Can i keep seahorses with other fish

It is not easy to successfully keep many non-syngnathid fish with seahorses. Being so slow, seahorses cannot avoid attacks by aggressive tankmates. For this same reason, they struggle to keep up with faster-swimming fishes during feeding time.

The simplest and safest way to keep seahorses is to house only individuals or bonded pairs in each tank. The keeper may successfully house different seahorse species or perhaps other syngnathids together in the same tank.

Undoubtably, feeding is the area where seahorses require the most care and attention. You should never count on an animal accepting any kind of prepared food flakes, pellets, etc. In this respect and others , tank-bred specimens are superior to wild-caught ones in that they are less picky eaters. As a rule, seahorses very strongly favor live foods. Be prepared to feed live foods daily. Small but frequent feedings are preferable to those that are generous in size but infrequent.

Ideally, the animal is feed well throughout the day. Though it might be a little impractical, it may help to cut the filtration system while feeding to avoid food losses in mechanical filters. There is a lot to consider! Husbandry, compatibility and housing for any prospective seahorse species must be completely researched before bringing a specimen home. And you will need a source of quality live food! Keeping these magnificent creatures is a challenge. Still, with the proper living environment, tankmates and feeding regimen, a seahorse can thrive in captivity for several years.

We have two lined seahorses. Larger fish will show a greater fertility or fry-producing potential than smaller ones, with research showing that fry from bigger seahorses suffer lower rates of infant mortality, as well as an increased growth rate. Broods of up to are not unknown, but only among the largest and strongest seahorses. These creatures are revered as bonding for life, forming a monogamous relationship broken only by death. There may be truth in this belief, but studies have shown that females will often play the field, periodically interacting with other males.

Fry are challenging to raise. The parents are protective, with any infanticide seemingly accidental; offspring being taken when mistaken for shrimpy morsels. Feeding fry is a full-time job, maybe comparable to a child but without the crying at night. Food offered must be tiny and constant source of rotifers a necessity.

Newly hatched artemia should be used sparingly and enriched for a good 48 hours prior to use. Colonies of copepods will be gobbled if offered and, although sometimes difficult to culture, make a brilliant starter diet. Be cautious with the fry. If serious about raising the young then a specific rearing tank with impeccable water quality will be required.

Seahorses are found across a wide region, including the Mediterranean where they are often caught, dried, adorned with comedy eyes and sold to unsuspecting tourists. Some species are even found in British waters and public aquaria undertake research and conservation projects. Seahorses are normally found in tropical regions, with most imported for the trade from the Indo-Pacific as well as Caribbean, although I frown on wild-caught seahorses, with their notoriously high mortality rates, in capture and transit.

Where do I stand on seahorses? These are large seahorses and as such are able to take a wider range of foods than smaller counterparts. However, this fish is a master of camouflage, able to alter the shades of its body to blend in with its surroundings. Seahorses are among the most demanding of marine fishes regarding water quality. A wide range of salinities seem to be tolerated well, with most happy between a specific gravity of 1. Ammonia and nitrite will not be accepted, even at low trace levels, and nitrate must be controlled — as it would be for sensitive invertebrates.

That means you need a large aquarium for a very small fish. Temperatures can vary slightly from species to species, so research thoroughly before committing. Molly Miller blennies are known for also eating the pest, Aiptasia sp.

They are best kept in an aquarium with lots of live rock and hiding places so they can setup their own territory and graze on the live rock for algae. They will also eat prepared foods such as pellets, frozen Mysis shrimp ect.

It is best to stick with singles of these species in an aquarium unless the aquarium is large with many hiding spots and they are added at the same time.

NOTE: We do not recommend keeping any of the fang blennies with seahorses. We have had reports of fang blennies biting seahorses and since some are slightly venomous their bites can be fatal to seahorses. Seahorses unlike many fish, have a way of getting in the way of another fish's territory and not recognizing the other fish's behavior or territorial warnings.

For this reason they are pretty risky to keep with them and we do not recommend it. Pipefish are cousins of seahorses and closely related. These species are not commonly available captive bred but collected species are commonly available in the trade. If good specimens are available they can be quite hardy when kept properly. Being closely related, good quarantine practice really is important with these as they can carry pathogen seahorses especially are susceptible to.

General List of Fish to Avoid with seahorses! These fish are groups we highly do not recommend keeping with seahorses!!! Many of these species grow to be large, are quick eaters, can be aggressive, and do not cohabit well with seahorses. Seahorses are slow swimming fish. They do not handle aggression well and can be easily stressed by aggressive fish. Many of these listed fish are fast eaters.

Seahorses require a lot of food to thrive longer term. If seahorses are kept with fish that quickly consume the food added to the aquarium they will not get enough to eat long term. Fish to be Cautious with and Possibly Avoid with Seahorses. It is highly recommended and good practice to quarantine new arrivals, especially wild caught specimens. A quarantine tank can be a simple gallon aquarium with a HOB filter and liverock depending on the species. There are many ways to quarantine new fish.

You can simply observe them for a period of time ideally a couple weeks or longer to make sure they are healthy and settled in after shipping. This period of time can allow them to easily get enough to eat, reduce stress, and allow them to condition before being added to the display aquarium. In most cases, if a fish is sick it will typically show signs shortly after arrival.

If a fish becomes sick it is much easier to treat in a quarantine tank. Starting new arrivals off in a quarantine tank can greatly reduce the risk of introducing unwanted pathogens to the rest of your fish and aquarium. Most hobbyist keep their seahorse aquarium temperature between F, cooler than most fish only or reef tanks. Saltwater fish also be kept at this temperature range.

Many fish can handle a wide temperature range. Keeping your temperature consistent is important, quick fluctuations can cause stress. As long as you properly acclimate your fish they should be absolutely fine in this range. In our experience, saltwater fish actually do very well in this temperature range as undesirable bacteria such as V ibrio counts stay lower at cooler temperatures which can possibly help keep your fish healthier, less susceptible to bacterial related issues and less stressed.

One thing to really consider when picking out or planning tank-mates is the size of your aquarium. In general, we recommend a 30 gallon minimum aquarium size for a pair of our larger seahorse species and an additional 15 gallons for every additional pair you wish to keep. A frequently asked questions is if you can count sump volume as more gallons for stocking density. You can and it absolutely helps but it is also important to consider larger seahorse species such as H. Just like any other marine fish, Seahorses need mature water that is free of ammonia or nitrite, low in nitrate and low in phosphate.

This can be achieved in a number of ways using either sponges, filter floss, filter socks or a Clarisea. For biological filtration ceramics or sponge can be used, along with some carbon and phosphate remover.

Mature the tank with bacteria and conduct frequent partial water changes in the normal way. As stated above, standard filters like internal canister filters, external canister filters , hang on filters, or even large sponge filters are all suitable for the dedicated seahorse aquarium, as long as they are mature.

Protein skimmers will aid water quality in the seahorse tank by removing some of that liquid waste before it is broken down by filtration. Its name comes from providing a refuge for tiny critters like amphipods, copepods and mysid shrimp which would be eaten by the fish in the main tank.

Here they can get to work munching on detritus and if their population explodes and some overflow into the main tank as food, its a bonus. Algae refugiums harbour macroalgae like Caulerpa and Chaetomorpha which can provide cover for the microfauna as well as themselves soaking up nitrates and phosphates and using them as food.

Refugia can benefit seahorse aquariums in several ways by helping to filter the water and providing a natural source of live food. If you ever have a Seahorse which looks thin, a week spent inside an algae refugium full of live mysis and copepods may actually do it good.

Most of the seahorses we keep are not the ones we see in photos, hanging onto gorgonians. In the dedicated seahorse aquarium, grow lots of Caulerpa in the main tank or decorate with artificial aquarium plants or even coarse netting.