seahorses?
- Thread starter got krabs
- Start date
yelllowtang
Member
All I know about Sea Horses is what my lfs told me. They said that you can't have alot of current and its not really a good idea to have them in a tank with fish because when it comes to feeding the fish usually eat the food real fast and the Sea Horse ends up starving.
And in order to keep sea horses you have to have a tall tank because they like to swim up and down.
And I think they breed easy.
And sea horses don't have a long life span they only like from about 8 months to a year in most cases.
And in order to keep sea horses you have to have a tall tank because they like to swim up and down.
And I think they breed easy.
And sea horses don't have a long life span they only like from about 8 months to a year in most cases.
kelly
Member
You should know that with seahorses, is best to have live food. Some seahorses will take frozen food, but live food is always best. Dwarf seahorses will eat newly hatched brine shrimp, and will readily breed in captivity.
Larger seahorses cannot live on brine shrimp very long and will slowly starve to death. It would be best to feed them copepods, mysis shrimp, mysid shrimp or scuds. Some people recommend dipping their food in vitamins / HUFAs (Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids), such a Vibrance.
They need "hitching posts" to be able rest on. For hitching posts, you can use Gorgonians, sea fans, live plants like caulerpa, halimeda, merman shaving brushes, etc. Most anything that they can wrap their tails around will work.
The reason for slow moving water is for feeding purposes. Seahorses do not move very fast, and need to be able to snatch their food as it floats by. The filtration system can be turned off during feeding times helping catch their dinner. Other fish in the tank are usually not recommended since they can move faster, and the seahorse cannot compete with them for food. Pipefish are well suited to keep with seahorses, and should be ok.
Seahorses should be feed atleast twice a day, and will move around the tank looking for food all day long.
If taken care of, you will find these to be one of the most enjoyable tank inhabitants that you can have. Larger seahorses can be hand fed frozen foods on occasion, and you will find that the females are more apt to eat directly from your fingers than the males.
If you did not know, the female deposits her eggs in the male, he fertilizes, incubates them and delivers the young. It is really neat watching him deliver the young. They look like a minature copy of their parents only a little skinnier.
If you have not had seahorses before, make sure you do some reading first, find/create a good food supply and you and your new friends will be happy. I wish you the best of luck in you new venture.
Larger seahorses cannot live on brine shrimp very long and will slowly starve to death. It would be best to feed them copepods, mysis shrimp, mysid shrimp or scuds. Some people recommend dipping their food in vitamins / HUFAs (Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids), such a Vibrance.
They need "hitching posts" to be able rest on. For hitching posts, you can use Gorgonians, sea fans, live plants like caulerpa, halimeda, merman shaving brushes, etc. Most anything that they can wrap their tails around will work.
The reason for slow moving water is for feeding purposes. Seahorses do not move very fast, and need to be able to snatch their food as it floats by. The filtration system can be turned off during feeding times helping catch their dinner. Other fish in the tank are usually not recommended since they can move faster, and the seahorse cannot compete with them for food. Pipefish are well suited to keep with seahorses, and should be ok.
Seahorses should be feed atleast twice a day, and will move around the tank looking for food all day long.
If taken care of, you will find these to be one of the most enjoyable tank inhabitants that you can have. Larger seahorses can be hand fed frozen foods on occasion, and you will find that the females are more apt to eat directly from your fingers than the males.
If you did not know, the female deposits her eggs in the male, he fertilizes, incubates them and delivers the young. It is really neat watching him deliver the young. They look like a minature copy of their parents only a little skinnier.
If you have not had seahorses before, make sure you do some reading first, find/create a good food supply and you and your new friends will be happy. I wish you the best of luck in you new venture.
alianated
Member
I agree with everything said here, but just wanted to add that if you CANT feed them live food, the frozen Mysis Shrimp seems to be the most readily accepted frozen food I have seen them take. I have never seen a seahorse refuse it that accepted something else.
Just my 2 cents....
Just my 2 cents....
salisbury a d
Member
Habitat: Seahorses rquire a "quiet" aquarium where they wil not be bothered by boisterous fish that may also deprive them of food. Plenty of anchorage points should be provided in the form of gorponians, sea fan skeletons and algae. Seahorses may kill live gorgoians, se whis or sea fans owing to their habit of remaining stationary for long periods, preventing the invertebrates from extending their polyps and feeding.
Tank Size: a minimum of 36+15+12 in. is naecessary to house four giant specimens or eight dwarf seahorses.
pH 8.1 - 8.3
Temp 75-77
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrat less than 10 ppm
specific gravity 1.021-1.024
Dissolved oxygen 6ppm
calcium 400-450 ppm
phosphates 0
Filtration: efficient biological filtration protein dkimming and activated carbon as standard.
Lighting: Moderate, not too bright
Water changes: 15-20% each fortnight with high quality water of the same temp and salinity.
Feeding: It is difficult to wean seahorses off live foods onto frozen marin fare so copious quantities of live brinshrimp are usually offered on its own this diet can lack vital minerals and vitamins and should be supplemented with live myses shrimp, Daphnia, glassworm and bloodworm. n the wild seahorses are constant planktonic feeders and this should be replicted in the aquarium by four or even five feedings each day.
Health: Seahorses suffer many health problems. Whitespot. Oodinium and gill flukes may be treated using medication. Gaseous bubbles may form in the pouch or body an are potentially fatal. Body bubbles can be pricked with a sharp needle, and pouch bubbls eased out gently with a blunt cocktail stick.
Suitable tankmates for a seahorse are Pipefish, mandarinfish and scooter blennies.
Adam
Tank Size: a minimum of 36+15+12 in. is naecessary to house four giant specimens or eight dwarf seahorses.
pH 8.1 - 8.3
Temp 75-77
Ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrat less than 10 ppm
specific gravity 1.021-1.024
Dissolved oxygen 6ppm
calcium 400-450 ppm
phosphates 0
Filtration: efficient biological filtration protein dkimming and activated carbon as standard.
Lighting: Moderate, not too bright
Water changes: 15-20% each fortnight with high quality water of the same temp and salinity.
Feeding: It is difficult to wean seahorses off live foods onto frozen marin fare so copious quantities of live brinshrimp are usually offered on its own this diet can lack vital minerals and vitamins and should be supplemented with live myses shrimp, Daphnia, glassworm and bloodworm. n the wild seahorses are constant planktonic feeders and this should be replicted in the aquarium by four or even five feedings each day.
Health: Seahorses suffer many health problems. Whitespot. Oodinium and gill flukes may be treated using medication. Gaseous bubbles may form in the pouch or body an are potentially fatal. Body bubbles can be pricked with a sharp needle, and pouch bubbls eased out gently with a blunt cocktail stick.
Suitable tankmates for a seahorse are Pipefish, mandarinfish and scooter blennies.
Adam