All About Seahorses - Tank setup, Feeding, Care and more!

Ever wondered what goes into setting up a seahorse tank instead of a reef tank? Or want to know more about the care requirements of common seahorses? You don't actually NEED a reef for them - just a saltwater aquarium with some plastic plants or some gorgonians instead of fancy coral would work just fine. They just need something to hitch on, and something that won't clog with food as it floats around.
Not interested in that, but just like sea horse and sea dragon video?! This is the one for you!
If you're just starting out with your saltwater tank and interested in sea horses the best species to look for are Hippocampus erectus and Hippocampus reidi - stay away from any pygmy seahorse unless you're a seasoned expert at caring for these animals. The same is true of the Weedy and Leafy Sea Dragon - just enjoy them in public aquariums and don't attempt to keep these special needs fish at home. Also, don't try to keep seahorses in a reef aquarium - their needs are quite different than that of SPS and other common reef tank corals.
This video covers setting up a tank for sea horses, basic care requirements, food, and more in this video. One day I'll set up my own tank, but for now public aquariums will have to suffice to get my seahorse fix. They're such gentle calm animals, and not that hard to care for it turns out (with some special considerations).
Don't forget to like and subscribe if you enjoyed this video!
I hope you enjoy.

[@martylarty]

Thank you for this video, it makes owning seahorses as a beginner in this hobby a bit less intimidating!

[@ReefMan]

You're very welcome! Welcome to the hobby, it's a great way to learn about and appreciate the animals. I hope you have good luck with your horses!

[@123131112gfgdgds23g]

martylarty hi

[@John16755]

Great video, short and too the point, not like the other 20 or 30 minute sea horse videos out there.

[@kaleidoscope8743]

Thanks for staying focused, and covering the information in logical sequence, and not bringing music into it. Most of the time people pick music that isn't calm and quiet, but is too loud, too distracting, too irritating ... detracts from the listeners trying to hear and absorb the information. You kept your volume level good and your info simple and talked at a good pace. Great job!

[@mrdobalina8006]

Hes a baller

[@POCarton]

If you go to Kona Hawaii, there is a seahorse farm and habitat there and they have a tour. All kinds of sizes, tiny and all grown up. Really cool place to tour.

[@7.3fordmechanic81]

Amazing video. No BS. Straight to the point

[@birdenthusiastg5570]

What a great video! Very informative and cute shots of the seahorses themselves lol

[@juliablizin8885]

This video made my day! Thank you so much for your comprehensive and knowledgeable production...I look forward to having these friends soon, and to joining you on more videos. Excellent!

[@re8618]

You must have been great at school presentations! Thanks!

[@lilyswonder]

Great video! I learned a lot from this! Thanks for posting! I will try to watch more of your videos!

[@gpmcfm]

Excellent video, thanks.

[@Raven-jy6nx]

Very new to this great hobby and new to this channel. Love the videos! Keep it up

[@purestench9263]

What an amazing creature

[@ralfyfernandez1121]

Fantastic video

[@tolgarupture]

That was the best seahorse care video I have ever seen. Thank you 😊

[@ReefMan]

I'm glad it was helpful!

[@kristoferw8837]

Thank you, this video was very helpful!

[@ReefMan]

You're welcome!

[@PalmettoCoralCo.]

Great video! I would love to see a longer more detailed video

[@KamleshYadav-ur3hr]

Fantastic and very knowledgeable video nice👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@blackmamba5380]

Very nice video.. so informative!! Thank you....

[@Aryan_Kumar_Sharma7]

Very informative video.... Keep uploading sir.

[@ReefMan]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@ms-hl4vg]

Interesting line"fishes don't care about light" didn't know that. Good summary overall 👍 planning to setup seahorse only tank in near future.

[@ReefMan]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ricardosilva-wq5rj]

Great information! thanks

[@ReefMan]

I'm glad it was helpful! Thank you for the comment!

[@RyanBrown01]

Great video! Information heavy and no wasting time. Thank you!

[@ReefMan]

I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment!

[@scottbridgeforth507]

perfect footage

Thank you 😊

[@ReefMan]

You're welcome! Glad you found it useful.

[@rhondaclark716]

Good video

[@vanessajuarez6812]

Thanks for the post ❄️:) We Heartz our gentle sea dragoness”🛡 👨‍🏫

[@chrisbeddows7099]

I love my pair of kudas....they are so beautiful

[@ReefMan]

I've always wanted to set up a seahorse and pipefish tank. One day!

[@chrisbeddows7099]

@@ReefMan the hardest part of my tank was the first cycle really...once the levels settled and the bacteria colony grew big enough to handle the tank it's not that hard tbh....seahorses are a lot more hardy than people think. They are the most amazing things to watch and such a point of interest for anyone that comes to visit.

[@juliemcgugan1244]

@@chrisbeddows7099 I’ve never had a reef tank, but have lots of experience with freshwater tank cycling. Is it basically the same process? Is it more difficult/does it take longer?

[@123131112gfgdgds23g]

I like your videos

[@purestench9263]

SEEEEAAAHORSEEEEEESSSSSS

[@franciscahope3363]

When i little was in philippines, my backyard was literally the whole pacific ocean, so i went swimming that day and a seahorse was somewhat stuck in my shirt. So. I got out and ny aunt freaksd out and was like "WHAT THE HELL!" in tagalog. Lol and we let it go. I thought we could keep it but..they were like nAh

[@juju4265]

naol

[@mandymoore5774]

Probably best for sponge filters?

[@dashabateman4409]

Reefer man 💨 🌿

[@shimizukiyoko4767]

Could a 20 gallon high be used to house seahorses, or would I need to go bigger?

[@feeblepizza]

30

[@richieguan6634]

So do think of having one

[@richieguan6634]

Think about green seahorse they are beautiful

[@loganslife3626]

Do I need a power filter and a sump both or just one

[@ReefMan]

If you're using live rock in your tank, you probably can get away without a filter. A sump is useful for hiding equipment, but you can for sure run a tank without one. You'll just be able to see things like the heater and stuff like that in the tank.

[@nosaalm9908]

Can you have more then one species of seahorse in one tank?

[@ReefMan]

Yes! Just pick some similar species to make care easier.

[@MrCokeman01]

Would a biorb 16 gallon be a good home for sea horses?

[@ReefMan]

It might, if you stick to only a few and you choose one of the smaller species.

[@MrCokeman01]

@@ReefMan which seahorses would be a good starter

[@ReefMan]

I'd look at Hippocampus zosterae, it's one of the more common small species.

[@iiduomoos893]

can I use like a 30 gallon tank for like 4 seahorses?

[@ReefMan]

They would really do better in a taller tank. They are special care animals, and unfortunately that means they need special equipment 😞

[@johnnyb9797]

Are clownfishes and blue hippo tang compatible fishes with erectus seahorse?

[@ReefMan]

Seahorse generally do much better in their own tank. They're very passive feeders, and won't get much food with clownfish etc unfortunately.

[@johnnyb9797]

@@ReefMan thank you

[@ReefMan]

Sure! Seahorses are really interesting fish!

[@cricworld4702]

Do u have leafy sea dragons ?

[@ReefMan]

No, they're really not the best for hobbiests to keep. They need special care.

[@mogtrader8]

Must they be in groups?

[@ReefMan]

They will do much better in at least a pair. Really, if you have a tank suitable for one, you have a tank suitable for a few.

[@precious2537]

How do i clean the tank do i take them out and put them back in when the water is clean? I’m really curious cuz i’m gonna buy one but i don’t really know how to take care for one

[@ReefMan]

You can use something like a gravel vac to clean the sand, and a magnetic algae cleaner for the glass. I would minimize the amount of times you catch them and move them around - fish nets can tear fins and it's generally just a stressful experience for the fish.

[@MewmewGrrl]

2:22 They appreciate calm tanks, as we see the plants moving like mad in what seems to be kind of major flow :P

[@subconsciousnightmare6074]

What kind of sea horse is that?

[@juliemcgugan1244]

May I ask, what is the ideal ratio for a breeding group of seahorses? 2 females to one male? 2 males to one female? Two males to two females? Are seahorse couples monogamous? I know the males provides most of the care for the fertilized eggs/babies, so I thought maybe having 2 males to one female may be less stressful to one individual male caring for the babies up to their maturity, as if the female came back into estrus, the other male would be around while the First males finished caring for the babies. But then the female would still be expending energy by producing eggs, so IDK.

[@ReefMan]

Seahorses are monogamous, something that is sort of rare in fish. Because of this, assuming you can get a couple together, a ratio of one to one seems best.

[@juliemcgugan1244]

@@ReefMan Thanks!

[@cutekiwibird9997]

Nice video I just want to start keep seahorses.. Does seahorses need heater? I read temp. Should 24c /74 Fahrenheit.. Also does seahorses need aerator?

[@ReefMan]

They like temperature around 78-80F and if you have water movement at the surface you likely don't actually need an airstone.

[@rodneyhuffton9155]

Do seahorses only survive in salt water tanks?

[@ReefMan]

Yes. I don’t know of any commonly available that would survive in freshwater.

[@Ymariles]

What is the best tank for four dwarf seahorses? I’ve been trying to search for one, but they all seem to have mixed reviews or are extremely pricey. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[@ReefMan]

Unfortunately a lot of the tanks that would work best will be more on the expensive side since the normal - cheap - option is a rectangular tank on its side. You want a tank that’s taller than it is wide. Maybe look for a cube? Two feet on a side would be about 60 gallons and that would work well.

[@quinnsine1650]

Is it normal to reach your hand into your tank, taking out a handful of your living, flailing, pets, and eating them raw? Asking for a friend.

[@blackmamba5380]

Which fish are not appropriate for salaxi?? Do you know salaxi? That hides under the sand with the long tail which is like a discus...its called ray or skate i think just found the word in dictionary...

[@saraward8195]

Do they have to be in an oval tank ?

[@ReefMan]

No, they’ll do fine in a cube or rectangular tank. They do like a taller rather than wider tank.

[@sokka47]

How's that a fish? As a kid I always thought them as an animal. Don't know why at 4 am I remember them and now here I am. Sleep is gone.

[@shimizukiyoko4767]

What?? Fish are animals.

[@richieguan6634]

Of the ocean seahorses are good

[@ScopezEntertains]

I’m so confused as to exactly what I need, as a total beginner

[@ReefMan]

I would start off with what sort of Seahorse you want to keep. Then do some reading online about that kind specifically, and just build the tank around it. Larger horses will need larger tanks, but a few pygmy seahorses could get away with a 20 gallon cube (at a minimum).

[@AshleyTum]

About how much does it cost for a pair of seahorses & the proper setup? What about maintenance, care & feeding costs?

[@ReefMan]

A pair of captive bred horses can be around $150 USD or more. You may find some less than that though. A tank setup is really as much as you want to spend.

[@AshleyTum]

Thank you! What does a super basic tank setup for 2 seahorses run?

[@ReefMan]

I checked around and for a pair of pygmy seahorses the WaterBox 20 Cube seems like a nice all in one tank. With a light, it's $419 USD. I would look for a tank at least that size - taller is better.

[@sayedabbas2560]

What’s kind of sea horse was that! ?

[@ReefMan]

There are several species in the video, what time in the video are you looking at?

[@raymondjacque6594]

1:20 is what I’m interested in

[@ReefMan]

That's a Weedy Seadragon, also known as a Common Seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)

[@stormrising2623]

@@ReefMan that is a wildly cool looking sea horse.

[@ReefMan]

It's really is. They're not for home aquariums though - this one was at a local aquarium

[@nunyabusiness7623]

Had a tank with one male and one female. Sold the entire set up after the gazillionth birth of babies. Got so I couldn't give them away.

[@ReefMan]

Seems like a problem that a lot of people would love to have. I can understand though, clownfish can be the same way - though they take a bit more effort before you end up with several hundred.

[@mrcoal8343]

I want a seahorse but I don’t know if they can be in freshwater or at least one breed?

[@ReefMan]

I don't think there are any freshwater seahorses, sorry! Saltwater isn't all that complicated though.

[@rintohsaka930]

Can seahorse eat raw meat?

[@ReefMan]

Yes, they eat raw shrimp of the proper size.

[@patriciabeach4020]

they need care

[@ReefMan]

Yea, for sure they're not a good option for beginners unless you're really interested in the specifics of caring for them. Not difficult persay, but specialized.

[@hharijonsingh6449]

1:10 looks like a seabdragon instead

[@ReefMan]

Yep, I included some because they're some of the most amazing looking sea animals

[@valbrooks2699]

Bare -bottom tanks won’t help bottom-feeders..LOL 😂 Ba da bump Ocean life are some of the most living creatures on the planet.

[@victorreyes2135]

You smoke weed reef man 👀?😁

[@mandymoore5774]

Wait “the wild environment”? Thought they were farm bred?

[@CocoCoco-tn7xe]

Can you get a freshwater seahorse

[@ReefMan]

No, they're all saltwater animals.

[@richieguan6634]

Yellow seahorse is for people liking yellow and seahorse

[@dogsareawesome9197]

The thumbnail isnt a seahorse thats a sea giraffe

[@unlikelypodcasts4565]

Wtf is at 0:55??? Please tell me i want it, I actually dont want it i NEED IT

[@ReefMan]

I think that’s a weedy sea dragon, and I’ve only ever seen them kept by zoos and aquariums. I believe they’re endangered in the wild, and generally not easy to keep like some some other seahorses (relatively) are.

[@unlikelypodcasts4565]

@@ReefMan ohh okay yah the sea dragon you mentioned at the end? Dang… unfortunate lol. Beautiful fish though

[@tatikagila5057]

When mentioning temperatures please remember to say either fanrenheit or celsius because the US is not the center of the universe.

[@JTMUSICCHANNEL]

They look amazing but God are seahorse the worst fish

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

People shouldn't keep these as pets. They are endangered.

[@ReefMan]

I agree, but many are available captive bred and those make good aquarium fish for people interested in setting up an appropriate tank for them.