Dwarf SeaHorse tank!

No, I no longer have my dwarf tank going. I quit after 2 yrs finding it a PITA.
It's much easier looking after all my regular seahorses.
There is a picture of my dwarf tank on my website as it used to be.
At the time of the picture taking there was only about 25 dwarfs in it but they are quite hard to see.
Scroll down to bottom. Some of my seahorses
 
So i feel very confident about the enrichment process, i just want to go over the hatching process if you don't mind. I'll be using the pop bottle hatcher that you posted about earlier. You use fresh water with some rock salt and a pinch of baking soda then have the open ended airline in the bottom of the bottle and a light pointing at it correct? anything wrong or something i should change about that?
 
I use 10 parts sodium chloride to 1 part epsom salts by weight and THEN a little baking soda for buffer. The epsom salt I buy at Walmart in 4K jugs.
I haven't personally used just sodium chloride without the epsom but maybe others can chime in here if they have had success without the epsom.
I would aim for s.g. around the same s.g. the dwarfs will be kept at.
You only need the light source until they have completed the hatch. After that ambient lighting is sufficient.
I don't think I've mentioned that you need a mesh bag or net that can capture the nauplii as standard small nets don't work. I personally use a mesh bag from Brine Shrimp Direct, the 150 mesh one. I use the 250 mesh for rotifers if you get into those for any reason.
It may take some practice to perfect the separation of nauplii from cyst.
 
Yea I ordered a net for them from brineshrimp direct with the spirliuna. Once all that arrives ill do a test run of hatching.
 
If it's the same net they had a few years ago, I bought one and they work great for juvenile or adult brine but are no good for nauplii.
Check out these:
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c1/c9/sieve-artemia-hatching-p181.html
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c1/c9/large-brine-shrimp-sieve-p278.html
And my favorite one:
http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/c9/Mesh-Bag-c65.html the 150 mesh bag.
They are quite large and I can cut one and make two nets with a bag or I can just insert one in a two litre pop bottle with the bottom cut out and use it like a filter in a funnel. With the bag in the bottle, I fold the top of the bag over the outside of the bottle.
 
I had ordered the AquaLife brine-shrimp net, i'll look into seeing if a local shop has something like the sieve.
 
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One other question i have now, The Spirulina powder came this morning, how much should i use for in the 2.5g holding tank?
 
There is no set amount as everyone is feeding different quantities of nauplii in different volumes of water.
To start, add about 1 tablespoon of spirulina to a cup of water in a blender and blend for a minimum of two minutes.
Then pour into a suitable bottle (pop bottle works fine for me) rinsing residue into bottle and topping up to about a quart total. (or litre, doesn't have to be exact) Store in fridge.
To use, shake up to mix settlement and add sparingly to the tank until you can see some green colour to the water. As the water clears, add more.
Keep watch for settling of spirulina as a tank doesn't work as well as a bottle. Cones are the best shape containers but they are too expensive for me.
 
Ok, that seems simple enough haha. I think its time to start a test run of hatching them. I don't have the Dans Feed to enrich them yet, but then again, i don't have seahorses yet that need them enriched
 
I dont suppose that for hatching them ray you could just use pre mixed saltwater? Using just instant oceon, not reef crystals?
 
Many people have just used something like I.O. or another.
For me, I think it's just a waste when something so cheap will do instead.
 
Hmm....Im just thinking for simplicity, since i have containers of I.O. just sitting to the side for my other tanks that i could just grab some of that.... but yea otherwise the sodium chloride and epsom would be cheaper in the long run... I'm going to start to hatch a batch later tonight since i get off work at 1 am tomorrow, or i guess it'd be 1 am on Sunday....but you get the point haha, so i'll start it about midnight tonight so they'll have 24 hours
 
Believe me, if there were an easier way to feed dwarfs someone would have found it and the word would have gotten around almost instantly.
However, Dwarfs, like fry of standard seahorses for the most part won't partake of non live food. They want to see their food moving around.
Also because it is an inert food, settlement will occur meaning more and frequent cleanup to prevent bacterial infections.
In addition, nutrient level will not be as good as enriched live nauplii.
 
Yea i had assumed that no matter what, enriched live bbs would be better then the 'artificial' foods, Would be nice if there was an easier food for them ;) there still going to be worth the work though!
 
I want to see you posting the same words two years from now. Not to many last that long before it becomes a big PITA and most even sooner.
 
I feel silly having to ask again, i know it was mentioned somewhere in the thread here, In the 2.5g tank that the bbs will be in with spirulina powder, Should that tank be have an open ended airline in it aswell?
 
In addition to needing air lines for oxygen for the brine, you need enough lines to keep the food in suspension, especially for containers that are not cone shaped.
 
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