Ssweet1

[teresaq1]

Hi, how are ya, tell me about your seahorses. I am thinking about starting a nano cube, and putting a couple fo clown gobys, and frags in it. how would a small seahorse do in there do you think. are they hard to take care of, as far as feeding. do you think the nano would have too much current in it for one or two.

 

[dave_15]

it might be ok if it doent have to much flow....what species are you interested in?

 

[teresaq1]

not really sure, still in the research mode. something that stays small. SSweet1 was just telling me on another post that her's just had babies.

 

[dave_15]

Dwarf seahorse (hippocampus zosterae)-upto 2 "
Northern seahorse (hippocampus erectus)- upto 7.3 "
Yellow seahorse (hippocampus kuda)- upto 6.7 "
Barbour's seahorse (hippocampus barbouri)- upto 5.9" (some dont grow more than 3.1")
Pot belly seahorse (hippocampus abdominalis)- upto 12"
Slender seahorse (hippocampus reidi) - upto 7 "
Goldens seahorse (hippocampus whitei) - upto 5.1 "
Knobby seahorse (hippocampus breviceps)- upto 3.1 "
I hope this helps.. I named some of the species available on the market (different sizes)

 

[jacknjill]

dave, what are the best type of seahorses for a beginner to start off with. i was thinking about setting up a small tank for a pair

 

[dave_15]

how big is the tank? are there only going to be seahorses in it?

 

[jacknjill]

well, i havent really done any serious planning. just thought about it. i guess it would be about a 15 gallon tank. and then i guess it would be just seahorses. maybe a clown fish or two. ive heard that seahorses can be kept with some of the slower moving peaceful fish. is this true?

 

[dave_15]

Well first i wouldnt get any dwarfs beacuse that tank is too big for them (food finding problem)...you can probably put
4-5 kudas
upto 6 barbouri
about 4 erectus
about 2-3 reidis
about 5 whitei
a pair of abdominalis
about 6 capensis
or
6 brevicaps
The other species are probably too big for a 15 gallon
DO NOT PUT CLOWNFISH WITH SEAHORSES; THERE IS A DISEASE KNOWN AS CLOWNFISH DIESEASE..AND THE SEAHORSES MAY DIE
yes, seahorses are known to coexist with pipefish, gobbies, blennies, flatfish, sticlebacks...with some shrimp, hermits, brittle stars (and small starfish), sea urchins, snails and tube worms. (these are acceptable tankmates that i can think of now)

 

[dave_15]

it is the maximum number of how many sh cab be kept there

 

[jacknjill]

ok cool. thanks for the warning about the clownfish. i read somewhere on here about someone else doing that.
but what kind of flow would you have to have to keep seahorses? low flow right? so would a millenium 1000 filter a mini jet 400 powerhead be too much? what is a good diet for them? thanks!

 

[dave_15]

Originally Posted by JacknJill
ok cool. thanks for the warning about the clownfish. i read somewhere on here about someone else doing that.
but what kind of flow would you have to have to keep seahorses? low flow right? so would a millenium 1000 filter a mini jet 400 powerhead be too much? what is a good diet for them? thanks!
Low flow...... filter and powerhead should be ok... you should feed your seahorse : small marine shrimps, mysid shrimp, freshwater shrimps, amphoids, brine shrimp, tadpole shrimps, fairy shrimps, copepods (lots of fatty ), seed shrimps, water fleas, plankton, bloodworms, black worms, microworms, grindal worms, white worms some are known to eat fish fry (these are the acceptable live foods that have been given to seahorses)......they also may eat frozen (different kinds look at the live foods...they ma be eaten as frozen).

 

[dave_15]

make sure your aquarium have plants or something that the seahorse can wrap its tail around...

 

[jacknjill]

do you think i could put 2 or 3 of those seahorses you listed in a 10 gallon tank? also what is the bes type of plant for them to have. what is the best temperature for them to live in.
do you know of any good websites to buy them on? JacknJill@triad.rr.com
sorry for all the questions

 

[dave_15]

well the...abdominalis are too big for that tank...i would put only 2 reidis at the most....and 2-3 erectus...lots of plants would be good....i personally like the plastics...but caulerpa are good....anythin that is the wight of a pencil should work...the temperature should be between
74-78 F (24-26C) for the tropical species
70-74F (22-25C) for the subtropical species
66-72 (19-22C) for the temperate species.
its ok i like answering questions and helping aquarists learn more

 

[jacknjill]

ok, i was looking at the erectus online and it said they are found :
Hippocampus erectus is found from Cape Cod (and rarely Nova Scotia), Canada to Argentina and into the Gulf of Mexico.
so would that be tropical? or subtropical?

 

[celacanthr]

well if you get seahorses you should get captive bred seahorses that are trained on frosen mysis and if you get captive bred then dont get any pipefish because almost all pipefish are wild caught and they may carry a disease that will affect them and the seahorses.
check out
syngnathid.org
&
seahorse.org

 

[dave_15]

erectus are tropicals :happyfish

 

[jacknjill]

i thought so