Brackish Seahorse?

Balloons&killies

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hi everyone.

Just wondering if you could get a brackish seahorse?
or could you get a salt water seahorse and slowly get it into brackish??

Thanks for the replys!
 
Google Knysna Seahorse Hippocampus capensis. Neale Monks may know more about this. SH
 
Ok thanks!
Do you think i could order one at my LFS or a they rare?
I didnt really find very much info on them so im just gonna ask some Q's.

How long do they live???
How many could i keep in a 10g?
Do they change color like other seahorses???

Thanks guys!!
 
Ok thanks!
Do you think i could order one at my LFS or a they rare?
I didnt really find very much info on them so im just gonna ask some Q's.

How long do they live???
How many could i keep in a 10g?
Do they change color like other seahorses???

Thanks guys!!

The Knysna seahorse is the most endangered seahorse in the world
taken from its also on the IUCH red list as endangered.
so very rare. perhaps better left in the sea/river?
 
With respect, the fact you're asking these questions implies you really shouldn't be keeping any of the wild-caught seahorses. My father had a couple back in the 80s, and while one of them did fine, the other didn't eat anything and died within weeks. My general impression is this sort of track record isn't uncommon, and while that one lived and grew for many years, it did so because it was feeding on copepods and such in a reef tank. It ate some frozen mysis too, but wild-caught seahorses are notoriously difficult to train to take frozen foods.

There are some farmed seahorses that eat frozen foods without complaint. They also adapt well to aquarium life, and in every possible respect are much better purchases. The only downside is the price, these farmed seahorses being quite expensive.

In any case, I've written a beginner's guide to seahorses you may find useful. I think you'll be surprised how much space they need, and that they're territorial animals. While basically quite hardy animals, they aren't easy to keep for a variety of reasons. It's really important you read up on them before buying them.

Incidentally, to be aware many seahorses are subtropical or coldwater fish, including Hippocampus capensis. So maintenance will be complicated by the need to keep them cool, which tends to be very expensive.

Cheers, Neale

How long do they live???
How many could i keep in a 10g?
Do they change color like other seahorses???
 
So for me im probibly not going to get Knysna Seahorse because its to rare.
Ok so this is just a shot in the dark but could you keep a seahorse (just 1)
in a ten gallon?

And if its marine cloud you keep it in high brackish?

Thanks!!
 
I think they need a tall tank too coz of the way how they swim, my friend's Dad wanted to get one for his 300gallon saltwater tank.
 
I think they need a tall tank too coz of the way how they swim, my friend's Dad wanted to get one for his 300gallon saltwater tank.

But then again it depends on which speices you get though. Ive seen on the web that they keep like 5 in a 10g.
But like i said it depends on he speices you get.
 
But like i said it depends on he speices you get.
Five seahorses in 10 gallons? Not a chance. I cannot stress this point too strongly: seahorses are extremely difficult to maintain unless you understand completely their very specific needs. They are not fish you can cram into a small, low-maintenance tank. I consider myself a reasonably capable aquarist, but seahorses are, like stingrays, fish I wouldn't keep because I don't have the time or the money to maintain properly.
But like i said it depends on he speices you get.
The species in the trade vary from quite small dwarf species up to specimens around 30 cm long. So yes, the size of the tank required does depend on the species you want to keep. Put another way: identify the species on sale in your local shop, find out its Latin name, look up its size requirements, check what types of food it accepts, and then decide whether you can keep it. Many of the smaller species (like Hippocampus zosterae) are strictly live food only, and it is the bigger species that tend to take frozen foods.

Cheers, Neale
 
But like i said it depends on he speices you get.
Five seahorses in 10 gallons? Not a chance. I cannot stress this point too strongly: seahorses are extremely difficult to maintain unless you understand completely their very specific needs. They are not fish you can cram into a small, low-maintenance tank. I consider myself a reasonably capable aquarist, but seahorses are, like stingrays, fish I wouldn't keep because I don't have the time or the money to maintain properly.
But like i said it depends on he speices you get.
The species in the trade vary from quite small dwarf species up to specimens around 30 cm long. So yes, the size of the tank required does depend on the species you want to keep. Put another way: identify the species on sale in your local shop, find out its Latin name, look up its size requirements, check what types of food it accepts, and then decide whether you can keep it. Many of the smaller species (like Hippocampus zosterae) are strictly live food only, and it is the bigger species that tend to take frozen foods.

Cheers, Neale
Oh ya i wasn't going to cram seahorses in there lol.

I was actually talking about pipefish.



http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aquariums/fish-breeding/gulf-or-freshwater-pipefish.aspx

A group of up to a half dozen adult gulf pipefish can be kept in a 10-gallon tank.

The gulf pipefish.
 
Good luck finding them. Never seen them in the trade, and so far as I know, there are "collect your own" fish. Mike Hellweg is a first-rate aquarist, and I'd encourage you to read and re-read that article. These are clearly high-maintenance fish. You might want to start out with something a bit easier, like sticklebacks, that have the same sort of traits, but in a more manageable package (though sticklebacks are insanely aggressive, so be careful with the males).

Cheers, Neale

I was actually talking about pipefish.
http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aquariums/fish-breeding/gulf-or-freshwater-pipefish.aspx
The gulf pipefish.
 
Good luck finding them. Never seen them in the trade, and so far as I know, there are "collect your own" fish. Mike Hellweg is a first-rate aquarist, and I'd encourage you to read and re-read that article. These are clearly high-maintenance fish. You might want to start out with something a bit easier, like sticklebacks, that have the same sort of traits, but in a more manageable package (though sticklebacks are insanely aggressive, so be careful with the males).

Cheers, Neale

I was actually talking about pipefish.
http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aquariums/fish-breeding/gulf-or-freshwater-pipefish.aspx
The gulf pipefish.
Could you put a pic of a stickleback???

Thanks nmonks
 
Google Gasterosteus aculeatus. Females are metallic green, as are males outside of breeding. During the breeding season (in my experience, from January to June, when kept indoors) the males acquire red bellies and bright blue eyes. They're extremely attractive fish, and a revelation to anyone who things colourful fish only come from the tropics.

Cheers, Neale

Could you put a pic of a stickleback???
 

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