I’m very new to this and need some help please!

[Kate avery]

I’m sorry if this is long I’ve never owned a sea horse before and these are a few of my many, many questions about them and there care. I really don’t want to get anything wrong because I could never imagine letting them die or becoming hurt because of something I did or failed to do. 

 

 

I’m considering getting seahorses, unsure what yet but definitely don’t like the look of the yellow ones, and I was wondering if copperband butterfly fish get on well with seahorses. There would probably be 2 SHs in the tank, at most 4. I know copperband eat anemones specifically Aiptasia ( I think it’s that one anyway, the white one). I’m worried if i put a few corals in the tank for the sea horses to hitch on or hide or whatever they do with them, anemones may grow, so wondering if I could have them with the seahorses to help get rid of any anemones that may appear. And any examples of corals that don’t sting or harm seahorses? Also what breed of seahorses are good for beginners, and what tank would I need for that specific breed, and are there any other specific or unique requirements said breed has, preferably not yellow seahorse like the linead ( think that’s how u spell it) seahorse and preferably a ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful’ looking breed. And do I have to keep them in a small herd of about 4 or so or can I just have a pair that will breed. Any other advice about where to buy a tank, how big, filters, food, hitches, when to clean and how, things to keep the water clear, or any other fish that seahorses really like to live with, or if certain sea horse breeds get on well together, or any other general advice about them and where to buy it all and how to set all up and the total and weekly/monthly cost, how Deep the tank would need to be for the specific breed, etc. would be so so helpful.

 

I know this is a dumb question but it would be helpful to know, is there any sort of aquarium animal thing that gets on with seahorses that would help clean the tank like how u can put those little sucker fish things in with bigger fish in a fish tank and they help eat things and clean the tank a bit. If that makes sense is there such an animal ?
 

 

I need a seahorse 101 Down to basics guide pretty much 😂😅 

 

Thank u x

[LazyFish]

Never had seahorses but they are intresting and I have done a bit of research on them. Photosynthetic gorgonias are a good choice for sea horse tanks grubes, candelabra and slit pore are all fairly easy to care for they require strong lighting and fairly good water movement. They should get weekly feedings of very fine foods. All make good hitching spots for them. They may also hitch to some types of macro algaes. Aiptasia dont just pop up in a tank they are usualy brought in on live rock or corals. There are ways of eleminate them them without having a fish eat them. Including applications of boiling water lemon juice injections or aplications of something like aiptasia away they even make a zapper to fry the little boogers.  A copperband will require a large tank if you are planning on keeping one they also dont do that well in aquariums. What sucker fish are you talking about? Not plecos I hope those are freshwater. Snails some crabs and hermits are used as a clean up crew in saltwater aquariums. If you are new to reef keeping I suggest doing alot of research first. Sea horses and there relitives pipefish wich can also cohabitate well with them some are rather delicate and they require some specialized foods usualy live and feeding sevral times a day due to the way there digestive tract is made. Research the culturing and growing of there foods to make sure you have a consistent supply. An aquarium needs to be properly cycled with proper water peramiters and sufficient bacterial colonys established. A mature system is more suited to more delicate organisms. All in one aquarium systems may be the simplest ones for someone just starting out many come with filter baskets for filter media like floss chemipure and carbon sometimes pumps and a lid alredy with the tank. You usualy have to get a light lighting can be the most expensive part corals need proper lighting to survive. Tank size would depend on what spiecies you plan on keeping. Sea horses come in lots of sizes. My suggestion is to first research the species you want to keep and narrow it down to the ones you can house feasibly due to tank size/cost and your own experience level. Look for a hearty species that stays relatively small see what kind of tank size requirements they have then research the heck out of them then research what can be kept with them clown and neon gobies are probly both good choices. Some shrimp like skunk cleaners could be good peppermints also eat those pesky nems but are hit or miss sometimes. Because you are starting out I would suggest lightly stocking the tank especialy untill you get the hang of it. Here is a site with some info on them and some other species tiger tails are hearty for seahorses but get quite large and need a big tank.

https://www.thesprucepets.com/seahorse-species-profiles-2925484 

[M. Tournesol]

I never owned a seahorses but from what I have read from the net, seahorses need a species-only tank. You could house pipefish with it.

 

2 seconds of search on Google and I found that:

seahorses care:

https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/saltwater/a-seahorse-reef-part-1-reef-compatibility-of-hippocampus-spp

https://www.tfhmagazine.com/articles/saltwater/a-seahorse-reef-part-two-choosing-your-seahorses-full-article

 

seahorses compatibility:

http://www.seahorse.org/library/articles/tankmates/tankmates.shtml

 

Copperband butterfly fish are reputed to be hard to keep alive for long time in reef tank. It depends on the fish you get. It's a true roll dice.

 On the compatibility web site, the Copperband obtained a notation of 4 (4 - these specimens either have no business in a seahorse tank, or should not be kept in captive systems due to failure to thrive.).

 

For coral, Photosynthetic Gorgonians is seahorse safe and an easy and fast growing coral. If you Aiptasia epidemic get you could buy peppermint shrimp or Berghia Nudibranch.

[WV Reefer]

4 hours ago, Kate avery said:

I’m sorry if this is long I’ve never owned a sea horse before and these are a few of my many, many questions about them and there care. I really don’t want to get anything wrong because I could never imagine letting them die or becoming hurt because of something I did or failed to do. 

 

 

I’m considering getting seahorses, unsure what yet but definitely don’t like the look of the yellow ones, and I was wondering if copperband butterfly fish get on well with seahorses. There would probably be 2 SHs in the tank, at most 4. I know copperband eat anemones specifically Aiptasia ( I think it’s that one anyway, the white one). I’m worried if i put a few corals in the tank for the sea horses to hitch on or hide or whatever they do with them, anemones may grow, so wondering if I could have them with the seahorses to help get rid of any anemones that may appear. And any examples of corals that don’t sting or harm seahorses? Also what breed of seahorses are good for beginners, and what tank would I need for that specific breed, and are there any other specific or unique requirements said breed has, preferably not yellow seahorse like the linead ( think that’s how u spell it) seahorse and preferably a ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful’ looking breed. And do I have to keep them in a small herd of about 4 or so or can I just have a pair that will breed. Any other advice about where to buy a tank, how big, filters, food, hitches, when to clean and how, things to keep the water clear, or any other fish that seahorses really like to live with, or if certain sea horse breeds get on well together, or any other general advice about them and where to buy it all and how to set all up and the total and weekly/monthly cost, how Deep the tank would need to be for the specific breed, etc. would be so so helpful.

 

I know this is a dumb question but it would be helpful to know, is there any sort of aquarium animal thing that gets on with seahorses that would help clean the tank like how u can put those little sucker fish things in with bigger fish in a fish tank and they help eat things and clean the tank a bit. If that makes sense is there such an animal ?
 

 

I need a seahorse 101 Down to basics guide pretty much 😂😅 

 

Thank u x

Check out threads by @vlangel .......she is the seahorse queen. 😊