As an aquarist, I always want to experiment by keeping different water creatures together and I know almost every aquarist feels the same way too. Seahorses and Clownfish are two saltwater creatures, and they could be kept in the aquarium and pond, but the issue is, are they compatible and can they live together in a tank or pond? You will find out in this article.
Can Seahorse and Clownfish live together? Seahorse and Clownfish could be forced to live together, but it is not recommended because their temperament differs.
There are some aquarium creatures that are very compatible with each other and there are those that are not, and if forced to live together might be catastrophic.
Although both aquatic animals share almost everything in common, but their only difference is their temperaments.
Let’s look at their characteristics.
Seahorse Water Parameters
- Water type – Saltwater
- Temperature – 70-75°F
- pH – 8.1-8.4
- Alkalinity – 8-12 Dkh
- Temperament – Non-aggressive
Clownfish Water Parameters
- Temperature – 75-80°F
- pH – 8-8.4
- Temperament – Aggressive and Territorial
- Water type – Saltwater
Can Seahorse And Clownfish Live Together?
Although they could tolerate the same water condition and environment, but they are not good tank mates, and it’s not advisable to keep them together.
The only reason why they can’t be kept together or forced together is that clownfish are too aggressive and territorial.
The Temperament of clownfish is very different from seahorses.
This is because Seahorses of any type are very slow and non-aggressive compared to clownish that is both fast, territorial, and aggressive.
If they are kept with Clownfish, this is what is going to happen,
The Seahorse will starve and might die in the process.
This is because they don’t hustle or rush food and again they are very slow.
This will allow the clownfish to grab every food that might be placed in the tank, I mean both theirs and the seahorses.
This will make the seahorses starve and face malnutrition, which might lead to their death because they are fragile animals that need a lot of care to maintain them in an aquarium or in captivity.
Apart from the issue of grabbing food from them by the clownfish and making them starve, Clownfish are very aggressive and territorial too.
It is not recommended to keep an aggressive animal with a non-aggressive animal because one will have to harm the other.
This is very true, especially in the case of seahorse and clownfish.
When kept together, the clownfish will create its territory and protect it very aggressively that they will attack any seahorse that trespasses.
They will chase the seahorses around and be nipping at their fins and tails which could easily kill them because they are fragile.
Seahorses are very allergic to stress, that’s why it is not recommended to keep aggressive or fast fish with them because they could easily die due to getting stressed.
So, keeping a fish like the clownfish with them is not recommended because their lives are at stake.
Again, they need slow-moving water too in order not to get stressed.
These are the main 3 reasons why it is not recommended to keep seahorses and clownfish together in a tank or pond.
You might hear or read from some people saying ‘ they have or had success keeping them together’ Well, the fact is, they could live together, at least Peacefully if the clownfish is still small and in a big aquarium, but once the clownfish is of age, then the life of the Seahorse is at stake.
How To Keep Seahorse And Clownfish Together
As I mentioned above, although they could live together, it is not advisable to keep them together.
What I really meant to say is, you can’t just get a random seahorse and clownfish, get a tank, add saltwater and drop both in it, No, the seahorse will die.
To make them live together peacefully, here are the technique.
Divide The Tank
This is the best method of keeping these two different water animals together in one tank.
To divide their tank into two and separate them by keeping one at one end and the other at the other end, you need a tank divider and you can get it in some stores, especially online stores, or build one if you have the skills to.
This is very effective, in that the two will have to stay at their own end and won’t have anything to do with the other, and so won’t have any sort of issue.
This is only feasible if you have a big tank because both of them require a lot of space in order to swim about and be okay and healthy.
Keep Smaller Clownfish With Seahorse
If you really want to keep these two animals in a tank, at least without having to divide the tank, then you need to keep juvenile clownfish with an adult seahorse.
This is very effective, as it won’t have to bother the seahorse because, at that juvenile stage or age, the clownfish will not be aggressive and territorial, although fast.
The fish will be both shy and intimidated to openly compete with the bigger seahorse in anything, and so there will be peace in the tank.
Once the fish starts growing, then you will have to relocate it or there will likely be some aggression in the tank.
Keep Them In A Bigger And Planted Tank
Another strategy to keep them together in a tank is by getting a bigger tank, having it planted, and putting in place so many hiding places like caves, pipes, substrates, etc.
Although this strategy is not as effective as the ones I mentioned above, it could help to reduce aggression and stress by giving them room to hide and stay away from each other’s way.
This doesn’t mean there won’t be some sort of aggression, but the difference is, that it will be very minimal.
Again if you want to use this strategy, make sure there are more seahorses than clownfish.
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