How hard are seahorses to keep ?

[drew930]

I was wondering how hard seahorses are to keep, and what they eat ? what size tank I would need to have ? Hang on filter or skimmer ? what temperature ? salinity ? , lighting matter ? can you put nano fish in with them ?

Any help would be appreciated !!

[NarnyTheGreat]

You can start by checking out live aquaria for their seahorse... not saying you should or should order from them, but they have some of the best "basic" information located there.

[Molehs]

Quoted from another thread:

Originally Posted by rayjay

Normal recommendation for standard sized seahorses like reidi or erectus would be 29g for the first pair and 15g for each additional pair.
It can be done in somewhat smaller tanks but makes it more important to keep husbandry levels up and many fail to do so as it's human nature for many of us to slack off now and then.
For dwarfs, I put 20 in my 5g and could use more.
Check the links at the bottom of "My Thoughts on Seahorse Keeping".
While occasionally people have luck putting other fish in with seahorses, you need additional size plus a lot of luck to do so as the pathogens introduced by other fish may kill your seahorses.

Other quick answers for standard sized horses:
Food: Make sure get captive breed that are trained to eat frozen mysis
Filters: Skimmer, live rock, refugium, etc would be easiest in my opinion. Mechanical filters need more regular maintenance
Temps: 74*F MAX, a stable temp between 68-74 is ideal.
Salinity: 1.020-1.025
Lights: only enough to illuminate the tank, don't need halides
Tankmates: A reall nice guide here

As for how hard they are to keep? From my own experience, the more research and equipment (auto top off, refugium, sump, etc) you incorporate will make the it easier and safer for the longevity of the horses. I'm at the point that all I have to do is feed twice a day and water changes every couple of weeks. Individual results may vary, heh.