considering getting seahorse/

[jubbers]

i am swithching my 20 gallon into a 55 gallon. and i was thinking i could turn the 20 gallon into a species tank for seahorses.any suggestions?

[billyr98]

Oh matt!!!!!!!!!!

[Dentoid]

Panmanmatt is our resident seahorse expert. Hopefully he will chime in soon!

[panmanmatt]

Unfortunately a 20 gallon isn't really suitable for any species of seahorse that is commonly available.

Unless you happen to be one of the very few people that have a 20 gallon Xtra High, this tank is the same footprint as a 10 gallon tank only twice as tall. Those dimensions will work for a single pair of the common seahorses.

[jubbers]

panmanmatt, tell me everthing my 20 gallon is fully cycled. i am waiting for my 55 to get here so i can start cycling it. once it gets cycled i will swithch my fish to the 55 and my seahorses can be ste free. i am going to consider a mated pair. so they aren't lonely!

[jubbers]

shoot i have a 20 gallon wide! are sure there isn't any dwarf or pygmy seahorses that would be suitable for them?

[panmanmatt]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for you but they really isn't anything that is suitable for that size tank.

[jubbers]

well, would a 55 be big enough to house to clownfish and 2 seahorses/ would a 29 gallon be big enough or what do you reccomend?

[panmanmatt]

No, clownfish and seahorses are not a good combination. Clownfish are very aggressive eaters and become territorial as they get older. I have seen many horses stressed and abused by clownfish.

A 29 gallon would work for 1 pair of seahorses.

[lcstorc]

A 20g can make a nice tank for a pair of clowns. At least that is what I have in my 20g.

[Melanie]

Seahorses, from what I read, are more of an expert-level species. I was even offered two seahorses for free, but declined because my tank is too new and I am not ready to give them the care they need. I know you are excited, I'd just hate to see you disappointed again if the seahorses fail.

Beginner Fish: Tropical Fish for Beginners in Saltwater Aquariums Liveaquaria has a great page of FULL of beginner saltwater fish that would look great in the 20 gal. or 55. (I'd use the 20 gal. as a fuge or sump instead of trying to run 2 tanks with no sump.)

[jubbers]

well i better do some research.

[hma]

Originally Posted by Melanie

Seahorses, from what I read, are more of an expert-level species. I was even offered two seahorses for free, but declined because my tank is too new and I am not ready to give them the care they need. I know you are excited, I'd just hate to see you disappointed again if the seahorses fail.

Beginner Fish: Tropical Fish for Beginners in Saltwater Aquariums Liveaquaria has a great page of FULL of beginner saltwater fish that would look great in the 20 gal. or 55. (I'd use the 20 gal. as a fuge or sump instead of trying to run 2 tanks with no sump.)

Hello Melanie,

it is not really complicated with sea-horses if some fundamental things to be considered.

The tank for seahorses should be also somewhat higher than a normal nano.
For example a hipocampus reidi or hipocampus kuda reach attained full growth a size of app,rox. 18-20cm (7.08 - 7.87inch). Little place to to swim should be already present because the animals are attained full growth sometime and need this few more space. One should plan only a weak circulation and none strong lighting. Seahorses fit very well Pipefish and rather calm fish, e.g. small Gobies as well as shrimps (Peppermint Shrimp or Fire Shrimp). Seahorses cannot swim very fast, fast floats would snatch them all food away. The breed is even in smaller tanks possible, but very complex.

[reef137]

Seahorses certainly are exciting to keep. I do encourage you to continue your research.

A few notes from my experience....Water quality issues are important for seahorses because they generate a fair amount of waste (for example have live rock, a good clean-up crew, skimming, good filtration). Feeding also is is an important consideration, since they require frozen mysis, typically twice per day. The ideal temperature some some seahorses may be lower than for your other tanks. Many recommend a minimum tank size of 40 gallons (I do not have much knowledge of the dwarf variety. Species considered more robust than others include H. reidi, H. kuda, H. erectus. H. reidi may have a bit more color, but it is very difficult to raise the fry. Several experts recommend H. erectus because they say it has been raised in captivity for a longer period of time than others.


You will find a lot of information at seahorse.org : Seahorse Organisation. Keeping and Breeding Seahorses in the home aquarium..

This post by Will Wooten provides good suggestions for tank mates:

seahorse.org - Tankmates

A species-only tank is best for seahorse because some other fish will out-compete the seahorses for food, among other reasons. Most people want to have other fish, however. For my 40-gallon tank with a pair of H. reidi, I chose only docile gobies:
1 neon goby
1 clown goby
1 prawn goby

(plus clean up crew, including a pep)

After reading about the area, I decided to buy captive seahorses from a known breeder even though the cost is higher (cost per animal plus overnight shipping). I had an excellent experience with the Seahorse Souce (seahorsesource.com).

Good luck!

[lcstorc]

That is exactly where I am getting mine from. Wonderful people to deal with. I get mine in early Feb after I get back from a trip.