Clownfish and Seahorses

I was reading about the seahorses and kind of always assumed that I wouldn't be able to have them since I have 2 clowns in my 40g Tall. I happened across a website with a video of their horses swimming and what did I see? 2 clowns swimming by!

So my question is this, what are yall's opinions on this if I take into account the special requirements of the horses such and ensure they get plenty of food and do my homework on their special needs. Will the clowns try and eat the horses?

I say take the clowns back to the LFS and get some ponies!

Seriously, If you've got two clowns it would be best not to get seahorses. Horses do best when they've got their own tank. They are pathetically slow eaters, even my snails get to their food faster than the horses do! If you try to mix them with clowns they could starve. The clowns won't eat the horses but they do get kind of bullyish about sharing a tank. Seahorses don't have territory in a tank, they want to spend their day fishing for pods. If the horse goes into the clown's territory, the clown will bump it which could hurt the horse. They can be mixed but you've really got to know the personality of your clowns in all kinds of situations, you've got to learn how to target feed your horses and feed them 3-4 times a day. You can't have just one horse because they can die if they are alone, how big is your tank? Your bio-load won't handle it.

Seriously, FISH ARE BORING! Take them back and get some horses!!!!!

Catherine

You could get a hold of a mean clown which could be aggressive towards your Seahorse. I don't believe that they will try to eat them, but rather eat all the food up you put in the tank for your horses.

Yeah I didn't figure it would be an ideal situation in normal circumstances. BUT I do have a really tall(24inch) 40g and read the horses would like that....The clowns are in the tank already and are pretty gentle with everyone but the Damsel that went back to the LFS(But those are two normally incompatible fish anyway).

I'm prepared to adjust my feeding to the horses, I was thinking of building a trough along the side or front somewhere with gentle flow and feed into that, while feeding the clowns like normal, they both like to attack things closer to the surface.

As is my flow takes all of the mysis to a single spot and dumps it off so I just suck it out after dinner time. So it would seem I could fill up the trough for dinner time let them eat and remove the rest.

As for living arrangements the clowns are pretty free swimmers as well, they don't seem to guard a specific place all that much, I was thinking I have a large area that is just empty sandbed I could get some long growing plants put in that area for the Seahorses to go to if they are uncomfortable with the clowns at some point....Ideally I would find someone around here that would want the horses if for any of the mentioned reasons do not work out.

I appreciate the points already made and hope for more. I am trying to figure out if I can make it work with all of the right parameters in place and won't go into this without a lot of planning and prep work. Seahorses are expensive as hell.

Edit: I was thinking about stacking the rock along say the left wall with the flow hitting it and then sand bed in the middle for open swimming and then tall plants on the right for the horses..so they have their own corners. Dunno if this would work or not.

You've got a 40 gallon tank, if you've got 2 clowns in there you won't be able to keep 2 horses, you're bio-load won't handle that. Horses like tall when they are doing their mating dance they need height to do their egg transfer. They don't really need an open area for swimming, they don't really swim much. They mostly crawl around the rocks and in your macro. The horses won't respect the fact that the clowns have their corner and they are supposed to stay on plants. The horses only want to crawl and fish for pods. They will fish even after they just ate, they are weird that way.

I'm the first one to try to talk people into horses but you need to get rid of your clowns or you're asking for trouble. Horses need their own tank.

Where are you looking at getting seahorses that would make them "expensive as hell"?

catherine

Oh just the same site that had them with the clowns, like 500$/pop .. was seahorse.com or something like that.

I've since scrapped the idea for now, thanks for the input. I was assuming correctly before when I had ruled them out for the same reason...that video just got me thinking.

I'm not that far from looking into a 125g+ anyway so I'll probably keep the 40g for a couple horses later on.

rwynn,

I think it's a good idea to wait to get the horses until you've got a good place for the clowns. In my opinion, there are some instances that I would put one clown in a horse tank but I know how to keep horses. There is an adjustment period and until you know what you're doing, you're just asking for trouble.

When it is time for your horse purchase: www.seahorsesource.com. Dan and Abbey are THE BEST when it comes to helping you purchase your horses and they will help you every step of the way. They care about the horses they raise.

Seahorses are a little different than regular fishes but once you get their routines down they aren't more work, just different. They have terrific personalities and interact with their owners much more than most fishes. Hurry up with that 125, horses are worth it!!!!

Catherine

Agreed! As soon as I get the house purchased I get an in-wall 125 - 210g...but we have a baby most likely due this saturday lol...I've got a feeling I'm going to be rather busy in a short time.

How exciting rwynn! Nothing like a new baby.

I'd rather have a new coral!!