Seahorses

[gemini]

I've been reading different discussions regarding seahorses lately. I want to set up a 29 gallon tank to put some in but want to do my homework first. I would want to put lr and ls for sure. Also a couple of turbo snails and some hermit crabs and maybe a green mandarin after about a year or so. I know it takes quite a bit of time for copepods to develop for the mandarin to eat. Other than that, I would only put seahorses. I have a couple of questions though. With what I mentioned above, how many seahorses could I put in there? I would like to put maybe one yellow, one black, and one red. Would they get along? I haven't read anything about them being aggressive or not getting along with each other. Also, would it be better to put corals in too or leave them out?
I just feel that several heads are better than one. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[gemini]

Thanks, Shrimp. I have just been browsing that site until my eyeballs are about to pop! Will continue tomorrow, as there seems to be a wealth of information. <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />

 

[saltmarsea]

Hi there,
Congrats..SH's are gorgeous and full of personality!! SeaHorses.com is ok for info but I have a better sight for info and purchasing on Seahorses only....There are MANY different kinds & colors....you'll love them! E-mail me and I will fill you in! a 29 gal in PERFECT for the ponies!! I have a 20.....GL~ MarSea
Missbehaving27@aol.com

 

[saltmarsea]

If you do LOVE SH's....they do cost some $$$ bu they are well worth every penny I think!

 

[ozadars]

they do cost some $$$ bu they are well worth every penny I think!
Oh my H.Comes cost me just $10

 

[nateh]

Not to hijack the thread, but what is the minimal size for a sea horse set up? Would a ten gallon work? Whats a good website to purchase them from? Also, are they difficult to care for?

 

[vibe]

i have a ten gallon with everything listed below. i have a sea horse in there. i could have 10 sea horses if i wanted to. i heard you can have one seahorse per gallon, but im not sure. sea horses are gentle creaters, and wont quarrel with eachother. mine wraps his tail around my finger . beautiful and peaceful creatures in deed. corals would add anice touch to a sea horse tank. they wont bother corals. plus, if your seahorses are wild caught you might want to feed them live food, like livce baby brine shrimp. good luck with your tank.

 

[gemini]

Hello everyone..I originally posted my question a year ago...I STILL have NO seahorses!!! I wanted to make sure I had all the info I needed first...then we kept adding other tanks...well, the time is almost here for me to finally get my horses. The hole is in the wall (it will look like a picture in a frame from the hallway - pics of the holes in my wall for the two tanks is on my website - address below).
SaltMarSea: I will send you an e-mail after I post this. I hadn't been on this site in some time but my husband lives on it and he told me I had responses to an old post I had left.
Thanks everyone for your input! I'll post pics as soon as everything is up and running.

 

[kimkissyfish]

Gemini,
I wanted to share with you...I have a 29 BF tank with 4 seahorses right now.. Depending on the full grown size.(mine will get about 6-8 inches each) I wouldnt put more than 1 per 3 gallons really. My sis is "Marsea" she has a tank too....
We found a GRWAT site to get captive bred SH's... the are very hearty and gentle with tons of personality! The feed on frozen mysis shrimp... They are very aggresive eaters when you pop that food in... Also, they WILL ride on your finger. AND mine will come to the top of the water to pat her head in the AM when I turn the lights on.....
I WOULD NOT however put ANY corals that may STING in there. Also, there are so many hitchhickers that come on LR you have to be careful with that...
Thanking you kindly, Kim
Cavimom@aol.com

 

[gemini]

Hi Kim..If I put any live corals in there, it will most likely be mushrooms. I'll probably purchase synthetic corals for hitching posts..I've got live rock that we've had for over a year now that I will use in the tank so hitchhikers should not be much of a problem..we've monitored the rock for over a year...and I've decided to start with 4 - 6 horses. I want them to have plenty of room. How much current do you have in your setup? I know they don't like much but do like a little bit of current..my husband usually is the one who sets the tanks up..
I'm really excited about getting my horses..I can't wait for them to look to me each morning..I have a porcupine puffer in another tank who lets me pet him..a lot of people don't realize how much personality that sea creatures actually have..I take great pride in sharing that information with them.
BTW, what site are you talking about where you found great captive bred horses?
Thanks for your interest and information!
Terri

 

[mrangel]

I have always been interested in sea horses, I heard that they were really difficult and you had to feed them live food every 4 hours.
Can anyone tell me how hard is it?
Marguerite

 

[fulcrum]

I have been researching the horses ALL day. I dont have any yet, but I can pass along what I have learned in my research.
Most importantly, DO NOT buy a seahorse that is caught in the wild. Their survival rate is dismal, and they require much more intense attention in feeding. SH's are rapidly going extinct. Support the breeding programs by purchasing the captive bred (and much more expensive, and healthy) varieties.
Seahorses do not mind some current. Just remember they are not strong swimmers. Dont blast the tank with powerheads.
Make sure you know what species you are buying. Many wild caught seahorses live in cooler waters than most home aquariums contain. You will harm them by keeping them in water over 74 degrees
Do not mix with fish that will compete for their food.
No anemones, stinging corals, lobsters, crabs larger than blueleg hermits
There is debate on how many you should keep in close quarters. In nature they do not cluster. Dont cram a bunch into a tank just because the bioload will handle it.
Sea grass or macroalage in you display tank will mimic their natural habitat.
NO NITRATES. Pristine water is very important.
Assuming you buy captive bred horses, feed twice a day, frozen mysis shrimp treated with vitamin supplement.
Unless you plan on breeding them, only get same --- horses. If you get mated pairs, be prepare to deal with the babies that will follow. They have special dietary needs.
I think that's all I learned today. I hope I didn't miss anything too important. Somebody please let me know if i did.

 

[nateh]

I've been researching these lately, and found out some good info. You need a semi-tall tank. At least 20" high. It is also good to feed captive bred seahorses only 6 days a week. A side note for wild caught, you pretty much have to feed them all live. That can get pricey, and the shrimp could be difficult to find.

 

[killafins]

gemini...
by using colors to name a seahorse is a very inaccurate way to find out their real common name....
for instance... i bought a yellow seahorse, simply named because it was yellow from my LFS.... however.... the real yellow seahorse is called the common seahorse which gets HUGE and needs at least a 55 gallon....
The black seahorse I purchased turned out to be a hippocampus spinosissimus also known as the hedgehog seahorse but the black seahorse is commonly known as some total distrossity that needs only a 25 gallon.
My point is, in order to get a seahorse find the common name or even better yet the scientific and common name (which does not include the color)...
Also, hermit crabs, even small, have been known to clamp onto the seahorses tail... i heard an analogy about a cat with moving string or something. neways, this hsouldn't stop u from getting scarlet hermit crabs but i would be very 'watchful' of ur precious hermits.
And I think I will leave you with one more obvious thing... seahorses change color... If you are getting them because of the yellow, black and red coloring you will be sorry. My hedgehog (sold as a black seahorse) turned all the way yellow with white and red and changed among those colors, added some balck, lost some black, etc... and now it has a black back end and yellow front with a fancy of white dots (not ich, i promise)... my yellow is sitll yellow but has a tail that is turning green; it likes to hinge on a fake green plant.
So I leave you with that and tell you that you probably could keep two to four seahorses in the tank if you get the right real common name. Ponies are lovely to have and will be perfect for mandarins! Enjoy!!!

 

[nateh]

Killafish,
I read somewhere that tomato clowns are bad to mix with seahorses. Has yours given your horses any trouble?

 

[killafins]

i have two tanks... one is a 20 gallon which i have my mandarin, hedgehog seahorse and still unidentified seahorse, cleanershrimp (2), handicapped arrow crab and cammel back shrimp, and oh yeah a feather duster.
The rest of the stuff is in my 55...
Originally I had my hedgehog, tomato and two yellow tial blue damsels in my twenty together and to be completely honest they were perfectly satisfied. Infact, the tomato clown was far more happier in the 20 gallon tank than he is now, he kind of looks stressed.
I only moved them because of the horror stories i heard about damsels and seahorses (i seem to not be able to avoid the horror stories of things)... but the only damsel problem i have is my pink chromis who uses its tail to hit the eel; its quite a unique experience.
Personally, I have thought about moving my tomato back in with my seahorses but people like kimkissyfish seem to yell at me , just playing....
Oh, kim, u seem to love that picture of your seahorse don't ya? You always find a place to post it , i just wanted to say how beautiful it is.
But neways, to answer ur question, when i had them together it didn't give them any trouble. It was perfectly happy and the only problem i had was that i had to keep the tomato away from the live brine shrimp while my seahorse ate a bunch.

 

[kimkissyfish]

OOPS,
I think I gto cut off...
Ok again, looks like you guys are doing your homwork on seahorses.. GOOD JOB... some good info here...
I can say that if you have ANY questions about SH's e-mail me @ Cavimom@aol.com and I will help you out... I must say, I have NO PROBLEMS with my SH tank. just perfecto..(knock on wood)
On th other hand, my 75G has caused me a million problems (mostly my fault) there are some great people here to help you with your reefs or FOWLR tanks.....
Btw. to answer your questions, my SH in that PIC is about 4 inches right now.... she is simply stunning! and WHATA a personality... someone wrote here that you had to feed your SH live food .. NO NO, if you buy CP (captive bred) you will have it easy with frozen mysis shrimp. you CAN give them treats once a month if you want... =)
Thanking you kindly, Kim

 

[nateh]

On the frozen food note, the best mysis shrimp that you can get are PE(premium aquatics). At least thats what I've read, and everyone who feeds there horses frozen pretty much uses them. Also, a guy in the area of Las Vegas sells SPF shrimp, which are packed with nutrients and live. You can get 500 for under $100.00.

 

[kimkissyfish]

Ok Killafins..
LOLOL I DO love my seahorse PICS.. actually I have about 80 on my computer.. so "QUIET" or I'll have to start posting THEM,,,,LOL Just joshin' ya!
I just like to show people who are talking about buying that skinny WC seahorse from the LFS cuz hes cute, what a healthy CB seahorse should look like... .. and Aloha, my fav female mustang is just a striking girl, with the broad chest and her curling tail.. =) =)
I promise to keep my PICS to a minimum..LOLOL
you know I learned how to "size" them now.. Everyone is in trouble!..HAHAHA
Thanking you kindly, Kim

 

[broncofish]

Originally posted by KimKissyFish
I promise to keep my PICS to a minimum..LOLOL
you know I learned how to "size" them now..
Please don't I want to see as many seahorse pics as your willing to post As I am planning my seahorse tank right now.