Salinity and Temperature?

[term_paint]

I have read so many articles that i am now confused. I want to have a seahorse tank with a few mild fish. I need someone with success to please let me know what is the best temperature and salinity to keep this tank at. Everyone has varing opinions that why i need to speak and take advice from someone who has the experience and success rate. Thanks so much.

 

[redfishbluefish]

@SeahorseKeeper just wrote an article. HERE it is....it's a start....and I'm sure Krista will respond here as well.

 

[term_paint]

@SeahorseKeeper just wrote an article. I'll find it and add the link here.

Thanks.

 

[vlangel]

I am not sure that I am your person but I have been keeping seahorses for over 3 years now. I still have 1 of my 2 original ponies. Sadly I have had losses however but none that I would attribute to salinity or temperature.

Most of us seahorse keepers would agree that maintaining a temperature at 74° or lower will help inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Pathogenic bacteria is a big reason seahorses in aquaria become sick or die. They just do not have the same immune capability as other marine fishes. The are lacking in 3 main areas, gills, gut and their skin. When dangerous bacterias get a foothold in a tank because the husbandry and water changes are insufficient then these opportunistic pathogens can affect our ponies in these areas. However, their growth in a tank is inhibited at 74° or lower. At 75° or above they begin to reproduce exponentially.

Regarding salinity, I do not believe it is crucial to maintain a specific salinity. Rather, it is important to maintain the same salinity once you choose what that will be. I choose .023 sg because I keep some simple soft coral in my seahorse display. This is about the lowest salinity that coral will flourish plus it is about what NSW is. However, if your seahorse display has artificial decor and you prefer to keep your seahorses at .020 sg that will work just as well so long that you are careful to maintain that sg.

Maybe @rayjay, @Lionfish Lair, or @Seahorsekelly69 will weigh in as all these folks have kept seahorses longer than I have.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

What seahorses are you planning on keeping? That will dictate some of the temp questions. Rule of thumb is below 74. There are some that need it cooler.

As far as salinity, consistency is key. I keep mine at .023 sg as well.

 

[Seahorsekelly69]

I think @vlangel did a great job covering this topic . In fact, I responded to a message saying almost exactly the same.

Touchy subject. Lol. I say my opinion in a few videos, but most people don’t like it, lol. Here is my official answer: you have to determine your risk tolerance level and goals, before you can decide on coral, or other fish. I personally am extremely careful, and don’t risk adding anything besides gorgonians, snails, and macro algae. But....I also breed, so my risk tolerance level is below zero! Lol. I take no risks and keep seahorses healthy. In fact, I’m against mixing Seahorse species also. (I don’t judge people that do, but I just don’t).
However....many don’t want a seahorse only tank, mix with fish and coral and say all is well. Very few claim that long term, but there are some.
My reasoning:
1) seahorses have weaker immune systems than typical fish. So some bacteria or pathogen that fish and coral can handle, might hurt theseahorses. Quarantine helps. But fish can be asymptomatic carriers, meaning they might never show symptoms, yet carry something to the tank that wipes the seahorses out.
2) coral prefer higher temps. Seahorse tanks need to stay under 74 degrees.
3) coral is another mouth to feed. With macros, they consume nutrients. They help minimize extra waste. Coral eat and crest morewaste. Seahorse tanks are already challenging.
4) fish eat all the food quickly, and Seahorse starve. Their fast movements also can stress aseahorse.
5) I could go on and on. But bottom line is: ifyou aren’t looking to breed, and have a higherrisk tolerance level, stick to the guide onjusedjaw.com. It’s outdated, but still prettyaccuratehttps://fusedjaw.com/aquariumcare/seahorse-tankmates-whats-safe-whats-Not

We disagree on the salinity being acceptable as low as .20, and coral in the tank but that might just be because We have different goals .
I’m actually writing an article about how to obtain good information also. I’ll be sure to share it here .

 

[rayjay]

I like to refer people to a few sites for basic information when they are just learning. The first one is the site linked by SK69 but go to the main page fusedjaw.com.
The second link is to Dan Underwood's articles page at http://seahorsesource.com/?page_id=781
Also see a posting by Pledosophy, post #5 in this thread http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2274878
These are the sites I'm most familiar with to use, but other hobbyists, especially ones from over the pond, have sites they like also.
V may have been mislead as NSW levels are normally 35 ppt or equivalent s.g. level of 1.026.
That being said, I've use s.g. of 1.024 for non coral tanks now for more than two decades. For me, it just mean using a little more salt as I go through so much every year with all the tanks.

 

[vlangel]

I like to refer people to a few sites for basic information when they are just learning. The first one is the site linked by SK69 but go to the main page fusedjaw.com.
The second link is to Dan Underwood's articles page at http://seahorsesource.com/?page_id=781
Also see a posting by Pledosophy, post #5 in this thread http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2274878
These are the sites I'm most familiar with to use, but other hobbyists, especially ones from over the pond, have sites they like also.
V may have been mislead as NSW levels are normally 35 ppt or equivalent s.g. level of 1.026.
That being said, I've use s.g. of 1.024 for non coral tanks now for more than two decades. For me, it just mean using a little more salt as I go through so much every year with all the tanks.

Oops, thank rayjay, like I said, I am not an expert.

 

[rayjay]

While 35ppt is the normal average, in seahorse habitats it can be often quite different from location to location, and, even varying at the same location due to runoff sources nearby.

 

[I'm a natural blue]

Personally, I run my tank (erectus) on a chiller at 72 and 1.024 sg. I have macro, gorgonians, several nps, zoas, several leather corals, a porcelain crab, 1 peppermint shrimp, various snails, 1 conch and 1 ocellaris. I do not recommend ocellaris in general though as they can be aggressive. Mine was in my 90g for 2 years and the others decided to almost kill him. After a qt, I put him in my sh tank. I knew his personality very well and luckily for him, he is very docile so he got a new lease.