buttons buster
New member
Is it possible to keep one in a gallon pico?
How big do dwarfs get?
What precautions might I want to take?
Thanks
How big do dwarfs get?
What precautions might I want to take?
Thanks
dwarf seahorse
- Thread starter buttons buster
- Start date
They only get to be 1 to 1 1/2 in.
They have to have special live rock and plants.
Be very careful not to get hydroids into their tanks.
They need to be fed live brine shrimp daily.
If you haven't got the Dwarf Seahorse book, go get it. It goes through everything.
In a one gallon you could get a couple of dwarf seahorses in there. Just remeber how often you will need to do water changes.
They have to have special live rock and plants.
Be very careful not to get hydroids into their tanks.
They need to be fed live brine shrimp daily.
If you haven't got the Dwarf Seahorse book, go get it. It goes through everything.
In a one gallon you could get a couple of dwarf seahorses in there. Just remeber how often you will need to do water changes.
buttons buster
New member
Oh I meant two gallons.
Should I do a water change every week?
Should I do a water change every week?
ann83
New member
Water Changes more often than weekly.
No corals because you will have to use panacur on the tank to rid it of hydroids (which can sting and kill dwarf seahorses) and Panacur makes an aquarium unsafe for corals and many inverts for up to a couple of years. You will also have to be very careful about the inverts that you keep with them. Those that eat primarily algae won't survive in a panacured tank, and others could easily injure or eat your seahorses.
So, if you are ready to turn your Pico into a dedicated dwarf seahorse tank without corals or tankmates, then yes, you could put dwarves in there.
Precautions you need to take are to make sure that the intake on the filter is covered, that there isn't too strong a flow, that water temperatures are kept in the low 70's, that you are prepared to treat the tank with panacur when hydroids appear, and that you are prepared to hatch brine shrimp daily, that you keep out anything that could sting, pinch, or eat the seahorses (eliminates all swimming tankmates, crabs, hydroids, aiptasia, most shrimp, etc.)... also, think about the fact that unless you have a fish-sitter that knows how to hatch brine shrimp, you can't go on vacation.
No corals because you will have to use panacur on the tank to rid it of hydroids (which can sting and kill dwarf seahorses) and Panacur makes an aquarium unsafe for corals and many inverts for up to a couple of years. You will also have to be very careful about the inverts that you keep with them. Those that eat primarily algae won't survive in a panacured tank, and others could easily injure or eat your seahorses.
So, if you are ready to turn your Pico into a dedicated dwarf seahorse tank without corals or tankmates, then yes, you could put dwarves in there.
Precautions you need to take are to make sure that the intake on the filter is covered, that there isn't too strong a flow, that water temperatures are kept in the low 70's, that you are prepared to treat the tank with panacur when hydroids appear, and that you are prepared to hatch brine shrimp daily, that you keep out anything that could sting, pinch, or eat the seahorses (eliminates all swimming tankmates, crabs, hydroids, aiptasia, most shrimp, etc.)... also, think about the fact that unless you have a fish-sitter that knows how to hatch brine shrimp, you can't go on vacation.
buttons buster
New member
I've seen tanks with seahorses and zoas before.
So are you saying that I won't be able to do that?
So are you saying that I won't be able to do that?
ann83
New member
I don't think so. I don't think that zoas survive panacur. Did the tanks that you saw have dwarf seahorses in them, or larger species seahorses? The requirements for dwarf seahorses are very different from other species of seahorse because they are so small and so vulnerable. Other species of seahorse won't be bothered by hydroids, but hydroids can kill dwarves, hence the need for panacur in a dwarf tank.
buttons buster
New member
dwarf- here I have a link for you:
http://www.melevsreef.com/pico.html
Just scroll down to the bottom.
I'm pretty sure that's a dwarf.
If could be another species though.
he only has 1 and its a 2 gallon also.
http://www.melevsreef.com/pico.html
Just scroll down to the bottom.
I'm pretty sure that's a dwarf.
If could be another species though.
he only has 1 and its a 2 gallon also.
ann83
New member
That isn't a dwarf seahorse (hippocampus zosterae), it is a Hippocampus Reidi. "Casper" is also a girl, and SHE has the potential to reach 9" long and does not belong in a 2 gallon pico. She belongs in a tank with at least 18" of water height, and at the very least 20 gallons of water, preferably more. She is also in danger of being stung by the aiptasia, which could kill her, or having her tail injured by the clam, which could also kill her. The page hasn't been updated in 2 years, I wonder what happened to her.
Edit: Here is the thread about what happened to Casper http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=774220
Edit: Here is the thread about what happened to Casper http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=774220
burblerboy
New member
I do have a couple zoas in my dwarf setup and have not obseved any problems during the last 2-3 month period that I've had them, but be careful, some zoas are very potent others not so much. Like Ann said dwarfs have very different requirements than other seahorses.
