Cross Breeds

Can 2 clown fish and 2 sea horses and 2 shrimp live together in a 30 gallon saltwater tank?

WHAT OTHER FISH CAN I ADD

Public Comments

1. the clowns and shrimp should be fine, but the seahorses won't be. seahorses require species specific tanks and a lot of care. if you really wanted to do seahorses, i would do them in the 30 gallon all by themselves (make sure they are same species). if you want a tank with fish, i would stay away from the seahorses and go with a pair of clownfish (make sure they are the same species) and maybe a small goby like a yellow watchman.
2. Are you new to saltwater? If so, don't get the seahorses. Seahorses are slow, graceful, delicate... and.... above all else.... DIFFICULT TO FEED! They tend to feed primarily on live prey, although captive bred seahorses do adapt to frozen foods more readily. Even then, they slowly skulk up behind their prey, swimming slowly and gracefully before snapping up the foodstuffs. While that is a beautiful act, the shrimp and clowns will generally devour most of the food while your poor seahorses struggle to get even a few bits before everything is gone. This is speaking as the owner of three Northern pipefish kept in their own species tank and the owner of a black percula. Two of the smaller clowns and a shrimp (perhaps two, but that is species dependent as certain shrimp, such as the coral banded, do not tolerate another of the same species in a small tank as that) in a 30 gallon tank would be just fine. Look into the percula, ocellaris and pink skunks. These are smaller clowns and are often found on the retail market fairly readily and for generally affordable prices (*as per s/w prices are concerned). They also readily breed in captivity like so many other clown species, meaning you can usually find captive bred clowns as an option. I usually recommend tank bred, as they will tend to adjust to tank life better and as wild capture occasionally employs cyanide (*a poison which does irreparable damage to corals and the fish - which may appear perfectly healthy only to keel over for seemingly absolutely no reason two to four weeks later) G'luck, and welcome to saltwater!
3. If the clowns are small, they should be fine. The sea horses will have problems though. They don't compete well with other fish, and really need a tank to themselves. They are a specialized portion of marine tanks. Your clowns will out compete them for food, and they will die.
4. The advice you're getting from everyone is spot on. Seahorses don't mix with any other fish other than possibly pipefish (same family). The reason is as everyone says, difficulty in feeding. Even if you were to buy TB (Tank Bred) Seahorses and they eat frozen food, the problem is the clownfish and/or shrimp eating the food at a ravenous pace and outcompeting the ponies for food. Again, as stated, the best way to keep ponies is in a species specific tank. I've linked a few All-In-One Systems below that are both beautifully crafted and very efficient tanks for a small system. Best of luck, swimmer