seahorses

[NJDevilsWinCup]

i was thinking of maybe getting a sea horse but ive talked to a few people who say they are very difficult to keep. is this true? and if they can be kept are they reef safe?

 

[saltcreep1025]

the main problem is they are hard to feed. You have to be able to target feed them live brine (i think) and have nothing else in the tank that will eat it before them.

 

[shawmutt]

There was a good article in Aquarium Fish Magazine this month about seahorses--almost made me want to start a SW tank of my own.

 

[fishfreek]

Seahorses have some very specialized requirments above and beyond other saltwater inhabtatns. They will fair best in a species only tank. I always suggest folks visit http://www.seahorse.org that are serious with their interests in keeping seahorses.

 

[BillyZ]

the first thing that struck me, was water flow. Seahorses need a tank with minimal flow, which is the complete opposite of what we're looking for in our reef tanks. The amount of flow we NEED for our reef tanks makes it impossible to keep a seahorse in them.

 

[Mermaid]

my seahorse is kept in a small 16gal tank all to himself, he is my show off piece. i wouldn't dare put him in my reef tank, other inhabitants would be too much competition for food. seahorses can be difficult to feed, and many starve to death in captivity. brine shrimp are not very healthy, however i keep brine shrimp in a green water culture. this way the brine eats the nutrients in the green water and are more nutrious for my seahorse. i also hand feed my seahorse live ghost shrimp. my seahorse eats very well, and has been doing great for as long as i have had him. if you are interested in seahorses, i would suggest aksing the LFS to feed the seahorses before you decide to buy one. however moving a seahorse is very stressful, and they might eat at the fish shop, and then once you get them home they may never decide to eat again. so you just have to give it a shot and hope for the best.
good luck,
mermaid