Mixing seahorses from different sources

[Coling]

Hello,

I have a pair of erectus seahorses that I purchased from Ocean Rider. They seem to be happy and healthy. Liveaquaria currently has a sale on ORA erectus seahorses. I was wondering if it would be okay to add a couple of the ORA seahorses to the tank with the pair from Ocean Rider, or if the risk of vibrio would be too great. The aquarium is a 47 gallon colum, I do not run a UV sterilizer and I keep the temp 75-76°. Thank you for looking!

Best,

Colin

 

[vlangel]

Hello,

I have a pair of erectus seahorses that I purchased from Ocean Rider. They seem to be happy and healthy. Liveaquaria currently has a sale on ORA erectus seahorses. I was wondering if it would be okay to add a couple of the ORA seahorses to the tank with the pair from Ocean Rider, or if the risk of vibrio would be too great. The aquarium is a 47 gallon colum, I do not run a UV sterilizer and I keep the temp 75-76°. Thank you for looking!

Best,

Colin

It is always better not to mix seahorses from different sources however I have done it and not had a problem. I have an older female 4 and a half years old from Ocean Rider with a pair of year and a half ponies from Seahorse Source. I trust both of these suppliers to have high health seahorses and have not been disappointed in that regard. I have no experience with ORA at all.

One thing I read is that doing extra WCs above what is normal and needed helps reduce the swapping of pathogens from 2 different sources. I did that when I added my pair to the tank.

Of course it is also a good idea to QT the new seahorses. That way you can monitor their health after being shipped. You can also make sure the display tank and its inhabitants are very clean and healthy too. A 2 week waiting period is not a bad idea. I used that time to train the new seahorses to recognise a turkey baster as the giver of food.

 

[Coling]

Thank you for your quick response! I think I will hold off and wait to get more horses from Ocean Rider. Pete @ Ocean Rider told me that there shouldn't be a problem mixing my erectus with the barbouri, so I plan to add a pair of the barbs from OR in the next couple of months. I will be sure to quarantine and also add a UV sterilizer to the system to decrease the risk of vibrio. Thanks again for your time!

Cheers,

Colin

 

[vlangel]

Thank you for your quick response! I think I will hold off and wait to get more horses from Ocean Rider. Pete @ Ocean Rider told me that there shouldn't be a problem mixing my erectus with the barbouri, so I plan to add a pair of the barbs from OR in the next couple of months. I will be sure to quarantine and also add a UV sterilizer to the system to decrease the risk of vibrio. Thanks again for your time!

Cheers,

Colin

I would try to lower the temperature a couple of degrees also. Above 74°F and vibrio and other pathogenic bacteria reproduce exponentially. A fan blowing over the surface of the water would probably do it .