If you have some experience with salt-water aquariums and want to go for something really special, you may want to consider having a seahorse aquarium. However, these fascinating creatures require special care and equipment to keep them alive and healthy. Do not just buy a pair and stick them in your normal tank, you are doomed to failure. Here are the requirements for putting together a habitat for seahorses.
Tank and Set-up
Seahorses require a tall tank. These creatures swim in an up and down motion, so they need to be in deeper water to be able to move. You should choose a tank that is roughly three times the height of your seahorses when full grown. These animals have a poor digestive system and eat almost continuously. This creates a lot of waste that can change the pH level of the water in the tank. This means you need to have a strong filtration system. However, seahorses are slow swimmers, so they can be pulled in by a strong filter. Be sure to have some type of cover over the intake area to keep from harming the creatures. In addition, to provide adequate filtration, you should use a filter that will filter all the water two times each hour.
Tank Mates
It is best to keep seahorses in their own tank, with perhaps a few snails and/or hermit crabs. However, if you want a bit of variety, go with slow moving fish. Seahorses are very skittish and stress easily when other fish are whipping around. You could put a few yellow clown gobies, or some blue-spotted jawfish in with them as well.
Accessories
You are going to need some plants or accessories that will allow the seahorse to "hitch" itself with its tail. These could be slender rock formations, fake kelp, or even a bit of marine-grade rope. Because seahorses "hitch", if the thermometer is one that goes in the water, be sure it has some type of cover around it to avoid burning the creature's tail. It is not a good idea to keep coral in the tank, as it requires a higher flow rate than the seahorses. In addition, its sharp edges can easily cut the delicate animal.
Seahorses require more work than other salt-water fish. They need to be fed every day, their tanks need to be cleaned more frequently and with a larger amount of water changed at each cleaning, and have to have the filtering material cleaned or replaced more often. However, they are beautiful creatures that can relax and entertain you for hours.
For more information, talk to a company like Congressional Aquarium.
Share20 January 2016
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