Yes sir, once you've learned the ropes and gained some confidence, there are quite a number of seahorse-safe companions you can consider. But if you're new to seahorses, you will be better off keeping them by themselves until you've gained a little seahorse savvy and experience. Here's an idea of what you can look forward to in that regard once you've gained some valuable first-hand experience keeping seahorses (pay particular attention to the final two paragraphs, numbered 1 and 2, Ben):
Compatible Tankmates for the Greater Seahorses.
There are a wide variety of compatible fishes and invertebrates that make suitable tankmates for seahorses. In fact, the clean-up crew is an important part of every seahorse tank, and when stocking your system, it's a good idea to begin by installing your janitors first. A good clean-up crew can help maintain good water quality and keep the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels under control, and your sanitation engineers can go a long way toward preventing problems with nuisance algae. It's best to have them in place from the first.
When discussing compatible tankmates for seahorses, it's important to remember that one can only speak in generalities. There are no unbreakable rules, no sure things, no absolute guarantees. For instance, most hobbyists will tell you that small scooter blennies make great tankmates for seahorses and 9 times out of 10 they're right. But every once in a while, you will hear horror stories from hobbyists about how their scooter blenny coexisted peacefully with their seahorses for several months and then suddenly went "rouge" overnight for no apparent reason and turned on the seahorses, inflicting serious damage before it could be captured and removed.
Does that mean that we should cross scooter blennies off our list of compatible tankmates for seahorses? Nope -- it just means that we must be aware that individuals within a species sometimes vary in their behavior and respond differently that you would expect, so there are exceptions to every rule. It's fair to say that scooter blennies generally make wonderful companions for seahorses, but there's always a small chance you might get Satan reincarnated in the form of a scooter blenny. There's no guarantee that adorable scooter you picked out at your LFS because of his amusing antics and puppy-dog personality won't turn out to be the blenny from hell once you release him in your seahorse setup.
Likewise, micro-hermit crabs are generally entertaining additions to an aquarium that do a great job as scavengers and get along great with seahorses, but over the years, I've had a few seahorses that were confirmed crab killers. These particular ponies were persistent hermit crab predators that specialized in plucking the hermits out of their shells and attacking their soft, unprotected abdomens, and they honed their skullduggery to a fine art. They were experts at extricating the crabs and would eat only their fleshy abdomens and discard the rest. Mind you, that was only a few individuals out of a great many Hippocampines, but I could never keep hermit crabs in the same tank with those specific seahorses.
On the other hand, sometimes it's the micro-hermits that are the troublemakers. Most of the time, they coexist perfectly well with their fellow janitors in the cleanup crew. But I've had more than a few tiny hermits with a taste for escargot that persecuted snails mercilessly. These cold-blooded little assassins would kill the snails in order to appropriate their shells. Once they had dined on the former occupant, they would take up residence in their victim's cleaned-out shell! It soon became clear that these killer crabs were driven not by hunger, but by the need for a new domicile. Once I realized they were house-hunting, I found I could curb their depredations but providing an assortment of small, empty seashells for the hermits to use. Colorful Nerite shells are ideal for this.
Other times, the exceptions are pleasant surprises. For example, as a rule, I would not suggest keeping seahorses with angelfish due to their pugnacious attitude, aggressive feeding habits, and territorial nature. But hobbyists occasionally find that a dwarf angel does well with their seahorses. And although triggerfish can certainly be the terror of any tank, I once had a small Humu Trigger that befriended a Brazilian seahorse and became its constant companion. It would seek it out during the day and make the seahorse the center of its daily activities; at lights out, the Humu would find the seahorse's resting spot and wedge itself against the base of its hitching post or lock itself into a nearby hole in the live rock.
Tropical Tankmates.
I have prepared a list of suitable fishes and invertebrates that generally make compatible tankmates for tropical seahorses below. Avoid fin nippers and aggressive, territorial fish that would be inclined to bully or physically abuse the seahorses, such as damsels, most clownfish, triggerfish, angels, puffers, cowfish and the like, as well as any predatory fishes that are large enough to swallow a seahorses, such as lionfish, anglers, sargassumfish, rays, large groupers and morays. For best results, other fishes that would not persecute the seahorses in any way should also generally be excluded because they are active, aggressive feeders that would out-compete the seahorses for food. This includes most butterflyfish, tangs, and wrasse. Stinging animals like anemones and jellyfish are unsuitable, as are other predatory invertebrates such as lobsters, mantis shrimp, certain starfish and most crabs.
Clownfish meet many of the criteria for suitable tankmates, but should generally be regarded with caution (Giwojna, Feb. 2004). Most species, such as Tomato Clowns (Amphiprion frenatus), Maroon Clowns (Premnas biaculeatus), and Skunk Clownfish are surprisingly aggressive and territorial, and should be shunned on that basis. Others do best when keep with anemones, which are a threat to seahorses. All clownfish are prone to Brooklynella and Marine Velvet (Amyloodinium), and should be considered Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) magnets as well (Giwojna, Feb. 2004). The only species I would recommend as companions for seahorses are Percula Clowns (Amphiprion percula) and False Percula Clownfish (A. ocellaris), and then only after a rigorous quarantine period (Giwojna, Feb. 2004). Captive-bred specimens are best.
In short, fishes that are suitable as companions for seahorses must be docile, nonaggressive specimens, which are fairly deliberate feeders that won't out-compete them for food. Some good candidates include:
Anthias (assorted Mirolabrichthys, Pseudanthias, and Anthias sp.) Firefish Goby (Nemateleotris magnifica) Purple Firefish Goby (Nemateleotris decora) Gobies (assorted small species) Neon Goby (Gobiosoma oceanops) Assessors (Assessor spp.) Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas) High Hats (Equetus acuminatus) Marine Betta (Calloplesiops altivelis) Banggai or Banner cardinals (Pterapogon kauderni) Flame cardinals (Apogon pseudomaculatus) Pajama cardinals (Apogon nematoptera) Pipefishes (assorted small species) Percula clownfish (Amphiprion percula) False percula clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) Royal Grammas (Gramma loreto) Blackcap Basslets (Gramma melacara) Green Chromis (Chromis viridis) Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) Six Line Wrasse (Psuedocheilinus hexataenia) Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus sp.) Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus spp.) Scooter Blennies (Synchiropus spp.) Green Mandarin Goby or Dragonet (Pterosynchiropus splendidus) Psychedelic Mandarin Goby or Dragonet (Pterosynchiropus picturatus) Orchid Dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani) - avoid other Pseudochromis species!
Good inverts for seahorses include decorative cleaner shrimp like those listed below: Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp or Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) Fire Shrimp (Lysmata debelius) and/or large ornamental snails (living sea shells) such as the following: Tiger Cowry (Cypraea tigris) Deer Cowry (Cypraea cervus) and/or Assorted Feather Dusters (Sabellastatre magnifica, Sabella sp.) whose colorful crowns resemble gaily-colored parasols.
There are also quite a number of compatible corals that do well under low-to-moderate light levels with low-to-moderate currents that are compatible with seahorses, but setting up modified reef tank for seahorses is another subject altogether and not a suitable project for beginners.
By no means is this intended to be a comprehensive compilation. It is intended merely to give the hobbyist an idea of the types of fishes and inverts that generally make suitable tankmates for seahorses. But there are many more seahorse-safe fish and invertebrates that could have been added to the list, and no doubt many aquarists would disagree about some of the species that have been included.
Be that as it may, there are two precautions that should always be observed when contemplating keeping seahorses with other fishes:
(1) All fishes that are intended as tankmates for seahorses MUST be quarantined first without exception. For the same reasons we discussed earlier with regard to wild-caught seahorses, any fish you bring home from your LFS is a potential disease vector for all manner of nasty pathogens and parasites, and you need to take every possible precaution to prevent these from being introduced to your display tank.
(2) If you are new to seahorses, you will be much better off sticking to a species tank rather than attempting to keep them in a mixed community. Beginners are well advised to keep things as simple as possible while they learn the ropes, and introducing other fishes and invertebrates tankmates complicates feeding and carries new risks that inexperienced seahorse keepers are ill-equipped to cope with. Get some firsthand experience with seahorses before you consider adding any tankmates other than a cleanup crew.
Best of luck with your future seahorse setup, Ben!
Happy Trails! Pete Giwojna
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danica
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Re:Welcome - 2006/06/12 13:53hello there... i was doing some research on seahorses, because i think that they are wonderful creatures and i'd like to have one as a pet. however, i'm heading off to boarding school in september, and were i to get a pet seahorse, i would like to take it with me. i was wondering what some seahorse-savvy people thought of this idea? would it work? a couple other questions: should i definitely have a pair of seahorses? or is just having one ok? what if i dont want them to breed? whats the minimum size tank?
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There have been a few other threads on the Ocean Rider Club discussion board at seahorse.com from hobbyists who were just starting out with seahorses that you might find to be of interest. They they would make a good starting point for your research since they discuss setting up an ideal system for seahorses, filtration, feeding, lighting, circulation and so on. I've provided links to those discussions for you below, so please check them out when you get a chance. I think they will answer many of your questions about keeping seahorses:
As you can imagine, the size of the seahorse tank depends to a large extent on the type of seahorses you'll be keeping. For example, miniature ponies like Pixies or dwarf seahorses (Hippocampus zosterae) do well in small 2-10 gallon aquariums. Small seahorses likes Zulu-lulus (Hippocampus capensis) are well suited for tanks in the 20 gallon range. But the larger breeds of seahorses such as Mustangs and Sunbursts (Hippocampus erectus) do best in aquariums of 30 gallons or above that are at least 20 inches high. The minimum size aquarium I would recommend for Mustangs are Sunbursts is a standard 29-gallon Tall tank.
Many hobbyists share your concerns about breeding, Danica, and there are a lot of options you can consider if you're not ready to try your hand at rearing babies. In fact, that is such a common question that I devoted a section of my new book (Complete Guide to the Greater Seahorses in the Aquarium, TFH Publications, unpublished) to that very topic:
To Breed or Not to Breed? That is the question…
Many seahorse keepers are unable to provide the time and effort rearing requires, particularly since a breeding pair often produces a new brood of babies (hundreds of fry) every month. When they find themselves in that situation, some hobbyists choose to prevent their seahorses from breeding by segregating the sexes and keeping males and females in separate tanks, or by ordering seahorses that are all the same gender.
Others allow their seahorses to breed, which gives the aquarist a chance to observe their amazing courtship displays and mating rituals, as well the miraculous spectacle of the male seahorse giving birth, but sacrifice the newborn fry by allowing hungry tankmates (compatible fishes and inverts, such as cleaner shrimp or scooter blennies, not the other seahorses) to make a meal of them. It sounds heartless and cruel, I know, but that's precisely the fate most seahorse fry suffer in the ocean. At very best, only a handful of seahorses from each brood survive to maturity in the wild; the rest are lost to predators.
Most people feel the parents are much happier in the aquarium if allowed to pair off and mate, so when aquarists are too busy or inexperienced for rearing fry, most hobbyists simply let nature take its course and eliminate the newborns as forage for bigger fish.
In my opinion, the deciding factor is that we now have considerable evidence that segregating the sexes can actually be harmful to the health of Hippocampus. The Cape seahorse (Hippocampus capensis) is a prolific breeder that produces well-developed benthic fry that are fairly easy to raise. So much so, in fact, that experienced breeders sometimes find themselves overwhelmed by a population explosion of capensis. When this happened at the London Zoo, the curators decided to resort to enforced abstinence as a means of population control (Bull and Mitchell, 2002, p 30). They achieved this goal by isolating their adult capensis in same-sex groups. However, they soon began to notice serious stress-related problems with this arrangement (Bull and Mitchell, 2002, p 30). There was an increase in disease outbreaks and heightened aggression among their groups of males (Bull and Mitchell, 2002, p 30). The isolated females developed swollen abdomens and experienced difficulty with egg binding (Bull and Mitchell, 2002, p 30). Respiration rates increased and there was noticeably more twitching among the segregated seahorses (Bull and Mitchell, 2002, p 30). As a result, the Zoo soon stopped separating their males and females. They are now allowed to court and breed freely and the resulting offspring are simply left in the main tank with their parents and allowed to fend for themselves (Bull and Mitchell, 2002, p 30). Some of the exceptionally hardy capensis fry manage to make it on their own and reach adulthood without any special care at all (Bull and Mitchell, 2002, p 30).
In many cases, I feel that's the best solution for the home aquarist as well, both for the seahorses and their keepers. The seahorses certainly enjoy a richer, more natural life when they have the opportunity to interact, court one another, pair up and reproduce. And the hobbyist has a chance to observe social interactions and behaviors he would otherwise never see, such as competition for mates and daily greetings and birthing, including one of the grandest spectacles in all of nature -- the colorful courtship and mating ritual of the seahorse!
Over a period of days, the partners perform a series of ritualized maneuvers and distinct displays -- brightening, reciprocal quivering, pumping, pointing, and several delightful dancelike displays (the carousel dance, Maypole dance, and the parallel promenade) -- all culminating in the copulatory rise and exchange of eggs. Once a pair has bonded, these maneuvers are repeated regularly in a daily greeting ritual that strengthens and reinforces the pair bond. In my opinion, the seahorses have a better quality of life when they are allowed to engage in these activities in the aquarium, even if it means sacrificing their young.
Some hobbyists have a friend or neighbor or know a fish guy from the local pet shop who are interested in rearing, and allow them to take home their seahorse fry and raise them. Some hobbyists even ship the fry to breeders elsewhere who are set up for rearing. Those are other possibilities the overburdened home hobbyist can explore.
Allowing the seahorses to breed freely leaves the door open for aquarist to try his hand at rearing someday when he's better prepared and equal to the task. Once the hobbyist gains a little more experience and confidence keeping seahorses, there will likely come a time when the aquarist feels he's ready for the challenge of rearing. Sooner or later, most seahorse keepers decide to try their hand at rearing. This way, when that day arrives, a breeding pair of ponies will already be at hand, ready to give their owner plenty of fry to raise.
Those are my thoughts regarding segregating the sexes, Danica. I feel it's healthier to keep these fascinating fishes in pairs, which is a better option in terms of behavioral enrichment for the seahorses. But under your circumstances, if you want to keep a solo seahorse, that's certainly a workable alternative, and you could always obtain a mate for your seahorse at a later date.
However, if you will be heading off to boarding school this Fall, setting up the seahorse tank now and then taking it with you when our report to school may not be practical. Once you selected an appropriate aquarium and got it up and running, it would take three to six weeks for the aquarium to cycle and the biofiltration to become established before it could support any life at all. Considering that it will take considerably longer for the tank to mature and stabilize, there would be precious little time for you to enjoy your seahorses before it was time to think about packing up for boarding school.
I have to warn you that moving an aquarium from one location to another is a major undertaking that requires careful planning and a great deal of time and effort. Even relocating a small aquarium from one room to another is a painstaking task that can take all day to accomplish, let alone transporting a larger aquarium across town or across the country. Aquariums are fragile objects that were never meant to be portable. All of the water save for a couple of inches needs to be removed from them before they are moved, and you must take special precautions in order to preserve your biofilter and maintain the beneficial nitrifying bacteria throughout the move. Maintaining the fishes in good condition and reacclimating them to the aquarium after the move without subjecting them to temperature fluctuations and ammonia spikes is another matter altogether.
Nevertheless, with careful planning and enough help, relocating your aquarium could certainly be done. But even if you could successfully transplant your new aquarium to your boarding school, that may not be the best alternative for your seahorses. They are little more demanding than most other fishes. They do best when provided with optimum water quality, a nutritious diet via careful feeding, and diligent aquarium maintenance. In short, they thrive on attention rather than benign neglect. During the busy school year, between your studies, final exams, social activities, and trips home during the holidays, it would be difficult to do them justice. For these reasons, and the difficult logistics involved in moving an aquarium to and from your boarding school, it might be best for you to postpone your plans for a seahorse tank for the time being. Boarding school is going to be an exhilarating adventure, Danica, and one that will be challenging enough on its own without worrying about the welfare of your seahorses.
Best wishes with all of your plans, Danica! Good luck with your upcoming studies!
Happy Trails! Pete Giwojna
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dandelionstray
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Re:Welcome - 2006/06/22 03:40Hi all, just ordered my first seahorse (pair of mustangs), have a 45gal dutch tank with 3 fish (on the OK fish list), a couple of coral, and all seem to be going well. I have no idea what to do when they arrive and just hope the instructions are very detailed. This dutch tank has a place with small slats to put a filter etc., all I have there now is a power filter. Would the shrimp go there pretty well?
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I believe that I just ordered a book written by you. "Complete Guide to Greater Seahorses". A hardcover I found on the Banres&Noble site. Mylocal store is searching for it now.
They have your last name spelled...Giwoina....Is this you?
Just ordered my first mated pair of Mustangs...They will have a 20 gallon long to themselves (well, along with a few baby hermit crabs and snails. I've been stocking it with Tiggerpods so that there will be a population of them living in the tank.
Harry Binkow Athens, GA
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Pete's last name is spelled Giwojna. That is indeed his book, however it has not been printed yet. You should check to see exactly what you ordered. Often books are placed on web sites for sale prior to their printing and release.
Cheers,
Leslie
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