Dwarf Seahorse Adventure

[HappySkittles]

hello (also posted this in the seahorse and pipefish section...cant have too much info/help/advice)
decided to make a post for my dwarf seahorse adventure
good to keep track of stuff will add actual pics later

anyway..i couldnt have another bigger tank (i already have a 55 gallon freshwater tank and i aint converting it to salt anytime soon D: ) so i researched some saltwater critters and found dwarf seahorse

this is my tank
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...fm?pcatid=15494
when i add the seahorse i will stuff some sponge i have into the intake so no one gets sucked up...right now its cycling so some good flow would be nice.

i cut more hols into the lid so that my fan would fit
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...fm?pcatid=14701

my substrate is a mix of argonite and black sand...its very pretty mixed...very salt and pepper (it was not live sand as to avoid any nasties that might happen to be hiding)

i have one piece of rock in there (was not LR but will be after all this)

i was going to add some blue mushroom polyps, a bumble bee shrimp (if this is a bad idea chime in...i just want something that could help clean up besides snails) nassarius and nerite snails (probably just 1 of each)
for plants i was thinking caulerpa and maidens hair

i am also going to add copepods to the tank after it cycles and before i add the seahorse so they will have something right away to eat. i will buy decapsulated brine shrimp eggs also.

so hopefully all goes well once the tank cycles.

 

[crvz]

Do you have a lot of experience with these or similar creatures? I know they can be extremely challenging, I've heard recommendations of waiting for a tank to be well established (months to even a year) before adding them. See you're doing well to research, just don't rush into anything!

Also, your links didnt work for me, so I can't comment on the tank specs.

 

[HappySkittles]

no im not rushing into anything wouldnt do that
and i do not have experience but people who get a delicate fish (or any fish period) for the first time dont have experience either...i was unsure at first at getting ANYTHING saltwater because i was always under the impression it was a SUPER hard hobby but the more i read the less complicated it seemed and the more confident i felt.

i did all kinds of research and i can provide the little ones with what they need. if i didnt think i could give em what they needed i would have done something like those little yellow clown gobies or a pair of shrimp.

i will post actual pics when i get the chance of the tank...i guess i want something prettier in it before i take pics XD right now its just sand and a rock but i will take a pic

i know they need live foods
i can provide the hatched shrimp and copepods as they need it when they need it...i know if its brine they should be newly hatched and if they are older brine i have to enrich em with fod for inverts/filter feeders

if i can do weekly water changes on a 55 gallon tank i think i could do weekly changes to a 3 gallon pico (and if daily cleaning is needed i can do that too)

i have had freshwater fish for years and i think i developed some kind of ocd with it that everything has to be perfect and if it isnt i go nuts trying to fix it until it is ^^;;
i know saltwater and fresh water are different but they are also very similar

first thing i read was this
http://www.syngnathid.org/articles/dwarfKeeping.html
and its by abbot which has written the best book on dwarf seahorse (at least that is the book/writer dwarf seahorse keepers swear by ) and i have a folder of websites that have info about them, where i could buy them, ect

 

[HappySkittles]

ok here is a pic of the cycling tank (its a 3 gallon acrylic pico)
the fans are angled down to help keep the tank as cool as possible with the lid on to minimize evaporation (tank stays at 77 f during the day 76 at night)

there is no mechanical filter in the well...filter...it has chaeto (its also a clear filter so it gets light ) and a little thing of carbon and i will be adding a sponge to the intake tube before i add the seahorse as well as lower the flow (there is a little dial on it that i can turn and lower the flow if the sponge doesnt slow it down some)



pretty sand (argonaite and black sand)


click for bigger images

 

[crvz]

well, good luck. I know they're hard, but keep doing research and keep us posted. interested to see what kind of success you have.