seahorse and a fishy friend

hi there guys well i've had my seahorse tank with me new horse for 2days now and i am thinking that when they feed they are leaving alot of mess about,
can i either get a better way of feeding than baster

or

get a little bottom feeder fish and ask him to clean the surplus up for me


or any other ideas welcome, i know that i can syphon and i have a good filter and skimmer working on it but i'm worried about him

p.s how much should they eat?? hes about 3inch long and i feed twice a day and i try to get about five to six mysis in him each time, is there a better way?

many many thanks

 

I like to use a feeding dish that they will get used to using. However, currents tend to blow some of the food out to the tank main area. I vacuum before every feeding, what is in the dish and what has made it's way out.
Many seahorses are quite picky about what they eat and only touch the most perfect specimens. (at least in their eyes)
I estimate my horses eat only about 3 to 5% of what I put in with some eating a little more and others eating less.
My Reidi's and Angustus are the most fussy while the Barbs show less discrimination.
The younger horses I feed 3 times a day and the older ones, twice.

 

would you say that about five mysis two times a day should be ok??

are fish a no no then?

 

Maybe some nassarius snails?

 

nice idea, but hard to get over here

 

Every horse is different so no one can say for sure.

In my seahorse tanks, and many others, they are a no no.
However like other facets of the reefing hobby, there are differing opinions on this matter. There are some fish that are considered suitable tank mates, being non aggressive and non competitive for the same foods so do a google search for "seahorse tankmates" and you will find them. Be sure any tank mate will also handle the temperature range you use for keeping the seahorses in.