New Seahorse Help Please

[JamesFitch]

New to the board. I have 48 gallon tall. I just got three black sea horses (Erectus). I got them last nite they all seem to be doing well. They ate the frozen mysis. However when I woke this morning one was stuck to the inlet for the carbon filter. He hasnt learned yet and i had to remove him a few times again today. Any sugestions on how to avoid this.

[lcstorc]

How much flow do you have going through the filter? Do you have a way to reduce it? Other than reducing the flow the only thing I can think is to add a mesh barrier over the inlet. Perhaps something made from the ever popular gutter guard. I would also keep a close eye on that particular pony. Unless you have a lot of flow through the carbon the seahorse should be able to remove himself. Generally if one starts getting stuck like that there is something else wrong. Of course since they are brand new it could just be getting used to the tank. Just watch him closely.
Best of luck

[JamesFitch]

Thanks Lynn I feel like an idiot all the research I did Before putting my horses in and i didn't realize thier was a flow control it greatly reduced suction. So Ill try this thanks again

[JamesFitch]

do you think putting a sponge on the inlet valve help it has happened again since turning the valve to the lowest setting.

[lcstorc]

The seahorse will likely just get stuck to the sponge. Maybe he likes it there. I have seen mine do all sorts of odd things including hanging upside down for no apparent reason.
Is there anything else in the tank with the seahorses? Do you have a variety of "hitching posts" for them to grab onto?
If the flow is low then he is probably not really stuck. He may just like hanging out there or if there is lots of food floating in the tank it may be an area where he can get extra goodies.

[JamesFitch]

I have 6 blue legged hermit crabs 4 blue green chromis and 2 cardinal fish with the 3 seahorses. You might be on to something there he has pulled himself off a couple of times (when i was pattient enough to let him do so I just get a bit worried and go running to his rescue. As for hitching posts they have about 15 ibs of tonga branch live rock and a fake coral plant that branches off they sleep there.

[lcstorc]

Be very careful when keeping seahorses in a mixed tank. They are very slow and passive animals who rely on their ability to hide in the wild. In our tanks they are often easy prey for fish, crabs, etc. They also often starve as the faster fish get the food and there is nothing left for the ponies to eat.
I'm not sure about the cardinal fish but I would keep a very close eye on the chromis. They are damsels and as such can get very territorial and downright mean. Make sure they are not harrassing the ponies or stealing all of their food.
Mine have their own separate tank with just some snails, 2 shrimp, and a yellow clown goby for color. I have a number of different types of branching corals (mostly gorgonians) that they use as hitching posts, though they do occasionally use the rock as well.
How are you feeding them and how often? Mine get a mix of mysis shrimp and cyclopeze twice a day. Most people say to feed them 3 times a day but mine have been fine with morning and evening feedings. I have a pipette and gently add some of the thawed mixture to the pony tank, wait till they eat it then repeat until they are full and no longer interrested in the food.

[JamesFitch]

since i just got them last nite i fed them once frozen mysis shrimp i put the cube in a cup of tank water till it sunk and placed in fron of them they all ate but not much maybe half the cube in a matter of 5 min my chromis dont bother the sea horses nor do they eat the mysis they only go for the flake food wich i fed at the same time i fed the seahorses (a good distraction I hope) and then i put one fully thawed cube in for the cardinals. All of this i did about the same time then i neted out most of the left overs leaving some on the bottom for the hermies.

[JamesFitch]

OHH The tempature in my tank is 78 i have gotten alot of mixed ideas from research from 75 to 78 but 78 is what seahorse.org says have you seen this site if so how would you rate thier ideas.

[lcstorc]

I am glad you were able to distract the other fish while you fed the ponies. Hopefully you will be able to continue to do so.
Much of the information I started with was from that site so yes I am very familiar with it, but have found them to be slow to respond to questions and not as friendly as RS is so this is my "home". I do pop in there from time to time particularly if I am having a problem.
The proper temp partially depends on what type of seahorses you have and I am not familiar with all of the ranges. I did just buy a chiller for my whole set-up so I can lower the temp a bit for the ponies. I am going with 78 for now and we will see what happens.
My tanks were at 80-81 and the ponies did just fine at those temps though I have had several losses and am in fact fighting a problem with an air bubble in the pouch of the one seahorse I have at this time. If he makes it I will be buying him a mate. If he doesn't I am going to try a pair of a different type but have not decided what kind yet.
Best of luck with yours. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, but I would seriously consider removing the other fish. I think over time they will become a problem for you. Then again you could be the exception that proves the rule and be quite successfull. You just don't know till you try I guess. Everything I read before getting them made me super paranoid about putting anything else in the tank with them. I have loosened up a bit in the year I have had them but they really are pretty much on their own in their tank.

[JamesFitch]

Thanks for all the help however iam growing conserned after your last post i fed them again two just picked at a piece or two and one is sitting on a branch all day and did not eat. do yours eat better than that the two also enjoy swimming around quite abit the pet store had them for three weeks and only fed them brine i however have learned the brine does not contain much nutrition and they eventualy starve as a result i would feel alot better if they ate more any ideas

[lcstorc]

Well they are not terribly active and you will certainly see them sit on a branch for a significant period of time. Occasionally mine will roam the tank and then find a spot and just stay. Other than when sick mine have always gone after the thawed mysis. When did they eat last? I think I remember they ate yesterday or this morning so I would not get overly concerned off the bat. They are in new surroundings and may just be getting settled in.
What are your water parameters? They are fairly delicate so extra care should be taken to assure them of top quality water with am/ni/na/ph all at 0 and stable ph, temp, and salinity. They like low flow in the tank as well.
I would give them some time to settle in and keep offering the thawed mysis. Like I said, I feed twice a day, I know people who feed 3 times. Also I will try to find some links for you that I have on seahorse feeding stations. Perhaps you will find it helpful.

[JamesFitch]

Iam getting ready to do a 8 gallon water change since adding the seahorses last nite my amonia level was 0 but is now .50 iam just waiting for the water to hit 78 degrees my salinity 1.023 and ph 8.2 nitrite is 0 and nitrtate 10

[lcstorc]

Sounds like a good plan. Maybe try to feed them again after the change. Give them another opportunity to eat but only put a very small amount of food in at a time. Wait for them to eat it or not before putting any more in. You want them to have plenty of chances to eat but not get a lot of uneaten food in the tank.

[JamesFitch]

I lost a seahorse today the one that wouldnt eat. His tail was pulled into a hole where the "WORM" resides. I did get the picky one to eat alot tonite with the garlic drop but the other one is laying in the back and didnt eat i hope i can get him to eat to.