Seahorse Tank

I have always wanted to do a seahorse tank but I am not sure if 10 gallon is large enough. I would like to hear from anyone who has kept seahorses to tell me if this is a good or bad idea.

there's lots of nanos out there that keep them. I don't see why it wouldn't be

For a species that stays small i think 10g is plenty

I really do hope its possible. I still need to do a lot of research before attempting it though. I don't really know anything about them yet like what filter/pumps to use, I know they aren't strong swimmers so i don't want them being blown all over the tank. I also need to find out what type of environment suits them best. Are there any fish they can be kept with? Can they be kept with corals? What is the best thing to feed them? Anyone that has any experience with seahorses wanna help me out on this?

Originally Posted by chris&barb

For a species that stays small i think 10g is plenty

how many can be kept in a 10 gallon tank.

I've seen pipefish in tanks with seahorses. Lots of macros and lots of gorgs.

Be cautious about buying what appears to be a small seahorse, many can get pretty large when full grown. Maybe look into Hippocampus barbori, they stay under 5 inches I believe.

For filtration, the standard reef filtration systems are fine, but cut down on the powerhead flow.

Definitely avoid stinging corals like many of the LPS, anemones and aggressive fish. They would probably do fine with gorgonions, macroalgae, maybe even zoanthids and ricrodeas if there aren't a whole lot.


Here's a good site to check out Seahorses : Ocean Rider, Inc., Giant Truly Tropical Farm Raised Sea Horses - Home of the Famous Ocean Rider Mustang and Ocean Rider Sunburst Sea Horses

Originally Posted by ccollins618

I really do hope its possible. I still need to do a lot of research before attempting it though. I don't really know anything about them yet like what filter/pumps to use, I know they aren't strong swimmers so i don't want them being blown all over the tank. I also need to find out what type of environment suits them best. Are there any fish they can be kept with? Can they be kept with corals? What is the best thing to feed them? Anyone that has any experience with seahorses wanna help me out on this?

In a 10g tank i think you can keep about 3 small ones. Also in a tank that size with live rock you can handle water quality with water changes so you dont really need a fancy filter. Small non-aggressive fish can be kept with seahorses, pipefish, gobys and such should be fine. They also like to grab onto stuff so their environment should have thin branching objects like gorgonians and sturdy macro algaes. Sea horses have very small mouths and their digestive systems are very small too so they need to be feed small meaty items many times a day. Things like brine and mysis shrimp and small pods should be offered to them many times a day. Ive seen people set up auto feeders for them that add food every hour.

Now that is an interesting idea. I have never heard of anyone setting up an auto-feeder with live foods before.

There was a guy in our local club that made a real nice one. He took one of the small fridges and added a pressurized container inside it. He then added a pump and a few electrical controls. Then he ran a tube from the fridge to his seahorse tank and once an hour the pump kicked on in reverse for 10 seconds. This would blow bubbles in the container and mix up the food, then the pump would run the other way for 30 or 40 seconds and feed the tank. After that the pump ran in reverse and cleared out any food that was left in the tube. It was a really slick setup. He got out of the hobby but someone in our club bought it. Heres a few pics of it.

Now that's a really elaborate feeder.

someone with way to much time and knowledge lol

GREAT advice and tips so far on seahorses! I'll definitely be following this thread adam - - I'm gonna set up a seahorse tank this year too ......seahorses do need a lot more care and attention than most other fish but I think it'll be worth it! we have a member here - Blake - who raises seahorses....you could contact him and he'll be more than happy to help 'ya in any way he can...here's his thread on his seahorses that you might like adam: Blake's Seahorse Tanks

and in a 10g you could probably have 5-7 in there (as long as they're the average sizes sold in most lfs) along with a peppermint shrimp or two and a few corals as well!

Originally Posted by Barbara

GREAT advice and tips so far on seahorses! I'll definitely be following this thread adam - - I'm gonna set up a seahorse tank this year too ......seahorses do need a lot more care and attention than most other fish but I think it'll be worth it! we have a member here - Blake - who raises seahorses....you could contact him and he'll be more than happy to help 'ya in any way he can...here's his thread on his seahorses that you might like adam: Blake's Seahorse Tanks

and in a 10g you could probably have 5-7 in there (as long as they're the average sizes sold in most lfs) along with a peppermint shrimp or two and a few corals as well!

I don't know about Adam but I am certainly going to check out Blake's thread. Thanks for the link Barb. When are you going to be setting up a seahorse tank?

Originally Posted by ccollins618

I don't know about Adam but I am certainly going to check out Blake's thread. Thanks for the link Barb. When are you going to be setting up a seahorse tank?

......sorry cc! .......had adam's tank on the brain!
I plan on setting it up in June/July this year - assuming I have the 75g redone by then....we shall see eh? but that's my goal ..........blake's been crazy busy the past few months so it may take him a couple days to get back to 'ya.........but we have another member who has seahorses too....jcling........here's his thread: New Sea Horses and Macro Algae maybe you could ask him for some tips too? ask him how his seahorses are doing?

It looks like we have about the same time line on getting the seahorse tanks going. I am hoping to have mine set up sometime this summer as well, but sooner the better i think. I am really concerned with being able to keep up with their many feedings throughout the day when I am not home. How are you going to tackle the feeding of your seahorses? A 75 gallon seahorse tank is going to be really nice. Plenty of room for breeding the little guys huh.

I share the same concerns cc but I'm going to set up an automatic feeder........not sure if it'll be DIY or bought or both yet.....will start researching them in a couple months ........don't plan on setting the 75g up as a seahorse tank though - - way too big and it's connected to our other 3 tanks in one system.....the seahorse tank will need it's own designated tank/sump ......so have you gotten any good feedback yet from any of our members who already have seahorses?

I haven received any feedback from seahorse owners yet but the help I have received so far has helped me with plans on tank set up. I have also decided to break down my 20 gallon tall planted tank and use it for the seahorses instead of the 12 gallon jbj nano cube.

What are you going to use for filtration and flow? When do you think you will be starting this?

I am thinking that the aqua tech 10-20 will provide the flow and filtration for the tank. I just finished cleaning and setting it up an hour ago. If anyone knows if the aqua tech 10-20 isnt appropriate I still have time to change it. I still have to fill the tank with gorgonia (sp?) and macro algae before getting the seahorses. which wont be for a month or two until that happens.