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hi everyone! i just found this site and i am AMAZED! i never knew there was so much to know about seahorses! anyway, i am thinking of getting one or two medium mustangs, but i need to ask some questions first. if you know any of the answers please post them asap!
1. do seahorses need to be kept in a seahorse-only tank?2. how often will a pair (or group) mate, and how many fry will there be?
3. i dont really want to raise fry, but i dont want the seahorse to be alone as i understand that they do better in groups. is there a way to keep more than one without getting fry?
4. if i keep two males or two females, will they fight?
5. i have a tall 55 gallon reef tank with a false percula clown, a coral beauty(dwarf angel), an arrow crab, a pink-tip haitian anemone, a brittle star, an emerald crab, and various turbo snails and small hermit crabs. will any of these not get along with the seahorse or be dangerous to it?
6. i have a large refugium rock in a corner of my tank, will this be an ok perch, or do they need something bigger?
7. other than that, are there any general requirements that i need for the tank?
thanks so much for your help!
~*Tay*~
Hi Tay,
Welcome!!
The answers to your questions are below between the carrots. HTH.
1. do seahorses need to be kept in a seahorse-only tank?
<Seahorses need to be kept in a species specific tank with the exception of a handful of safe seahorse tankmates.>2. how often will a pair (or group) mate, and how many fry will there be?
<It depends on many factors but it could be as frequently as every 3 to 4 weeks. The number of fry depend on the species and age of the horses. Mustangs may range from 20 or 30 up to a few hundred, with the more average number being 80 or so in my experience. >3. i dont really want to raise fry, but i dont want the seahorse to be alone as
i understand that they do better in groups. is there a way to keep more than
one without getting fry?
<You could keep all males or all females>4. if i keep two males or two females, will they fight?
<No they should be just fine>5. i have a tall 55 gallon reef tank with a false percula clown, a coral beauty
(dwarf angel), an arrow crab, a pink-tip haitian anemone, a brittle star, an
emerald crab, and various turbo snails and small hermit crabs. will any of
these not get along with the seahorse or be dangerous to it?
<The Coral Beauty, Arrow Crab and anemone would not be appropriate with the seahorse, but the rest of you tank inhabitants would be just fine>6. i have a large refugium rock in a corner of my tank, will this be an ok
perch, or do they need something bigger?
<The rock should be just fine, as most will hitch to just about anything, but they do like branching types of décor.>7. other than that, are there any general requirements that i need for the
tank?
<In addition to the regular equipment like filter, heater and such a skimmer would be highly recommended.>thanks so much for your help!
<Your most welcome, Leslie>Dear Tay:
A pair of medium mustangs is an excellent choice for anyone who’s new to seahorses! There certainly is lots to learn about these amazing aquatic equines and doing your homework ahead of time and asking lots of questions before you take the plunge is definitely the best approach.
There have been a few other threads on this forum from hobbyists who were just starting out with seahorses that you should find to be of interest. I’ve provided links to those discussions for you below, so please check them out. I think they will answer many of your questions about keeping seahorses:
Re: Guidance on Keeping Seahorses:
<http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/id,639/catid,2/>Re: New to seahorses and I have lots of questions!
<http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/id,152/catid,2/>Re: Tank set-up advice
<http://www.seahorse.com/option,com_simpleboard/Itemid,144/func,view/id,715/catid,2/>Please let us know if you have any other questions that haven’t been covered in those previous discussions, Tay!
Best wishes with all of your fishes, Tay!
Happy Trails!
Pete Giwojnathanks for all of your help! just one more question though, why would the coral beauty, anemone, and arrow crab be bad tankmates? would the seahorse swim into the anemone or pick at it?
Hi Tay,
Seahorses are meant to be kept only with the most mild mannered of fish. They have a tendency to hitch on any and everything you might imagine in the tank and do not seem to have much regard for previously staked out territory, so keeping them with any fish that are territorial is a no no.
For their size, the dwarf or pygmy angels can be downright feisty and all dwarf angels are territorial. Your Coral Beauty may be well behaved with it’s current tankmates but feisty and territorial fish are not considered seahorse safe or reef safe. Mine is kept an aggressive fish only system with Puffers and an eel. They also like to pick at algae which has a tendency to accumulate on seahorses. The seahorses will not appreciate being picked at by the Coral Beauty. The anemone may make a very expensive snack out of your seahorses. Seahorses should never be kept with an anemone.
HTH,
Leslie
ok then, i guess i’ll just wait until i can afford a seperate system… i can hardly wait! :woohoo:
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