Are Seahorses right for me?

[_cpate3_]

As many of you know I have a 30-gallon reef and am reaching my 1 year mark. I have pushed my boundaries as a college student and have learned a lot about reefing in the process. I want to kick things up a notch this summer and learn how to keep seahorses. I've done about a month of research (too much during finals time) and want to try it out, but am too afraid to take the leap. Since there is a learning curve I have tons of time over the summer to take care of them and learn how to handle them. I have a tank plan ready to go, a 32g biocube with the lid removed, an AI blade as to not boil the water, and a nano skimmer to help with nutrients. However, there will be 2 weeks before school starts where I will not be able to be with either of my tanks and I have someone watching my reef so theoretically with the right training they should be able to target feed the seahorses. My other issue is that if I wait until after the 2 weeks I will be in full school mode and I would have the time to care for them, I wouldn't have the time to learn how to take care of them. I want to make all the mistakes while I have the free time. My reef will be in my apartments living room, but I want something serene and calming in my bedroom which is why I think they would be a good fit, but I am very nervous and need some advice on if I should go for it or not. Hope you seahorse veterans can help

 

[tzabor10]

Not a lot of seahorse keepers out here. I have always admired them. Perhaps you could find a seahorse buddy that will help you

 

[DED65]

What information do you need? I am certainly not an expert, but I have kept them for a few years.
H. Erectus would be a good beginner seahorse. They are very social so two would be good in a tank that size. You definitely want captive bred, Seahorse Savvy is a good source. You want to keep the tank on the cooler side of 74, 72 I have found to work well. Macro algae and Gogorians make good hitching posts. Water quality is very important, changing about 25% a week. They require feeding at least twice a day and can be quite messy. If you train them to eat from a feeding station, purchased or as simple as a shell mounted to a rock, you can remove the excess so that it doesn’t rot. They do need flow in the tank, I found that a little higher flow is well tolerated. A power head does need to be covered so their tails do not get tangled in the prop. I found that Sicce Voyager 2 pumps work well, the prop is enclosed in an additional piece and you can use their controller as a wavemaker. You do not want any micro bubbles in the water as they say it can contribute to gas bubble disease. If the heater is in reach of the seahorse. you would need to have a guard on that as well. Food would be mysis shrimp and if you can stock pods, that would be a great food source for them to hunt. The two most important things are the water quality and feeding, if you can manage that you should do well. You can reasonably expect a life span of 3-5 years if well taken care of.

 

[Snoopy 67]

They can be challenging to keep.

 

[Doctorgori]

they are not difficult in temps under 75F and properly trained on my sis and a feeding station….
Some of the info about corals compatibility and stinging is bunk, some isn’t …
Many fish do fine with them also…
Cool, clean water is a must , even for Comes and Reidi IM E

Endorse Seahorse Savvy but unknown if Allyssa is still full at it

 

[DED65]

they are not difficult in temps under 75F and properly trained on my sis and a feeding station….
Some of the info about corals compatibility and stinging is bunk, some isn’t …
Many fish do fine with them also…
Cool, clean water is a must , even for Comes and Reidi IM E

Endorse Seahorse Savvy but unknown if Allyssa is still full at it

I had good luck with leathers, zoa’s, mushrooms, Duncan’s, candy canes… I would shy away elegance, frogspawn, nems…the ones with really strong stings. Also be aware that seahorses will hitch to anything and the can damage the sensitive corals. Every one seems to think they are very difficult and sensitive, but with the proper care, they are no more difficult than fish.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I keep dwarfs, a little different than the bigger ponies, but I think the most demanding aspect is feeding requirements. For dwarfs, it's live only, so I'm constantly hatching and feeding BBS. I think the ability to feed frozen mysis might make things a little easier, if it were with a feeding station.

Other than that, I keep a very simple set up for my dwarfs, airstone for water movement, room temp, no heater. Frequent large water changes, (it's only a 3g tank so I change 2g at a time). I keep mine at a lower salinity, at 1.020, and with macro algea, a couple tiny hermits, tiny snails, and a porcelain crab.

If you have limited time though, I wouldn't go for ponies of any size.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Honestly, if you are going to be busy with school then its better to put this on your bucket list and handle it later in life. They only eat frozen mysis, nothing else, and they need several feedings a day, and require frequent regular water changes. They are really sensative delicate creatures and it should not be attempted to keep them unless your able to fully commit.

 

[SaltBabies]

Seahorse breeder/long time keeper.

I think 30 is ok but maybe on the small side. Temperatures are one of the important aspects. If you keep the temps below 75 as referenced above that is going to help a lot with vibrio. The second thing is not allow lots of extra food laying about. Either a good clean up crew or you clean up after each feeding. I feed mysis but also live amphipods and shore shrimp as 'entertainment' and natural food.

They are compatible with lots of things but be careful with hard corals and some soft as the stinging can be a problem.

I don't generally have any trouble having someone else feed my seahorses. 'Training' yourself is easy. Keep the tank clean, the skimmer is good but cleaning the food out before it dissolves is better, and cool. Don't overstock. While you are talking 2 seahorse keep in mind that is 16 fish inches. They are heavy feeders. They are not aggressive (except to shrimp) but you can't stick a bunch more bio load in a 30 gallon tank.

 

[_cpate3_]

they are not difficult in temps under 75F and properly trained on my sis and a feeding station….
Some of the info about corals compatibility and stinging is bunk, some isn’t …
Many fish do fine with them also…
Cool, clean water is a must , even for Comes and Reidi IM E

Endorse Seahorse Savvy but unknown if Allyssa is still full at it

This is what I have heard, Michigan winters are no joke so I intend to keep my bedroom window open to keep it cold, and then for the summer I am going with the fan route

 

[_cpate3_]

I keep dwarfs, a little different than the bigger ponies, but I think the most demanding aspect is feeding requirements. For dwarfs, it's live only, so I'm constantly hatching and feeding BBS. I think the ability to feed frozen mysis might make things a little easier, if it were with a feeding station.

Other than that, I keep a very simple set up for my dwarfs, airstone for water movement, room temp, no heater. Frequent large water changes, (it's only a 3g tank so I change 2g at a time). I keep mine at a lower salinity, at 1.020, and with macro algea, a couple tiny hermits, tiny snails, and a porcelain crab.

If you have limited time though, I wouldn't go for ponies of any size.

I saw the dwarfs, the issue is the live brine I don’t think I could keep that up long term which is why I wanted to go with the Erectus because I can store frozen food and do my feedings before and after class.

 

[_cpate3_]

Seahorse breeder/long time keeper.

I think 30 is ok but maybe on the small side. Temperatures are one of the important aspects. If you keep the temps below 75 as referenced above that is going to help a lot with vibrio. The second thing is not allow lots of extra food laying about. Either a good clean up crew or you clean up after each feeding. I feed mysis but also live amphipods and shore shrimp as 'entertainment' and natural food.

They are compatible with lots of things but be careful with hard corals and some soft as the stinging can be a problem.

I don't generally have any trouble having someone else feed my seahorses. 'Training' yourself is easy. Keep the tank clean, the skimmer is good but cleaning the food out before it dissolves is better, and cool. Don't overstock. While you are talking 2 seahorse keep in mind that is 16 fish inches. They are heavy feeders. They are not aggressive (except to shrimp) but you can't stick a bunch more bio load in a 30 gallon tank.

I was thinking about a diamond goby as the other fish in the tank, because it will stay out of the ponies territory and help clean the sandbed. Plus they’re fun to watch!

 

[SaltBabies]

I was thinking about a diamond goby as the other fish in the tank, because it will stay out of the ponies territory and help clean the sandbed. Plus they’re fun to watch!

Yes I keep a sand sifting goby at all time in my 120 seahorse tank . I've done Bellas and golden sleeper heads. Never did the diamond but some of the gobies like yellow watchmen aren't really sifters. They will not have any trouble with compatibility. I am worried about the size tank 30 gallons for 3 6-8 inch fish. I have also done large blood shrimp or peppermint. The seahorses are a danger to any shrimp technically but if the shrimp are large enough then I haven't had a problem.

 

[SaltBabies]

This is what I have heard, Michigan winters are no joke so I intend to keep my bedroom window open to keep it cold, and then for the summer I am going with the fan route

YOu can get too cold and obviously too hot. I have both a heater and a cooler for my Florida tank. If you can't afford a chiller diligent water changes and clean up are best with a bonus protein skimmer. Decaying food and poop with grow vibrio which you can't see or kill. If the horse 'catches' vibrio most die. It's like Staph. Many people have that naturally on their skin it's only a problem when you get too much of it or have like a cut.

 

[AC1211]

I think an H. Erectus is the best bet. Probably a single pair. I haven't kept them myself only worked with them when helping out at shops. Seems to be a lot of good information here though.

 

[_cpate3_]

Yes I keep a sand sifting goby at all time in my 120 seahorse tank . I've done Bellas and golden sleeper heads. Never did the diamond but some of the gobies like yellow watchmen aren't really sifters. They will not have any trouble with compatibility. I am worried about the size tank 30 gallons for 3 6-8 inch fish. I have also done large blood shrimp or peppermint. The seahorses are a danger to any shrimp technically but if the shrimp are large enough then I haven't had a problem.

I feel like they’d take up different spots of the tank though, the seahorses in the water column and the goby in the sand! But again with a 30 gallon bioload is an issue and a conch/Nassarius snails would be better for the sand than another fish

 

[thecodingart]

I have a single pair in a 20g cube with quite a few learnings (plus some pipe fish). I absolutely love them. I would highly recommend setting up something for auto feeding. I have a weeks worth of frozen mysis loaded in a fridge with a doser on a timer.

Feeding frequency is the hardest thing. Automate that and you’re golden.

I’ve changed this a bit since for improvements:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/is-a-frozen-food-auto-feeder-a-thing.1003878/post-12276120

Make sure you have good bioload filtration. A nano roller + skimmer is a must (look at reef n roll).

 

[_cpate3_]

I have a single pair in a 20g cube with quite a few learnings (plus some pipe fish). I absolutely love them. I would highly recommend setting up something for auto feeding. I have a weeks worth of frozen mysis loaded in a fridge with a doser on a timer.

Feeding frequency is the hardest thing. Automate that and you’re golden.

I’ve changed this a bit since for improvements:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/is-a-frozen-food-auto-feeder-a-thing.1003878/post-12276120

Make sure you have good bioload filtration. A nano roller + skimmer is a must (look at reef n roll).

That is amazing, I will definitely check this out thank you! What about portion control and the fact you have to target feed?

 

[reefsUP2]

As many of you know I have a 30-gallon reef and am reaching my 1 year mark. I have pushed my boundaries as a college student and have learned a lot about reefing in the process. I want to kick things up a notch this summer and learn how to keep seahorses. I've done about a month of research (too much during finals time) and want to try it out, but am too afraid to take the leap. Since there is a learning curve I have tons of time over the summer to take care of them and learn how to handle them. I have a tank plan ready to go, a 32g biocube with the lid removed, an AI blade as to not boil the water, and a nano skimmer to help with nutrients. However, there will be 2 weeks before school starts where I will not be able to be with either of my tanks and I have someone watching my reef so theoretically with the right training they should be able to target feed the seahorses. My other issue is that if I wait until after the 2 weeks I will be in full school mode and I would have the time to care for them, I wouldn't have the time to learn how to take care of them. I want to make all the mistakes while I have the free time. My reef will be in my apartments living room, but I want something serene and calming in my bedroom which is why I think they would be a good fit, but I am very nervous and need some advice on if I should go for it or not. Hope you seahorse veterans can help

Keep the flow wide & moderate No direct stream.
Purchase tank raised seahorses as they will already be trained to eat frozen foods.
Make sure there are no micro bubbles being produced in the tank.
Buy plastic chains from your local hardware store and mount them in rocks pvc…. For the sea horses to grab on to unless you go with artificial decor.

 

[Lebowski_]

OP, my biggest concern from all your posts will be the feeding 2-3 times a day. I know at your age, I didn't have a ton of reliability in my schedule and I definitely didn't want to feel tied down by my tanks. Seahorses are one of the rare animals that we keep that cant just go on an automatic feeder, and it's a lot of ask of parents/roomies to feed them properly 3 times a day in my opinion.