Sea Horses

[Skimmer Juice]

my cuttlefish just died.So I have a spare tank now.I was thinking of buying some sea horses tomorow. Just wondering about tempuature ph and selinity bascic tank specs.Maybe my spelling to.

[rickjames]

Seahorses aren't to be taken likely you need to do some serious research before keeping them. Check out reefcentral they have a forum dedicated to them.

Just make sure your system is set up FOR them and you are ready to keep them long term. I have not kept them myself so perhaps others can provide you with more info.

[Flame.Boy]

seahorses dont need lots of research???

ive got 8 of them in a 20 gallon reef tank.

just make sure they ARE eating frozen mysis shrimp.

they are alright with ammonias and nitrates

and make sure you have lots of branching rock or Calerpa algae for them to anchor onto or they will stress out and die.

also dont have to much flow as they arnt very strong swimmers..to much flow will blow them to the other side of the tank.

umm..hermit crabs and brittle stars arnt a good thing to have with them...they are to slow moving of a fish and the hermits can pinch them and injur them, making them and easy target to kill...and believe me..they will do it. i work at a saltwater fish store and ive seen it happen.

make sure theres no rock crabs in you rock, bristle worms are alright, the seahorse skin is like armor and bristle worm stings cant peirce it

no fast moving or aggressive fish that will compete for food with the horses.


fish like firefish, gobies, blenny's, MAYBE percula clowns...as long as there not to mean...not damsels though..as in 3 stripes, 4 stripes anything like that.

other than that you wont have a problem with them

good luck.

[Skimmer Juice]

thanks for the info. I will buy some tomorow as my cuttlefish died and I have a spare tank.

[JSTR]

Wow, talk about not enough information and alot of wrong information.

I would strongly suggest you have a look at some educated information.
Try - http://www.seahorse.org/
and - http://www.syngnathid.org/
Both are site specific to seahorses and their requirements.

Not going to comment on what was post here as I dont know what species of seahorses are being kept or even looked at for purchase.
Will advise that you do a bit or research and reading prior to the purchase as they are not as simple as it is being made out to be.

Having kept and breed seahorses, I will not say that they are really difficult to keep, but they are that easy either. To maximize your success rate with them, try and find out what type of seahorse they are, then research the requirements of that species.

Would offer more but would need to know alot more information than you have supplied. Tank size, species and others.

HTH
Good Luck

[digitalsteve]

id have to agree , if you really want to know about seahorses i think Bev keeps them as well with great success

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Buying seahorses on a whim is such a bad idea. Here's a shortened version of a recent article I wrote for the FishMonger Newsletter:

Seahorses – Irresistible Oddities of the Sea

Introduction:
Seahorses are another species of marine fish that have attracted countless people to try their luck at keeping a salt water aquarium. Whether it is its unique physical appearance (after all, a seahorse looks like a knight from a chess set) or its unusual reproductive method (a MALE will carry the fertilized eggs in HIS pouch during gestation – how’s that for women-lib), seahorses have fascinated people throughout the ages. With a head like a horse and a tail like a monkey, the seahorse must rank as one of the oddest creatures we may ever keep in our tanks. Unfortunately, until recently, most of the seahorses available for purchase at LFS were wild-caught, rather than captive-bred. As the majority of people who have tried to keep one of the wild-caughts alive can attest to, these seahorses were not very hardy and very finicky when it came to feeding. Having been raised in the ocean, only a small percentage was ever converted to eating frozen mysis shrimp. Today, captive-bread frozen-mysis-eating seahorses are offered for sale periodically at LFS but success is not guaranteed even with these ponies.

Sexual Dimorphism:
Sexing seahorses is fairly easy compared to most marine species because it is sexually dimorphic (each gender is distinctive). Male seahorses have a pouch, which looks like it will explode when it is pregnant, but the pouch may also look like a patch of skin where you would expect the belly to be. A female seahorse will not have a pouch and its “belly area” is covered with the same boney plates as found over the rest of her body.

Today’s Captive-Breds:
Fortunately, today, the CITES restrictions on endangered species greatly limit access to wild-caughts and in all likelihood, the seahorses you see swimming around in the LFS will be captive-bred, frozen-mysis-eating individuals. Still, it is always a good policy to have the LFS feed the seahorses in the shop before you purchase them. The species most offered in Canada are Kudas, Erectus and Reidis. Only rarely will Barbouris or Histrix be available. All of these should be able to eat frozen mysis as their staple diet. Larger specimen can take the larger Pisces brand while the smaller Hikari brand works well for smaller seahorses. Soaking the food in vitamins, such as Selcon, is a good practice.

Acclimation:
After picking out your seahorse and bringing it home, careful acclimation procedures must be followed. Float the bag in the tank to equalize temperature. Open the bag and slowly add tank water in to mix the LFS water with your water conditions. I generally do this for over half an hour before releasing the seahorse very carefully while avoiding pouring any of the LFS water into my tank. I do this by placing my hand in the bag and letting the seahorse grab onto my fingers as a post. Then, with my hand cradling the seahorse, I quickly pull it out of the bag and into the tank. An alternative method that works very well is to use some air line tubing to start a slow drip into the bag or transfer the bag’s contents into a suitable container before dripping tank water into it. This is a method often used for acclimating corals. It is best that the seahorse remains in deep enough water so that it is not sucking air from the surface, since the air can sometimes remain trapped within the seahorse, causing grave buoyancy and other health problems. Therefore, a tall, narrow water or juice pitcher is better for this technique than a shallow, wide tub.

Suitable Tank Mates:
The seahorse tank should be a species tank, since most other fish will either be too fast and/or too competitive for the seahorses. Fast fish tend to stress out the slow moving seahorse and they will also eat all the food before the seahorses can methodically eat its share. I have found clownfish, some small blennies and gobies, and yellow-headed jawfish to work well as companion fish. Again, ideally, a species-specific tank is ideal. Many people have tried adding slow fish like Mandarin gobies (Synchiropus splendidus) or scooter blennies (Neosynchiropus ocellatus), but these types of fish (actually they are dragonets) must be avoided since their primary food source are also live mysis and pods, so they will directly compete with your seahorses and cause a depletion of your live foods population that much quicker. Another blenny to avoid is the Lawnmower blenny (Salarias fasciatus). This species will suck onto the sides of the seahorse and can irritate it to death. I once lost a seahorse to my lawnmower blenny, and so I unintentionally proved this warning to be true.

Tank Preparation: (Live Food Rearing)
One of the major points I always stress when discussing seahorse husbandry is the need to prepare the tank ahead of time. Seahorses really do best in a species tank. Ideally, set up the special tank months in advance because they require stable conditions. The extra time will also allow any introduced live foods, such as mysis shrimp and copepods to breed in safety. Only when the tank has a very healthy population of mysis and pods should the seahorses be purchased. Better yet, have a separate refugium (or more than one) set up to help sustain the live food population. In my opinion, an above tank refugium that allows live shrimps to overflow back into the main tank unharmed by any pump impellors is best. A healthy seahorse will eat constantly in the wild and that is what will happen in your tank. 300 adult brine shrimp or several dozen live mysis a day is not at all unusual for a single seahorse. I recommend setting up a system like this even if captive raised seahorses (the only ones now available without a CITES permit) that are already trained to eat frozen foods are planned. Why you may ask? Simple. Seahorses are notoriously touchy and being transported to the LFS or even from the LFS to your tank may be enough to make it go off its feed. In such a worst-case scenario, if you are not prepared with an abundant supply of live foods, then that seahorse will most likely starve to death. With seahorses, being prepared is the difference between successful live seahorse husbandry and having a dead pony to add to your oddities collection.

Decorating the Tank:
Inside the tank, ensure that there are several holding stations for the seahorses to use. Gorgonians (such as purple sea whips (Pterogoria sp.) and photosynthetic corky fingers (Bryzoans)) work well, as do certain types of macro-algae. Unfortunately, most types of gorgonian corals are very difficult to keep alive, so choosing species that rely mostly on photosynthesis will make your life a lot easier. Sea grass and red halimenia are macro-algae that have long slender blades for pony perches. Dead sea fans that are sold as ornaments make excellent seahorse tank decorations. Plastic plants, though maybe a little tacky, also work for this purpose. The main requirements are that the object be long and slender enough for the seahorse to wrap its prehensile tail around without any rough surfaces to damage the seahorse itself.

Current and Lighting Requirements:
Currents should be kept low to medium, since seahorses are poor swimmers. In fact, most of the propulsive force responsible for transporting the seahorse around its territory comes from the tiny pectoral fins on the sides of its head. Therefore, having a Tunze Stream or other high output powerhead is unwise in a seahorse tank. Low to medium lighting works best for seahorses.

Filtration and Feeding:
Keeping the water clean and water quality stable will be a bit of a battle in most seahorse tanks. They require several small feedings per day and uneaten foods will be the norm rather than the exception. A feeding station can be used to minimize this problem. A feeding station can easily be set up by using plastic hooks or suction cups to attach a small plastic tray to the side of the tank. It should be attached mid-depth so the seahorses will remain completely underwater while feeding and yet have the tray positioned where it is easily accessible. If you squirt your mysis there every meal, the seahorses will normally learn to go to that spot at meal time. Seahorses are actually good at learning this trick. Using a feeding station makes it so much easier for you to siphon out or clean up any uneaten food. Too much uneaten foods will cause problems such as out-of-control bristle worms or polluted waters. Regular water changes will also help. A good skimmer, especially in-sump rather than HOB (hang on back), works really well for keeping up the water quality. The problem with HOB skimmers is their habit of spewing micro-bubbles into the tank.

Warning – Bubbles!
One thing that must be avoided is the presence of bubbles. Seahorses are attracted to bubble streams the way cats are to balls of string. Unfortunately, they love to stick their heads into the bubbles and may suck some in. If this happens, the bubbles ingested may become trapped and create all sorts of nasty healthy and buoyancy issues. So, save yourself the grief and save your seahorses life by not having an air stone in the tank. If the seahorse does develop gas bubble disease (symptom: bulges will be visible under the skin and the seahorse will show great signs of discomfort), the only way I know of getting rid of the bubble is to take a sterilized needle and poke through the tough skin where the bubble is trapped and to gently squeeze the air out of the hole. Make sure this is all done underwater so the seahorse does not compound the problem by sucking in more air. Again, this is a very invasive and uncomfortable procedure at best.

Anthony (aka SeaHorse_Fanatic)

[rickjames]

seahorses dont need lots of research???

ive got 8 of them in a 20 gallon reef tank.

they are alright with ammonias and nitrates



Ok, if your claim is that they don't need research and are so easy to keep, can you give use more information on your setup? How long have you had 8? How long have you had them exposed to ammonia levels and what levels are present in your tank? Can you post a picture of your tank?

[i have crabs]

told you...

[Beverly]

id have to agree , if you really want to know about seahorses i think Bev keeps them as well with great success

I used to keep them, but sold them to a local reefer. Keeping seahorses are very time consuming. They do NOT tolerate anything but perfect water quality. Always buy captive bred rather than wild caught.

Here is a section of my website devoted to my own and others' seahorses....

http://www.lostmymarblz.com/hippocampushaven.htm

Do lots of research before even setting up a tank for them, then research some more before buying!

Anthony's article is excellent :biggrin:

The links JSTR provided are the best seahorse boards on the Internet. Use them!

[muck]

Damn Anthony... thats good stuff!! :biggrin:

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Thanks,

I had to edit out big sections of it because it was too long to post. Just didn't want somebody to blow all that money just to take home seahorses to die from lack of knowledge. Seahorses require waaaaay too much TLC & are too high maintenance for most people. As an endangered species, we should only keep them if we are willing to sacrifice the time & effort they require.

Anthony

[Flame.Boy]

k, here ya go rick james

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y265/fetusinacan/tank1.jpg


theres my tank, theres 5 of my seahorses, the other 3 are behind the rock..i can get a pic of the rest of them the next time i feel like taking a picture

and they've gone through about 4 ammonia spikes...2 of them being very serious.

ive had the tank set up for almost a year now, them being in there for about 10 months

and its NOT as hard as you think

[Flame.Boy]

and they were the first saltwater fish i ever kept...which would also show there not that hard to keep?

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

You're talking about luck. You got lucky that your seahorses are hardier than most. Just because your's have survived "several Ammonia spikes" doesn't mean that seahorses are easy to keep. Taking an exception & making it a generalization is not the best way to give advice to others. I'm glad you've had such great luck with your 8. Most others who've kept seahorses are not so fortunate. Everybody else who advises caution & recommends doing the research before buying seahorses (or any other species of fish/corals) are doing the responsible thing.

ie. I know a couple of reefers who've kept Elegance & Flowerpot corals alive for over a year, but would they turn around & say that these are easy corals & great for beginners. No. Why? Because despite their own success, they realize that the vast majority of reefers who've tried Elegance & Flowerpots have failed.

I would recommend that you write up an article on your experiences, the good & the bad, & post it on this site so we can learn from each other. As I stated earlier, it's great to hear that you've had such success with them.

[G1GY]

You seem to have alot of angst.

10 months is not the lifespan of a seahorse.......... So you realy don't know untill you have met or exceeded their expected lifespan if your doing well or not.

Your posts seem so confrontational. :(

[Willow]

You seem to have alot of angst.

10 months is not the lifespan of a seahorse.......... So you realy don't know untill you have met or exceeded their expected lifespan if your doing well or not.

Your posts seem so confrontational. :(

not only that but frankly quite scary coming from someone who works in the industry. jezz do you give this advise out at the shop you work at?

[Marnie]

Fetusinacan- I find your posts quite disturbing. I have been contemplating a seahorse tank for over 6 months, in that time the research I have read disputes all you have advised.

I can't believe you nearly boast of putting your seahorses through not just 1 but 4 ammonia spikes. Looking at the picture of your tank, it certainly doesn't look like a tank conducive for seahorses.

I will continue my research while my tank cycles and don't expect to actually purchase my CB seahorses for many months.

I can only hope 'Stinky' heeds the advise of the experienced posters. I know I will.

[Skimmer Juice]

No need to worry Im not a rookie.I care for lots of hard to keep fish.So I always read up and ask lots of ? before buying.I hate when things die.Thanks for all your help.I will let you know how the sea horses do when I get some

[rickjames]

Thank you for posting the picture and more info Fetus. It is interesting to see that they have survived such horrible tank conditions and maybe I will rethink my opinion of them a little bit. I have never had an ammonia spike with a fish in my tank so I am inexperienced when it comes to NH4 tolerance.


I am still interested at what levels of ammonia your seahorses were actually exposed to?

[G1GY]

I"M RICK JAMES B!TCH!!

Sorry to go off topic here, but your user name brings me much happiness!

Every time I see your posts I think of this:

http://www.devilducky.com/media/13599/

:lol:

That is all.

[rickjames]

Sorry to go off topic here, but your user name brings me much happiness!

Every time I see your posts I think of this:

http://www.devilducky.com/media/13599/

:lol:

That is all.

:lol: I know I love that clip, have seen it about 100 times!

The only named animal in my tank is a cleaner shrimp one of friends bought for me and named rick james after that clip....

ermm... ok back to the seahorses.... :mrgreen:

[Flame.Boy]

http://www.aquariumillusions.com/seahorses.htm

there

check that out k?

and hmm...if there so dam hard to keep then y havnt we gotten any complaints about peoples seahorses dieing?

i thought they were nearly impossible to keep in captivity, but thats been proven wrong, as long as there captive bred.

and the ammonia spikes were when i knew squat all about saltwater conditions and how easy it is to get an ammonia spike..by say..moving rock and disturbing an ammonia bubble in the sand?

thats how 2 of them happened.. the other 2 were from dead sponges. so maybe you knowitalls should shut up before you know the whole facts.

and wut the heck are you talking about my tank duznt look fit for seahorses (Marnie)

i've got there needs in that tank, branching rock and corals for them to hang on to

[G1GY]

Nevermind :(

[Beverly]

Pics of my H. whitei tank when it was set up two years ago. I no longer keep SHs because of the time and dedication involved....

http://www.lostmymarblz.com/hh-bw-28gal-tank-9.jpg

Close up of a hitching post I made out of drinking straws. They loved that hitching post and often slept hitched to it overnight :smile: ...

http://www.lostmymarblz.com/hh-bw-28gal-tank-7.jpg

Seahorses will hitch to rock in a pinch, but in their natural habitat, they would rather hitch to aquatic plants and macroalgae. We did not keep any corals in with our seahorses. Live corals sting them, as they have no scales like other fish to protect their skin.

I hope my post is taken as an educational tool rather than a personal knock on the way your SH tank is set up.

You are right that captive bred/tank raised SHs do far better in captivity than do wild caught.

Cheers :smile:

[mr_alberta]

http://www.aquariumillusions.com/seahorses.htm

there

check that out k?

and hmm...if there so dam hard to keep then y havnt we gotten any complaints about peoples seahorses dieing?

i thought they were nearly impossible to keep in captivity, but thats been proven wrong, as long as there captive bred.

and the ammonia spikes were when i knew shit all about saltwater conditions and how easy it is to get an ammonia spike..by say..moving rock and disturbing an ammonia bubble in the sand?

thats how 2 of them happened.. the other 2 were from dead sponges. so maybe you knowitalls should shut up before you know the whole facts.

and wut the shit are you talking about my tank duznt look fit for seahorses (Marnie)

i've got there needs in that tank, branching rock and corals for them to hang on to

OMG!!! FINALLY A REASON TO USE THIS PIC!!!

http://members.shaw.ca/harvwong/smartchart.jpg

[rickjames]

so maybe you knowitalls should shut up before you know the whole facts.


Maybe you should take your own advice, after all you are the one who KNOWS everything about seahorses and disagreed with EVERYONE on this board that they are SOOO easy to keep and BULLETPROOF.:twised:

To have that opinion you obviously don't know all the facts. And the link you posted, that's great, but if I believed everything I read on the internet I would be a fool. So find a creditable link that says they are easy to keep and I will take it all back.

That's it I'm done arguing. I imagine this will be your last post as you obviously don't have any BB etiquette.

[Myanth]

It's about the same attitude you get in the store.

P.S. learn your snails.

Mike

[Marnie]

Beverly.....beautiful tank. Thats EXACTLY what I am striving for.

Did you crazy glue the straws to the feeding station??
Did you run a skimmer on this tank??

Thanks for sharing.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Bev - awesome set-up. That's the sort of home all seahorses should have in captivity, with lots of hitching posts & dedicated just to them.

Fetus - Abort, abort.

[blood_hound]

All I can say is this if you have the time in hand go for it keep a seahorse just make sure you do a lot of reading. And if your ready in keeping seahorse just contact me I have lots of baby seahorse.

[Flame.Boy]

P.S. learn your snails.


:question: :question:

[G1GY]

FetusInaCan,

I hope you reallize that your performance here at cenreef has in all likelyhood costed your employer customers and money. I'd suspect that there will be a fair number of people that don't even want you putting a fish in a bag for them now.

When you get a few more years under your belt you will understand that your big mouth is going to do nothing but get the rest of you in trouble. (In this case you're dragging your employer down with you.)

Not cool at all man. :(

EDIT:

I see you removed that you work at AI out of your user profile.

Kind of late.... Don't you think?

[midgetwaiter]

and the ammonia spikes were when i knew shit all about saltwater conditions and how easy it is to get an ammonia spike..by say..moving rock and disturbing an ammonia bubble in the sand?


Huh?

You may want to consider moving your Trachyphillia off of the rock, it can cause abrasion when they expand and contract.

See http://www.wetwebmedia.com/openbrncrlfaq2.htm

[Myanth]

:question: :question:

I just found it funny that when I called one snail it's correct name that I was contradicted and "corrected" by a couple of "know it alls" as to the correct name of the snail..... until I pointed it out on the chart posted on YOUR wall.

Just funny... that's all.

[michika]

FIC,

Little boy you are heading in a bad bad direction...
I'm sorry to read that your attitude hasn't much improved since I last read your posts. Perhaps it is time to possibly move on, or change your attitude. Your disgracing yourself and making your employer look bad. As a suggestion, do your research, learn to spell, and for gods sake figure out how to separate workplace propaganda from valid information!

Now maybe eventually you may turn out to be a decent reefer after all. Please though, stop with the swearing, the attitude, and die hard need to defend your place of employment. We're mostly adults here and can make up our own minds on where and whom to shop with.

[Reefhawk1]

FetusInaCan,

I think it is time to put your foot in your mouth. You aren't being a very good representative for AI.