new to seahorse.

KarlyKorruption

Reefing newb
I have a 20-high tank and I would like to put sea horses in it. What are the recommended equipment/substrate for it? Also what exactly do I feed sea horses? I'm new to the salt water, but my boyfriend has a 37 gallon FOWLR tank.
 
Hi Karly!

Welcome to seahorses!

First, what kind of seahorse are you thinking of keeping? How tall is your 20-high? How old is your tank? What kind of lights do you have?

Seahorse tanks are pretty similar to a regular marine tank with a few exceptions. Your substrate will be the same, a nice aragonite sand is fine, You'll need a good bit of live rock and a good light. You'll need things for your horses to "hitch" on to like a nice macro algae or some finger leathers. Horses need good water movement but not too strong because horses are wimpy swimmers. You can't have anything that might damage or sting the horses tails. You'll need a good clean up crew that does not use crabs or anything with pincers. Also, you'll need a dedicated tank just for your horses as they don't do well with other tank inhabitants.

If you're new to horse keeping, I'll suggest the awesome FREE class offered by Pete Giwonja at Seahorse.com - Seahorse, Sea Life, Marine Life, Aquafarm Sales, Feeds and Accessories - Home here's a site that has some care sheets: Seahorse.com - Seahorse, Sea Life, Marine Life, Aquafarm Sales, Feeds and Accessories - Care Sheets and a site that has some great resources. seahorse.org - Library

Best place in the world to get your horses: Seahorse Source, the ultimate place for captive bred seahorses.

Horses need a little extra considerations but they are totally worth it!

Welcome,
Catherine
 
this is KarlyKorruption....lI'm thinking of getting a couple Hippocampus erectus. My tank is 16" high. I don't know how old my tank is because someone gave it to me. Currently I don't have any lights, what do you recommend? What exact filter would you use for seahorse?
 
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I wouldn't put the erectus in a 16'' high tank, there isn't enough hight for them to complete their mating dance and that can lead to issues like gas bubble disease in males. For seahorses a tank hight of 20'' could probably called the min, but 24'' is even better. One option you could explore is doing a dwarf seahorse tank, that tank would be plenty big for herd of them. Just be sure you do your research on any species of seahorse, the dwarfs require live food and you have to be able to provide that a couple of time a day.

Also seahorses dont like bright light, unless they have good hiding places. So you wouldnt need strong lights for your tank, which is nice because leathers (which are usually the favorite hitching posts) dont require tons of light.

It really doesn't matter how old your tank is, as how well cycled it is and set up for succuss.

For filtration, having good live rock and a live sand bed (remember you dont have to buy these, they are created by virtue of cycling your tank) will be the best filtration you can have. However skimmers are a really great thing to have because seahorses are "messy" fish. Some people do run canister filters with activated carbon to polish their water, which is great, others dont and is just fine as well. Having a good live bacteria community and doing regular water changes will be your best tools in maintain good water quality.
 
Can I put oculars clown in with seahorse. Also, how many seahorse do you recommend I put in a 55 gallon tank.... can I even put seahorse in a 55 gallon tank?
 
Seahorses need to be in their own tank. You can put 4 easily in a 55 gallon, if you've got a great cleaning system you can do 6. I strongly, strongly, suggest you contact Pete Giwonja and do his FREE horse class.

C
 
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