5.5 gal Dwarf Seahorse tank

[reefgoddess808]

I have a 5.5 gal tank that is currently not in use, I am wanting to make it home for a small group of 4-6 dwarf seahorses.

How should I go about setting up?
Best substrate? Best decor? Best filter? etc.

I am open to any suggestions!

 

[Mat1018]

for the filter the slowest flow is the best. Im thinking of getting rid of my filter and just using a sponge filter and have the filter just incase. I use panty hose over the intake so the don't get sucked in but lately ive been just using just a bubbler because they just had babies.

 

[asid61]

Get more horses to start with. Try something like 10.
Substrate doesn't matter too much, just use something finer grain IMO. No crushed coral.
Decor should be pretty sterile. Don't use LR, but rather, use dry rock and seed it with LR off a coral frag plug. Dip everything.
As stated above, a sponge filter is good. Don't be deceived by their looks; they work very effectively. Get a 10g model and a large air pump to power it, as seahorses make a lot of waste.

Feed baby brine shrimp and enriched juvenile brine only. Copepods work, but breeding them is a pain.

 

[reefgoddess808]

Thank you asid61! Very good advice! I think the most I am willing to start with would be 8, I'd rather stick to six or four though. I was thinking of some type of branching rock, dry base of course and the caulerpa. Also, what do you think of mysid shrimp, porcelain crabs and a good stock of copepods? I was told that they would eat the larvae of both mysid shrimp and the porcelain crabs. Are there any other peaceful tankmates that I could add? Either invert or fish? Thanks again!

 

[Seahorses]

What asid61 means by getting about 10 dwarves is for feeding density. Since most dwarves are lazy and don't usually move to get food you need to feed them a large amout of bbs(baby brine shrimp), enough to make the tank have a "snowing" look. With only six dwarves in there, a lot of the food would go to waste, so stock enough dwarves so most of the food is eaten. You could definitely put mysis with the dwarves, as they to eat bbs. As for porcelain crabs, I've never kept them before so I don't know if they'd work. Other things you can put in there are some small algae snails, like really small Ceriths. I don't put fish in my seahorse tanks, but with dwarves I know that pipefish can be with them.
DO NOT put nassarius snails with them. I made that mistake. Since they have a tube mouth to eat, one started grabbing my dwarves and started to devour them. I started losing dwarves one by one until I saw what was killing them.

 

[teemee]

I had a pair of pearly jawfish in with mine, though your tank size will really limit the fish you can have. you could try catalina gobies - esp. as your tank temperature rates about the same that you need for zots.
Maybe a couple of barnacle blennies if you can find them...

 

[asid61]

What asid61 means by getting about 10 dwarves is for feeding density. Since most dwarves are lazy and don't usually move to get food you need to feed them a large amout of bbs(baby brine shrimp), enough to make the tank have a "snowing" look. With only six dwarves in there, a lot of the food would go to waste, so stock enough dwarves so most of the food is eaten. You could definitely put mysis with the dwarves, as they to eat bbs. As for porcelain crabs, I've never kept them before so I don't know if they'd work. Other things you can put in there are some small algae snails, like really small Ceriths. I don't put fish in my seahorse tanks, but with dwarves I know that pipefish can be with them.
DO NOT put nassarius snails with them. I made that mistake. Since they have a tube mouth to eat, one started grabbing my dwarves and started to devour them. I started losing dwarves one by one until I saw what was killing them.

Precisely!
Also, thanks for pointing that out with the nassarius. I didn't know that.
I'm pretty sure porcelains would work. They are filter feeders, right?

 

[Seahorses]

I found this at a fish sale website:
"The Porcelain Crab constantly filters the water for planktonic food, but will also scavenge for larger meaty portions. Offer the crab small bits of fish, shrimp or meaty food, as well as foods designed for filter feeders."

Dwarves aren't that big about 1" - 2", but the porcelains get to about an inch. You could keep a tiny one with them, but that's all I'd do. Dwarves have long, skinny tails, that are an easy catch for a big porcelain crab.
Also for anything else you'll put in the tank, scan them for hydroids. If you can't see any hydroids and a snail, scrub it with a small tooth brush and throw it in the tank. Anything with visible signs of hydroids, you would scrub and put it in another tank.

 

[asid61]

I found this at a fish sale website:
"The Porcelain Crab constantly filters the water for planktonic food, but will also scavenge for larger meaty portions. Offer the crab small bits of fish, shrimp or meaty food, as well as foods designed for filter feeders."

Dwarves aren't that big about 1" - 2", but the porcelains get to about an inch. You could keep a tiny one with them, but that's all I'd do. Dwarves have long, skinny tails, that are an easy catch for a big porcelain crab.
Also for anything else you'll put in the tank, scan them for hydroids. If you can't see any hydroids and a snail, scrub it with a small tooth brush and throw it in the tank. Anything with visible signs of hydroids, you would scrub and put it in another tank.

All correct. I just did a little more research on the porcelains, and mine was a bad suggestion. I apologize.
Keep in mind that while some hydroids are colonial, many are also free-swimming. If you see little jellyfish-like creatures swimming around, then be sure to dose either with Panacur or set up a new tank.

 

[reefgoddess808]

Thank you all so much for your advice! Due to car troubles I can't really justify adding another tank right now especially one that will be so labor intensive and costly. Maybe next year Ill give it a go.