Who here has seahorses?

[Janelle12]

A while back, a friend got a couple of seahorses. I helped her research care and setup etc. The seahorses were mail ordered from a trusted company and settled in fine. I am over there regularly and I noticed that she quit feeding them several times a day like you are supposed to. I tried to explain to her that seahorses don't have stomachs and yes you really do need to feed them several times a day. Long story short, one died of starvation. The other one, a more aggressive feeder, has hung in there. It is about a year later but she is looking really emaciated. The friend has agreed to let me take the seahorse home. I plan on giving it it's own setup. Is it cruel to keep this seahorse by itself? I do not want to get another one but want to give this one at least a home where it will get enough to eat! Do you guys have any suggestions for me? I do not feel it is fair to take it to a pet store only for possibly someone else ignorant or lazy to take care of it. And I was tempted to ship it back to the company it was bought from after it is in better condition, but again, I feel that is mean to subject it to shipping. What would y'all do?

[prettyfishy76]

I'm sorry to hear that one of the seahorses starved. How large is the remaining seahorse? I've kept seahorses for a few years now and noticed that when they are young and small, they should be fed at least 2-3 times a day as they grow. Once they get older and larger, I feed them just once per day. However, I have trained them to eat from the net, so I put in a little extra and so they can hang out and eat over an hour or so.

When I first purchased seahorses, I was not well-equipped with the knowledge I have now. So, I had lost 2 within the first week and had 1 left. She remained alone for quite some time. The seahorse did not look "depressed" or anything, though, I did put a mirror on the glass for her just in case. Now, I will say that when I purchased more seahorses and put them with her, she did perk up. If you feel as if you will keep this seahorse for a while, go ahead and order another one. However, make sure to order from the same source the first seahorse came from. That way, the new seahorse doesn't bring in any parasites or diseases. Don't ever buy wild-caught or tank-raised animals. Captive-bred from the same source is always best and the seahorses seem to last the longest.

Which company did this seahorse come from? Have you tried contacting them? They may not take it back because it has been exposed to another system and they won't want to risk the chance of this seahorse bringing in any unwelcome pests or diseases, even if the animal is pest/disease-free.

I completely understand why you don't want to drop this fish off at a LFS. I wouldn't do that, either. Once exposed to those systems, that seahorse probably wouldn't last long. They are very susceptible to pests and diseases of other fish.

I am currently holding my seahorses to give to someone who has kept seahorses in the past. Otherwise, I'd take this one.

I sincerely wish you the best in whatever your decision may be with this one. They are a pleasure to keep.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

[Teresa]

I've kept a single seahorse for over a year now after the other two died. She likes to play in the current and will come up to the glass when I approach. I don't think there is harm in keeping her by herself. I think the biggest factors to keeping seahorses healthy are temperature and high water quality. Anytime the temperature creeps above 72 degrees or I fail to do water changes in a timely manner, I notice her start to stress. Once parameters are brought back into order, she does well. I think the purchase of a chiller is mandatory for successful seahorse husbandry. I am currently nursing my seahorse back to health after a bacteria infection grew exponentially when my AC was out for two days.

[sethsolomon]

I recommend ordering a seahorse feeder: http://www.aquariumtechnik.at/SPA1000EN.html it allows you to do 2x a day feeding without haveing to be there 3 times a day.

[GrimReefer]

I feed mine twice a day in a trough so they can sit and eat it all. If you can't take care of it I would give it a good home in my horse tank I custom built for horses. I have 2 now and the wife was wanting to get another one

[aquabug]

I had some large seahorses (8" or so) many years ago before I got out of the hobby the first time. I'm currently re-entering for the 3rd time.

I had 3 of them in a 100 gallon reef with some other reef fish and kept them a couple of years. The challenge was making sure you always had ghost shrimp on hand for them. I fed them twice a day, I could hold the ghost shrimp by the tail and they would just suck them out of my fingers. I know there are great foods I've used since that maybe things are a bit different now. They bred a couple of times but the other fish ate the offspring immediately so I never had surviving babies (not that I would have known how to feed them).

The big downside was when they get old and weak. They want to eat but they can't. So they make the motion but can't get it done. Let's just say after having fed them fat for a couple of years watching this play out several times was pretty bad. If you have ever had parents and grand parents in a skilled nursing facility or hospice, you can imagine.

Some fish you bond to and others not so much. Seahorses are some pretty amazing creatures. They aren't scared of you rummaging in the tank, they'll hook around your fingers, etc. But watching them essentially decline and starve themselves to death over a few months is not something you want to do if you develop attachment to fish in some way. While I would love to have some again, honestly I won't do it. That said, doesn't mean you shouldn't but be prepared.