should store the sea water 24 hours in advance in a neutral plastic or glass container only used for that purpose. Use only cool water (never use warm water) and high quality sea salt found in specialized shops.
In order to get the required water (without chlorine, lead, or other harmful matter) add a water conditioner. If your water is not suitable ((hardness, PH 8,2-8,4, magnesium, calcium etc.) use conditioned water sold by specialists. Bring the prepared sea water to the temperature and density of the tank.The frequency and cleansing rules are the same as for coral tanks (pré-filter once a week, filters 1/3 of the filter mass once a month, carbon renewal once a week; it is to be noted that a saturated carbon suddenly rejects the toxic substances in the aquarium).
Always keep an eye on the water chemical properties. A healthy tank today may easily become tomorrow a sick one. Remember : it is better to be watchful than to remove dead animals. The real puzzle for a seahorses keeper is treating and healing these creatures.