What do you put in with Sea Horses

[JayM]

Who can peacefully co-exist with the sea ponies my daughter has planned for my next tank?

Would a CBB live with them? Sea Horses are new to me....

 

[mak3mydae]

I thought that most sea horses perfer smaller tanks so that there can be a higher concentration of food, while not having it all spoil or something like that. And Sea horses need pretty low flow if i remember. I personally wouldnt do it.

 

[Blueflu1]

I am not sure but all sea horse tanks I have seen have not had fish in them other then bottom dwellers. Sea horses are so docile that you need an extremely docile fish for them.

Kiah and a few others know their stuff when it comes to seahorses.

 

[cstmpprl]

Jay, Go onto seahorse.org or seahorse.com I forget which one has it , but there is a list of all corals and fish that you can put into a seahorse tank. Good Luck
Michelle

 

[Kiah]

Large tanks are not a problem with seahorses, good flow is also needed. The way you set the tank up with areas of lower flow is important as is feeding practices - feed to certain area like into a large empty clam shell and they will learn.

Jay you really do not want anything in their that will compete for food. I've had Banggais, a wrasse, mandarin with sucess. Agressive feeders are no good. I had an alage blenny but he tried to clean the fish - not a good idea. They are timid and finicky about grabbing just the right food item. Fish that are not too agressive and will only take food from the water column may work because seahorses will take the food from the water and pick it off coral, rock, etc.

Constant harassment by other fish can lead to lower immune systems and disease so you really need to be careful.

Good luck!

 

[molsen187]

i think pipefish work with seahorses since they are slow moving as well.

 

[JayM]

I was just thinking a CBB is a MILD fish, and also a finicky eater......plus it would allow me to keep 2 of them.

 

[~Flighty~]

Our seahorses and CBB did very well together. Both are very visual hunters who study their prey and then strike. There didn't seem to be any incompatibility nor competition over food between them. Mandarins went well in the mix too. For all three of these fish I think large populations of mini brittle stars helps lead to happy, fat fish. They grab the food and hold it in place but keep it wiggling perfect for this type of fish to spend time hunting and digesting long after you are done feeding the tank. Keep in mind the water quality impact of the heavy, frequent feedings that all of these guys require though.

For fish like CBBs , mandarins, and seahorses, it pays to watch their eyes while they hunt. If they are fully focused on their food, you are in good shape. If they are on a swivel keeping an eye on tankmates while they try to eat you need to reevaluate your mix or end up with a skinny, stressed fish.

 

[stingythingy45]

I think a dozen red plastic roses would look nice.

 

[Greg Hiller]

While I've not done it myself, I see no reason a CCB and seahorses would not do okay together. In this day and age I'm sure you are talking about captive raised seahorses. The only issue you will have is that the CCB can eat a lot faster, so whenever you feed, the CBB is going to end up eating a lot of food. Once it's full then the seahorses can feed, and as mentioned above it's easy to do this now by having a set place for them to come to and feed. You can also alternatively feed from the tip of a turkey baster (a little clear tubing on the end makes it easier to control the rate of food coming out).

One other issue is that a CBB is going to need a decent amount of space. I don't think I'd put one long term in anything smaller than a 50 gallon system. Seahorses really need very little space. It doesn't hurt them to have lots of space as long as you make sure they eat well.